Take This Withered Love

The pain tore straight through Elena's chest. She pressed her hand against her heart and stood there for a long moment, trying to steady herself while the tears kept coming.

Just then, her phone started ringing. It was the airline calling to confirm her ticket details.

"Ms. Jennings, your one-way ticket to Yewton has been issued. Would you like to select a seat?"

"A window seat, please. Thank you," she answered, wiping away the tears before her voice could betray her.

She'd just ended the call when the hospital room door opened.

Lucas walked in, composed as ever. His suit was immaculate, his posture straight, and his cuffs aligned down to the millimeter.

"Who were you on the phone with?" he asked evenly.

Elena put her phone away. "A friend."

He didn't press further. He simply stood at the foot of the bed, looking down at her. "There was a bit of a misunderstanding last time. Sabrina was the one who gave the children mango juice."

His tone remained neutral, as if he were discussing something trivial. "But she didn't know they were allergic. We'll leave it at that."

Elena felt her heart clench, the pain nearly taking her breath away.

When he believed she'd done it, he'd wanted to kill her, but when it turned out to be Sabrina, it became an unfortunate mistake.

Her lips parted. She wanted to argue, to scream, to lay bare all of the grievances and resentment she'd been holding in.

But in the end, all she could muster was a mere, "Okay."

As if all the strength had been drained from her body, Elena felt exhausted, so exhausted that she didn't even have the will to argue anymore.

The grievances that had once kept her awake at night—the resentment that had piled up day after day—all dissolved into a faint, self-mocking smile at the corners of her lips.

It turned out the line between love and indifference was remarkably thin and easy to see.

Lucas seemed faintly surprised by her reaction. After a brief pause, he said, "The kids are leaving for summer camp next week. Sabrina and I are going with them. You can head back on your own."

He waited for her to beg, cry, or make a scene the way she used to.

Instead, Elena simply nodded. "Got it."

He frowned, clearly unsettled by her unusual reaction, but his phone rang at that moment. He glanced at the caller ID and said, "Something's come up at the office. I have to go."

The second the door shut behind him, Elena finally unclenched her fist, the skin broken where her nails had dug in.

…

Over the next few days, Elena's phone buzzed nonstop.

Every notification was from Sabrina. There were numerous photos and videos, all capturing cheerful scenes from summer camp.

In one clip, Benjamin and Charlotte stood proudly beside Sabrina, their faces glowing as they introduced her to their classmates.

"This is our mom!"

The other children gasped in envy.

"Wow, your mom is so pretty!"

"Your dad's handsome, and your mom's beautiful. You guys are so lucky!"

Then, a curious child asked, "Who's the lady who usually picks you up from school?"

Benjamin and Charlotte's expressions stiffened for a brief second. "Oh, that's… our nanny."

Elena's hand trembled. The glass she was holding slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor. She slowly crouched down, stared at the shards scattered at her feet, and laughed.

After all these years, she had only ever been a nanny to them.

But it didn't matter because that nanny would be resigning soon.

From now on, their beloved "mom" could take care of them.

…

A week later, Martha brought Benjamin and Charlotte back to the mansion.

The moment they stepped inside, they ran straight to the kitchen, unable to hide the smugness on their faces.

"Mom!" Charlotte called out in a high voice. "Did you know Ms. Miller twisted her ankle at family sports day? Dad was so worried about her!"

Benjamin chimed in immediately, "Dad booked out an entire hospital for her and even canceled his meetings. He stayed with her the whole time!"

Elena stood in front of the oven, listening to their bragging while slipping on her oven mitts.

"Mom, are you even listening?"

Charlotte stomped her foot in displeasure. "Dad treats Ms. Miller so well, way better than he ever treated—"

The oven timer chimed, cutting her off.

The sweet scent of cake filled the kitchen instantly. Both children's eyes lit up as they hurried over.

Benjamin rose onto his toes. "It's cake! I want some!"

Elena pulled the tray out. The edges of the cake were slightly burned. She frowned, then tipped the entire cake into the trash bin.

Charlotte let out a sharp scream. "Why would you throw it away?"

"It's burned. You can't eat it," Elena said calmly.

"You're lying!"

Benjamin kicked the trash bin in anger. "You did that on purpose! You're still mad about what happened before, so you don't want us to eat it. You're such a terrible mom!"

Charlotte's face flushed bright red. "We don't want a mom like you!"

Elena slowly removed the oven mitts, her heart clenching painfully.

She looked at the two children she'd nearly died bringing into the world, and for the first time, they felt like strangers to her.

"Good," she said softly. "I don't want children like you either. You're more than welcome to go running to Sabrina from here on out."

With that, she turned and strode toward the stairs.

Behind her, the children screamed at the top of their lungs, "We hate you! We'll hate you forever!"

Her steps faltered for a split second, but she didn't look back. She'd just stepped onto the third stair when a violent shove struck her from behind.

"Why don't you just die!"