When I was 16, my father saved Mr. Malcolm Monroe’s life. In return, I became engaged to the Monroe family as their daughter-in-law. By 21, I had transformed into a lady, admired in high society. At 22, I married Elijah Monroe. At 26, I gave birth to our first child. He, like Elijah, never liked me. I worked hard to play the perfect daughter-in-law in the Monroe family. One day, Elijah asked what I wanted for my birthday. I handed him the divorce papers. “Elijah, I want a divorce.” Elijah gave me a cold look. “Serena, stop being ridiculous.” Even Gavin, our son, chimed in, “Mom, stop wasting everyone’s time.” I signed my name and looked at Elijah again. “Elijah, I want a divorce.” “Why?” Elijah’s voice was as cold and distant as ever. I sat down, took a deep breath, and said, “There’s nothing to explain. It’s just pointless.” The diamond bracelet on my wrist, a gift from Elijah for my 30th birthday, sparkled faintly under the light. To everyone else, Elijah was a perfect husband, always attentive in public, but only I knew how cold his heart truly was. “Mom, it’s almost midnight. Stop wasting everyone’s time,” Gavin called down impatiently from the stairs. I looked at the child I had nearly died giving birth to, still wearing the same patient expression I always wore around him. “You’ll stay with the Monroe family. You won’t need my support. I have nothing to give you; I’m an orphan. Consider my absence from your life my final gift to you.” Gavin, mature for his age, understood what I meant. Turning back to Elijah, I said, “I’m not greedy. I don’t understand much about property or wealth. I only want the house you transferred to my name recently. I like it. Everything else belongs to the Monroes. I won’t take a thing.” I removed the diamond bracelet from my wrist. “This was meant for your wife, but I don’t think I ever truly was your wife. And I’ve never liked the title Mrs. Monroe. You should have it back.” I took off each piece of jewelry and placed them on the table, one by one. Elijah remained silent, watching me quietly from across the table. Finally, he spoke, “Serena, are you just trying to get my attention?” “Isn’t being Mrs. Monroe enough for you? No matter what you do, in my heart, you’ll never matter.” “Let’s go to court and finalize the divorce. The sooner, the better. We don’t have to wait a month. Sign the papers quickly—I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
I headed upstairs. Gavin had already gone to bed. Like his father, Gavin had a strict schedule and never wasted a second for anyone. Especially not for me, the mother he didn’t like. From the day my father died in a car accident after saving Mr. Monroe, I became trapped in the Monroe family. On that very day, Mr. Monroe held my hand and declared that I was to be their future daughter-in-law, and I lost my identity completely. At that time, I was grieving my father’s death, trapped in a fog of despair. I had stopped speaking, incapable of uttering a word. Mrs. Monroe stormed into my house, dragged me out, and forced me into a series of etiquette lessons. She looked down at me and said, “You have one month to start speaking again. The Monroe family doesn’t need a mute woman as its mistress.” I tried to resist, but Mr. Monroe’s public announcement made my fate clear. I was trapped. I was brainwashed. By the time I was released, Mrs. Monroe asked me what my duty was. I responded automatically, “To be the perfect daughter-in-law of the Monroe family.” From the age of 16 to 21, I transformed from a helpless girl into a poised woman, admired by high society in Manhattan. At 22, I married Elijah under the watchful eyes of everyone. Four years later, I gave birth to Gavin. My life became focused on managing the household and raising Gavin. Attending galas with Elijah was my full-time role. The most frequent sight I saw was the small garden at the Monroe Family Estate, where I planted many flowers. Elijah ripped them out with his own hands because the person in his heart was allergic to pollen.
Thinking about it now, I packed my bags faster. In Elijah’s heart, there was a dead girl he had loved—a girl like a delicate white flower, taken by acute leukemia. By the time Elijah realized, she was already gone. From then on, he hated me for occupying the position of the Monroe family’s daughter-in-law, and he hated the family for keeping it from him. Gavin, too, was the result of a drugged night. When Elijah woke up, he locked himself in the bathroom for an entire day. He thought I was dirty. I tossed a dress out of my suitcase—the one I wore to an event with Elijah. Bad luck. When I finished packing, all my belongings fit into one small suitcase. As I walked out, Elijah was still downstairs. He frowned as usual when he saw me. “There’s no need to rush. We aren’t divorced yet.” I smiled at him. “I can’t stay here a minute longer.” The moment I stepped outside, I felt free for the first time. The house I liked had been empty for a while, so I checked into a hotel nearby until I could get it cleaned. For the next month, I stayed in that house. The day of the divorce arrived quickly, and I waited outside the New York County Court. Elijah arrived with Gavin in tow. When they saw the smile on my face, their expressions turned cold. “Serena, are you happy about the divorce?” Elijah asked. “Let’s hurry. I have a plane to catch.” Without further words, I dragged Elijah to take the necessary photos. After receiving the divorce certificate, I rushed to the airport. Aside from not loving me, Elijah had no faults. He transferred $50 million to my account, along with the house. I was finally free to live my life. I decided to go on an expedition in the Arctic.
