Seraphina's heart gave a sudden jolt, and immediately after, anxiety and worry flooded her mind.

Ever since her father was involved in that car accident, his intellect had regressed to that of a young child, and he had absolutely no ability to protect himself. What did Janice want to do?!

Seraphina hurriedly called Janice, but the other side refused to answer no matter what.

Seraphina's eyes darkened, and she sent a text message: If you don't answer the phone, I'm calling the police.

Finally, the call went through.

Before Seraphina could speak, Janice said triumphantly, "That foolish father of yours—I sent him to Ethan's company. For a matter as big as a divorce, you ought to notify the parents, shouldn't you?"

Seraphina's face turned pale. Ethan absolutely loathed her father!

She hung up the phone and rushed toward the Vance Enterprises building.

At the same time, Ethan was walking out of a nearby elevator accompanied by two partner chairmen.

By the time Seraphina hurriedly ran into the lobby of Vance Enterprises, the scene before her caused her vision to turn black.

In the dead center of the bustling lobby, Seraphina's father was smiling foolishly, grabbing Ethan's hand and stuffing a piece of chocolate into it—one he usually couldn't bear to eat himself. "My friend, have a candy..."

Chapter 5: The Foolish Father

"Dad." Seraphina's face turned pale, and she rushed forward, only to fall into Ethan's abyss-like dark eyes.

Seraphina's expression froze. Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward to pull her father's hand away.

But in the next second, Ethan violently whipped his arm back, and with a loud thud, her father was knocked to the floor.

Looking at the candy in his hand that hadn't been delivered, her father froze for a moment and then burst into loud tears.

"Dad, are you hurt...?" Seraphina helped him up, her heart aching.

Meanwhile, seeing her father's foolish appearance and the strange looks from the business partners, a ball of fury boiled up in Ethan's chest.

The corners of his lips curved upward, his smile causing panic to swell in Seraphina's heart. "Are you doing this on purpose to retaliate against me?"

"No!" She shook her head repeatedly.

Ethan's expression suddenly turned savage, his voice harboring hidden violence: "Take this fool and get the hell out of here!"

Seraphina wanted to explain everything, but facing Ethan's gaze, which was as cold as ice, her throat felt as if it were blocked by cotton, and she couldn't utter a single word.

In the end, her body trembled slightly. She bit her pale lower lip tightly and bowed deeply to Ethan. "I'm sorry."

With that, she half-dragged and half-pulled her crying and fussing father out of the building.

Watching Seraphina's staggering back, Ethan's tightly furrowed brows seemed to be tied in a permanent knot.

After bringing her father out of Vance Enterprises, she let out a sigh, her heart feeling heavily weighed down by a massive stone.

But looking at her father's dirty appearance, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache, and she gently patted the dust off his clothes.

"I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" Her father started making a scene again, causing passersby to turn their heads frequently.

Seraphina could only take him to eat first, buy him some snacks, and then send him back.

Before leaving, she instructed Nanny Beatrice once more that no one except herself was allowed to take her father away.

The sun was leaning toward the west by the time Seraphina dragged her exhausted body home.

However, a tall and lancer figure standing in front of the estate gates caused her to freeze. "Julian?" She looked at Julian Vance in astonishment. "You're back in the country?"

Julian's eyes crinkled into a smile, and he nodded. "Seraphina."

But in the next instant, a trace of sorrow surfaced between his brows. "Perhaps I should call you 'sister-in-law' to be more appropriate."

Hearing this, Seraphina's eyes gradually dimmed, and a sense of desolation spread through her heart.

She wouldn't be for much longer.

Looking at Seraphina like this, Julian's eyes were filled with heartache. His hand stretched out unconsciously to caress her face. "You've lost weight."

Seraphina froze, instinctively trying to dodge.

Ethan's voice, however, suddenly rang out, acting like a pause button on their movements.

"The old flame is here. Aren't you going to invite him in to sit down?"

