Genevieve dragged her exhausted body back to the small motel where they were temporarily staying. As she entered, she saw Ivy asleep in a chair.
Ivy had been waiting for her all day and had eventually drifted off, worn out. Seeing Ivy’s pale and haggard face, Genevieve felt a pang of guilt.
Not long ago, Ivy had been like a delicate flower, vibrant and full of life. Now, she looked pitiful and weathered, as if she had been battered by a storm.
Genevieve’s heart ached. She had always believed that Ivy and Zachary would live lives of luxury, free from hardship. She never imagined they would end up like this.
“Ivy, have you eaten? I brought some food,” Genevieve said, placing a takeout bag on the table.
Ivy stirred, slowly opening her eyes. “Mom, you’re back. What happened with my brother?”
“He… he’ll be fine,” Genevieve replied, avoiding Ivy’s gaze. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her daughter how much humiliation she had endured that day.
Ivy’s eyes fell on Genevieve’s swollen, reddened cheeks. “Mom, who did this to you?” she asked, standing up and grabbing Genevieve’s arm.
“It’s nothing, Ivy. I did it to myself,” Genevieve said quickly, covering her face with her hands. She had already gone to the pharmacy for ointment, but the swelling wouldn’t subside so easily.
Ivy pulled her mother’s hands away, and the severe redness was plain to see. “Mom, don’t lie to me. Who did this?”
“It’s really nothing. I deserve this. I made so many mistakes in the past. I interfered in someone else’s family, ruined their happiness. This is just the bitter fruit of my own actions,” Genevieve said, lowering her head.
Ivy didn’t know how to respond. She couldn’t judge her mother’s wrongdoings because so much of what Genevieve had done was for her and Zachary. To outsiders, Genevieve might seem like a despicable homewrecker, but to Ivy, she was simply a mother who had done everything in her power to secure a better future for her children.
Ivy suspected that the slap marks were likely left by the Blake family, especially Kimberly, known for her ruthless ways. Ivy felt anger boil inside her, but there was nothing she could do to change their situation.
They had no money, no status, and Ivy now carried the stigma of being an illegitimate child. Since the scandal broke, she hadn’t dared to contact any of her former friends.
In the past, her life had been filled with conversations about designer collections, upcoming fashion shows, and booking tickets to Paris Fashion Week.
Now, all of that was gone. Her ties to that indulgent, glamorous world had been completely severed. She imagined her old friends laughing at her behind her back.
Once, she had been a princess high in the clouds. Now, she wasn’t even worthy of the dirt beneath her feet. Life was cruelly pragmatic.
“Mom, you must be hungry too. Let’s eat dinner,” Ivy said quietly, hating herself for being so powerless. She couldn’t protect her brother and had now allowed her mother to suffer on her behalf.
“Let’s eat,” Genevieve said, sitting down and opening the takeout boxes. The food was far better than the average meal, but compared to the luxurious standards of the Montgomery family, it was a world apart.
“Ivy, I got you your favorite. Try it,” Genevieve said, pushing one of the containers toward her daughter.
Genevieve had been through hard times before, so she could adjust to this lifestyle. But Ivy was different. She had been pampered her entire life, enjoying only the best of everything. Now, she struggled to accept a $10 takeout meal.
“Mom, this tastes terrible. It’s nothing like what our chef used to make,” Ivy complained, pouting.
“I know it’s not good, but this is our life now. After paying off your brother’s debts, I used up almost all my savings. I only have a little over $30, 000 left,” Genevieve explained.
“When the Montgomery family kicked me out, I planned to take some jewelry along to sell if we ever ran out of money. But Aurora went through my luggage and took most of it. Magnus listens to everything Aurora says. We didn’t get a single cent in the end.
“We have no jobs and no income. We have to be careful with what we have now. Just bear with it and get used to it,” Genevieve said, trying to comfort her daughter.
Ivy fell silent. The days of extravagance were gone, and there was no way back.
She ate her meal quietly, tears dripping into her food. She couldn’t accept how drastically her life had changed-from a proud princess to an ordinary, struggling woman.
Genevieve saw Ivy’s silent tears, but there was nothing she could do. She sighed inwardly. It was too late for regrets now.
When dinner was over, Genevieve took a hot shower. The motel didn’t have a bathtub, massage oils, or scented candles. The bathroom was small and basic.
Standing barefoot under the showerhead, Genevieve finally let herself cry. This was the only time Ivy wouldn’t see or hear her tears. She didn’t want her daughter to worry.
The water mixed with her tears, streaming down her face as memories flashed through her mind like a slideshow.
She remembered her younger self, defiant and unwilling to live an ordinary life. Driven by vanity, she had thrown herself into the world of nightclub hostesses.
The men who frequented those places were rich. Their tips alone could cover her expenses for a month. With her beauty and charm, she quickly became a favorite.
Most of her clients were decent men, but there were always a few vile ones who treated women as less than objects. Some were cruel, their desires twisted. For the sake of money, Genevieve endured it all.
One night, she agreed to entertain a particularly notorious client. Everyone else avoided him, but his tips were several times higher than usual. She went anyway.
She left that encounter battered and broken, but she received a handsome payout. She fainted in front of Paul that very night.
She had always known that the men in nightclubs weren’t good people. Paul was no exception, though at the time, he was fit and handsome, wearing a suit with the top buttons undone. He had a roguish charm that set him apart.
Paul saved her that night, and she was grateful. But that gratitude was all she felt-at first.
When she learned of his wealth, she began to feign vulnerability, hoping to secure a future with him. Paul, despite his experience in the nightlife scene, fell for her act.
Later, she tried to manipulate him into divorcing his wife. She wanted a permanent ticket to a life of luxury, free from the need to smile and please strangers.
But Paul’s wife was no pushover, and he made it clear he would never leave her. He offered Genevieve everything except the title of “wife.”
For a woman like Genevieve, that title was everything. When she saw no future with Paul, she set her sights on another man.
The day she saw him, she was captivated. He wore a perfectly tailored suit, every button fastened, his tie impeccably straight. Unlike Paul, he exuded an aura of refinement and humility, like a polished gem.
Through her connections with Paul, she found her way to him. He was the CEO of Montgomery Group-an ideal target, though he already had a partner.
That didn’t matter to her. He was the man she wanted, and no obstacle would stop her.
At first, he was indifferent to her advances. But the more he resisted, the more determined she became.
His wife’s gentle nature gave Genevieve the opportunity she needed. Slowly, she worked her way into his life, using every trick in the book.
Eventually, she succeeded in entering the Montgomery family. At first, he treated her well, but she knew it was out of a sense of responsibility rather than love.
Still, she had grown to care for him, abandoning her original plans and simply following him wherever life led.