As the ship rocked under the massive waves, I watched the sea and laughed. My father and I were both thrill-seekers. We had plans to challenge the most exciting adventures around the world, not end up trapped in a box buried beneath a headstone. That’s why I brought his ashes with me on this trip. When the sea was calm, I scattered his ashes into the water. “Dad, this is the ocean you’ve always dreamed of,” I whispered to myself. That night, just as I was falling asleep, my phone rang. It was Elijah’s voice on the other end. “There’s a party tomorrow with Mr. Williams. He’s asking about the wine from last year. What was it again?” Mr. Williams was one of Elijah’s key business partners. Every year, I agonized over what gift to bring to his birthday party. The wine he was talking about was one I’d spent months searching for—a rare bottle from a renowned winemaker. Being woken up at night was frustrating enough, but the way Elijah ordered me around as if we were still married was infuriating. I snapped, “We’re divorced. Stop acting like a man-child.” “And maybe think before you call someone in the middle of the night. Don’t be a rude man-child.” With that, I hung up and turned off my phone. The next day, I planned to take pictures of the stunning glaciers. When I turned my phone on, I saw a dozen missed calls from Elijah. More than he’d called me in an entire year. Usually, I was the one asking when he’d be home or when Gavin’s school events were, since both parents needed to attend. Elijah’s responses were always the same: “Hmm,” followed by a date and time for the next social event I was expected to prepare for. I put on the perfect dress, held Elijah’s arm, and played the role of the perfect Mrs. Monroe. This time, I blocked his number and focused on the beauty of the glaciers. That night, just before falling asleep, a strange number called me. A woman’s voice asked, “Are you Gavin Monroe’s mother?” “No. I don’t have any children. I’m single now. If you need something, contact his father.” “You’re lying.” It was Gavin’s voice, filled with disbelief. “I don’t think I am. You don’t like me, and I don’t like you anymore either. You can pretend I’m not your mother, and I’ll do the same. Don’t call this number again. Consider me a stranger.”
After hanging up, I decided that once I got back to shore, I would change my number. The Arctic was breathtaking, the towering glaciers impossible to describe with words. On a calm day, the crew lowered a kayak into the water. A foreign tourist next to me asked if I wanted to join them in diving into the sea. I put on my life jacket and stood on the makeshift platform. With a leap, I plunged into the icy water. The cold was intense, but the exhilaration was worth it. In the distance, I could hear the excited chatter of other tourists. I ducked my head underwater, where the noise was muffled. Once back on shore, I dried off and went to check out the kayaks again. By the time I returned to shore, it had been half a month since I’d started this journey. When I landed at the airport, it was already midnight. I got home and fell into bed, sinking into a deep sleep. I woke up in the afternoon, still in a dreamlike state. In my dreams, Mrs. Monroe’s voice echoed, saying how fortunate I was. Then the scene shifted to whispers behind my back, mocking me—”A sparrow can’t become a swan.” Finally, the image settled on the first time Elijah saw me. He stood in the sunlight, wearing a crisp white shirt, each strand of his hair glistening in the light. The moment he looked at me, he held the hand of another girl and promised, “Don’t worry, I’ll never love her.” Elijah really did manage to never love me. When we first got married, Mrs. Monroe pressured me to quickly have a child with Elijah. Under her coercion, I wore embarrassing outfits to seduce him. But that day, in Elijah’s cold gaze, I felt like an ancient courtesan desperately seeking favor. I hurried to get dressed and fled to my room, and from that moment on, I stopped expecting any affection from him. Even on that night when he took traditional medicine, he didn’t call my name.