Seraphina turned around to look. Ethan was standing right behind the villa gates, the soft light of the sunset falling on his face without a hint of warmth.

He stared at Julian's hand, his gaze sharp and cold as an ice blade, mocking, "Perfect timing, since we're about to divorce anyway. If you don't mind, you can just marry her and take her back."

Seraphina's pupils dilated, and her heart felt instantly twisted by a knife. "Ethan Vance!"

He could choose not to love her, but could he please stop treating her like a commodity that could be casually handed off to anyone else!

Her hands hanging at her sides clenched so tightly they trembled, and the corners of her reddened eyes looked as if they were about to bleed.

Julian was pushed past his limit, letting out a furious laugh. "Ethan Vance, you're still the exact same way."

Under Ethan's glare, which looked as if it wanted to swallow him alive, Julian gently patted Seraphina's head. "Don't carry everything on your own."

With that, he turned and left.

Across the iron gates of the estate, Seraphina and Ethan stared at each other.

Seeing the tears welling in Seraphina's eyes, Ethan's jaw tightened slightly. Ignoring the irritation in his heart, he continued to look at her coldly.

With only exhaustion left in her aching heart, Seraphina ignored Ethan for the first time, pushing past the door and entering the house without saying a single word.

"Stand still," Ethan questioned coldly from behind her. "Have you kept in touch with him all these years?"

After asking, he felt even more agitated inside, not knowing why he cared so much.

But the thought of them still being in contact caused an unexplainable fire of fury to burn in his chest.

Seraphina didn't turn around. Her still-hoarse voice carried a deep, low sorrow: "Do you really care?"

The blue-black night sky gradually swallowed the last trace of the sunset's remaining light, and she did not receive an answer from Ethan.

Seraphina let out a self-deprecating laugh. "We're already getting a divorce anyway, so what's the point of caring about any of that."

She pushed open the grand front door, and the sound of footsteps behind her grew further and further away.

The evening breeze blew gently, causing Seraphina's body to shiver involuntarily.

She tilted her head up, wiped away the tears escaping from the corners of her eyes, took a deep breath, and walked inside.

For several days in a row, Ethan did not return home at all.

Seraphina also resumed her work, but the station never brought up the agreed-upon schedule change again.

The sky grew dark, and a fine drizzle began to fall.

Having just finished her shift, Seraphina walked slowly down the sparsely populated street. A still-lit boutique caught her attention.

She froze in front of the display window, looking at the wind chimes hanging inside, and suddenly thought of her father.

When she was six years old, her parents were in a car accident. Her mother died, and her father's mind regressed to a child even younger than she was.

Since then, her father had never called her by her name again.

He used to call her "little sister," and now he called her "big sister."

But the only thing that never changed was how much he loved her. He would take her to the beach to pick up seashells, make her favorite seashell wind chimes, and hang them all over her room...

Seraphina's eyes grew warm. Her pale hand gently pressed against the display window, and she smiled through her blurred vision.

Even if she left Ethan, she still had her father. She had to work hard to cure him.

Suddenly, the phone in her bag rang.

Seraphina quickly wiped away her tears and pulled out her phone. Seeing it was Nanny Beatrice calling, her brow furrowed. "Hello?"

"Sera, your dad... he's gone!"

Chapter 6: Find Him Yourself

Seraphina’s eyes widened in sheer shock, the residual smile on her lips freezing instantly. "What happened? Didn’t I tell you to keep a close eye on him?"

Nanny Beatrice cried, "I was washing dishes in the kitchen, and he was playing in the yard. By the time I came out, he was gone."

"Did you call the police?" Seraphina asked, walking with hurried, frantic steps.

"I already did... but since it hasn't been twenty-four hours, the police won't open a case..."

The rain gradually intensified, as if washing over the entire superficial city.

Seraphina searched the streets in the direction her father had gone missing. She constantly asked passersby about his whereabouts, but everyone shook their heads, saying they hadn't seen him.