On the evening the exhibition concluded, Ethan took Clara and Lulu out to a restaurant for dinner.

While the three were chatting happily, Ethan suddenly looked over Clara’s shoulder and asked, "Is that someone you know?"

Clara had a sinking feeling. She turned around, and sure enough, it was Arthur.

Lulu recognized him too and said with dissatisfaction, "That weird uncle was here before. He kept pestering Mama, saying he was wrong and asking her to forgive him."

"There was a little boy with him too—very mean and very rude."

The child didn't understand the complexities of these relationships, but Ethan had guessed more or less. He asked with a faint smile, "A husband chasing after his wife?"

Clara shook her head. Perhaps bolstered by the alcohol, or perhaps because the frustrations of the past few years had finally reached their breaking point, her desire to confide surged. She told him everything—from how she and Arthur first met and fell in love, to his eventual betrayal.

By the time she finished, she was in tears, sobbing into a tissue.

Arthur, sitting behind them, moved slightly as if to come over, but he was stopped by a warning look from Ethan. Realizing he no longer had a rightful place there, he sat back down, watching Clara’s shoulders heave from a distance.

He could almost hear her suppressed whimpering.

When they still lived together, he had heard that sound many times.

He would lose his temper, and she would take the grievance, hiding in the small walk-in closet to muffle her crying.

Back then, the sobbing that had only irritated him now overlapped with her trembling shoulders.

Only now did Arthur see clearly how many wrongs he had committed. Clara’s love for him had been ground into nothingness by these countless moments of neglect.

His heart constricted in a sharp, agonizing pain.

It hurt more than the time he was impaled by rebar in a car accident.

Details he had deliberately forgotten began to flash through his mind.

In the most critical moments, how Mia had used him as a human shield, and how Clara had turned the tide to save him—losing two fingers in the process and being unable to paint for a long time.

And how had she endured those cold, dark nights?

Drowned in remorse, Arthur covered his face and wept bitterly.

A grown man, crying without a shred of dignity.

Across the room, Ethan and the others had finished their meal. Ethan carried Lulu in one arm while supporting Clara with the other, walking steadily toward the exit. Before leaving, he locked eyes with Arthur from across the room.

As a man, Arthur was intimately familiar with that look.

It was a look of warning and threat.

Arthur pressed his lips thin, still unwilling to give up just yet.

The next morning, once she had sobered up, Clara realized how foolishly she had acted and hurried to apologize to Ethan.

Ethan simply pressed a bowl of porridge into her hands and said softly, "It’s fine."

Once she finished eating, he added, "The Civil Affairs Bureau is open today."

Clara paused, blinking once, then twice, before grasping his meaning. "You agreed?"

The man nodded.

She was overjoyed, her face lighting up with a genuine smile. She immediately promised, "Don't worry, I won't be a burden. Once I get guardianship, you can divorce me whenever you want. I won't take any of your property."

Ethan hadn't expected her to follow up with such words; it sounded like a legal disclaimer to sever all ties.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he didn't deny it. It was indeed a bit too fast; he would give her some time to buffer.

After finishing their meal, they went to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Clara had even bought a new shirt for the occasion and applied a rare bit of makeup.

As they stepped inside, Arthur’s car pulled up at the entrance. If he wasn't mistaken, were those Clara and Ethan?

No, impossible. How could Clara move on so quickly?

But when he saw Clara and Ethan walking out of the bureau, each holding a red marriage certificate, his sanity completely shattered.

He rushed forward recklessly, trying to reach for Clara. "Clara, you're joking, right? How could you get married to him? Do you even know him?"

Clara’s expression didn't change. She tucked her arm into Ethan’s and said frankly, "I didn't know you that well either, but I still got a certificate with you, didn't I? Wake up, Arthur. I am no longer the Clara Su of the past."

Ethan took on the stance of a protective husband and warned Arthur: "Stop harassing my wife."

The two got into the car together, exchanging a gentle, mutual smile.

Arthur watched their car drive away with hollow eyes, feeling as though a piece of his heart had been carved out.