Waking up now, my head felt heavy. I remembered the two people I despised in my dreams and decided to head downstairs to shake off the bad vibes. I figured I might as well grab a bite to eat. As I stepped into the elevator, I found Elijah standing inside. Dressed in a suit and tie, he looked like he could go to a meeting in a moment. His expression didn’t change when he saw me. “I’m giving you one last chance, Serena. Come back and continue being Mrs. Monroe. Don’t venture too far next time; if something goes wrong, public relations could become messy.” A sarcastic smile spread across my face. To Elijah, my death would only complicate things for the Monroe family’s public relations team. To him, my life was merely a symbol of stability for the shareholders. “Mr. Monroe, we’re divorced. Please respect our agreement and don’t bother me,” I replied, my voice steady. Elijah’s face showed doubt as he opened his mouth to speak, but I turned and walked toward the other elevator. When I reached the ground floor, I spotted Gavin waiting by the car. As I stepped out, he opened the door and climbed in, saying, “Mom, I have an enrichment class later. Don’t waste everyone’s time.” I ignored Gavin and walked directly to the side of the car. Suddenly, I heard a faint mewing sound from under the tires. That sound was all too familiar; it reminded me of the first orange tabby cat I rescued as a child. When I saw the little orange kitten with its tail held high, I couldn’t help but gasp. It looked just like my childhood pet, Dreamer, down to the short, broken tail. Carefully, I picked up the kitten, thinking maybe this was Dreamer’s way of coming back to me. Ignoring Elijah and Gavin, who were both staring at me, I rushed out with the kitten in my arms. At the entrance of the community, I took the kitten to Riverside Animal Hospital, where the doctor took it off my hands, and I finally felt relieved. Sitting in the chair, I couldn’t believe I had found my long-lost companion. Though I knew this kitten wasn’t really Dreamer, it still felt like a part of my heart had returned. Gavin appeared behind me. “I’m allergic to cat hair! Why did you adopt a cat?”
During the early days of my marriage to Elijah, I often found myself alone in the estate, with no one to talk to. I wanted to get an orange cat, just like Dreamer, but Elijah thought cats were a nuisance. After much pleading, I finally convinced him to let me keep one. However, when Gavin was born, we discovered he was allergic to cat hair. The kitten was sent away less than a day after it arrived. My focus then shifted entirely to Gavin. Now, hearing Gavin’s words again, I didn’t hold back. “I’m not your mother anymore. Didn’t you understand what I said that day?” Gavin’s eyes showed a flicker of confusion, as if he couldn’t believe I truly didn’t love him anymore. In his mind, I should always be the one standing behind him, patient and caring, no matter how he treated me. “Even if I opened a cat café now, that’s my business.” “There’s nothing more to discuss. You and your father should stay out of my life. Seeing both of you is exhausting.” “Fine, walk away. You’ll regret being alone one day,” Gavin retorted angrily as he stormed off. I remained seated, waiting for the doctor to return with the results. An hour later, the doctor emerged holding a beautiful little orange tabby, its teeth bared in a cute little grin. As soon as it saw me, it let out a series of adorable meows. I took the kitten from the doctor and gently tapped its nose. “From now on, your name is Beauty, okay?” Initially, I had wanted to name it Dreamer, but it only responded to the name Dreamer. Now, I finally had my dream cat. I bought a bunch of supplies from the pet store and had them delivered. Holding Beauty, I said, “From now on, you’re a princess. Let’s see who dares to call you a little stray.” Once home, I set up Beauty’s new space before making a phone call. While on the Arctic ship, I met three children planning to travel from Xinjiang all the way to Iceland. They asked if I wanted to join them. Now, I needed to figure out what paperwork I’d need to take Beauty overseas. After sorting everything out, a month had passed, and I was waiting at the meeting point for them. Once everyone had gathered, we set off into the distance.
Beauty behaved perfectly on the road as another person and I took turns driving. The first thing he said when he got in the car was, “Hey, if the car breaks down, don’t blame me. This is my first time driving such an expensive car.” We drove through a deserted area for miles. We also landed in a hot air balloon, which was my first time lying down to get into one. Passing through a small town, a little girl tugged on my sleeve, pointing to her disabled father, asking if I could spare some change. We took a day to help her father get to the hospital. When we finally reached Alaska, we were a week behind schedule. Beauty had gone from being a timid little kitten to a bold, plump cat. Every time we arrived at a new accommodation, she was the first to jump down, patrol the area, and only then would she return to my side. The Northern Lights were breathtaking. I waited three hours in awe, marveling at the vibrant colors lighting up the sky. Beauty poked her head out of my jacket, the wind rustling her fur before she burrowed back inside. We had just agreed to go skiing next. Then, a strange number called my phone. “Serena, I’m your mother. Can we talk?” The unfamiliar voice took me back to the day of my father’s car accident. He had called me that day, excitedly telling me he had good news and wanted to introduce me to my mother. His voice had been filled with joy, stirring countless fantasies about meeting her. But soon after, I received the news of his passing, and the mother he spoke of never appeared. I handed the car keys over to them and boarded the plane with Beauty. At the airport, I stepped off the plane and saw Elijah. Standing next to him was a woman in a wheelchair. I recognized her immediately—she looked just like the woman in my father’s wallet. “Back already?” Elijah asked, but I pretended not to hear him.
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