Only now did the reality that Clara was truly gone sink in.

He had been lying to himself all along.

After getting married, Clara and Ethan moved quickly to finalize the guardianship. Lulu was now officially their child.

On the day the paperwork was finalized, the three of them prepared a feast at home to celebrate.

Lulu was ecstatic, her former timidness replaced by a newfound brightness.

"Papa! Mama!"

She called out the names loudly.

It wasn't Clara's first time being a mother, and she had heard Lulu call her that for a while, so she was perfectly accustomed to it.

But Ethan had clearly never been a father before. His expression was unfamiliar, awkward, and a little shy.

Clara set down the final dish and patted his shoulder. "You'll get used to it after a while."

Ethan laughed softly. "It’s mainly a sudden, heavy sense of responsibility. I feel like I have a family to provide for now."

Clara wasn't sure if he was joking or serious, but she didn't want him to feel burdened. She told him seriously, "You don't need to feel any pressure. This was my decision, and I should be responsible for any problems that arise. Just be yourself."

"I’m very grateful for what you’ve done. I owe you one."

She spoke with great solemnity, raising her tea as if it were wine to toast him.

Ethan’s eyes turned complex as he listened, but he didn't reply, simply draining his cup in one go.

After finishing the meal, the three of them lounged in their chairs, looking up at the starry sky.

How long had it been since she had enjoyed such a peaceful, cozy night?

Clara was incredibly thankful to the version of herself that had signed the divorce papers. If not for that escape, she would never have known that life could be so free and expansive.

"Mama, it's that little boy from the other day," Lulu suddenly said.

Eh?

Clara looked down. A small figure was standing at the courtyard gate, nearly blending into the darkness.

She hadn't seen Leo in a while. He had lost a significant amount of weight, his face was flushed, and his exposed arms and legs were covered in red marks. It looked as though he had been through an ordeal.

The moment their eyes met, Leo’s sense of grievance flooded out. He lunged toward Clara, throwing himself into her arms and sobbing loudly: "Mama! Waaah... you don't know how Dad treated me! Waaah..."

His tears were like an open faucet, quickly soaking Clara’s shoulder.

He was her own flesh and blood, after all. Hearing him cry like that made Clara’s nose sting. She held him back, gently patting his back.

After a long while of comforting, Leo finally began to quiet down.

Lulu wandered over and made a face at him. "A real man doesn't cry so easily. Shame on you!"

Embarrassed by her words, Leo buried his face deeper into Clara’s arms.

Leo seemed to have changed.

In the past, he would have started shouting insults by now.

Why was he so well-behaved today?

Arthur had mentioned sending him to school; it turned out it was a behavioral correction school.

It was at least some small change on Arthur’s part.

Clara took a tissue and wiped Leo’s tears, her voice losing its previous warmth. "Where is your father?"

Leo’s gaze became guilty, avoiding her eyes.

So, he was nearby.

Clara let out a sigh, feeling a sense of exhaustion.

Ethan spoke up: "Why don't you invite him in to sit down?"

A few moments later, the five of them sat around the table in silence.

Arthur sat there feeling like an interloper in someone else’s home, disrupting the harmony of their family of three. He felt uneasy all over.

"Ahem... Leo missed you, so I brought him over to see you."

A natural enough excuse.

But if Arthur hadn't brought it up, Leo might not have truly remembered her.

Clara remained cold. "He’s seen me now."

Sensing the tension between the two, Leo hurried to speak up for Arthur: "Dad already severely punished that bad woman who was stirring up trouble!"

Having received a new education at school, he finally realized what a disgusting person Mia was and felt deep regret.

Clara hadn't expected this. She looked up at Arthur.

The latter hurried to answer, "Mia brought it on herself."

He used her full name; it seemed she had indeed been dealt with.

But it had nothing to do with her.

She looked up flatly. "Oh. Then you can feel free to find a new mother for Leo. He’s so well-behaved now, anyone would love him."

Leo reached out a small hand, clutching one of Clara’s fingers. He asked with nervous anticipation, "Do... do you like me too?"