Sober and beautiful, my husband and son begged for my forgiveness on their knees.

Lu Jingmo was visibly taken aback, but when he met Ning Yao's unwavering eyes, he felt a strange unease welling up inside him.

"So, are you deliberately using this to threaten me?"

His voice was cold and sharp, each word like a knife: "You've taken care of Mingjin for six years, you know him better than I do, and you've made him unable to leave you. And now you're asking for a divorce. What are you really thinking?"

Ning Yao was incredulous. It turned out that people could actually laugh when they were speechless to the extreme. She simply couldn't suppress the upward curve of her lips.

There was no point in talking to Lu Jingmo at this moment; it would be a waste of time. She simply admitted, "You're right."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingmo's expression darkened further.

“If you really want a divorce, you will not be given custody of Mingjin.” His face was ashen as he looked at Ning Yao. “And without my permission, you cannot see him again.”

He thought such harsh words would make Ning Yao back down, but to his surprise, she replied, "Whatever, that's your son."

Lu Jingmo's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared intently at Ning Yao's face, trying to find any emotional fluctuation in her expression, but Ning Yao's attitude remained unchanged from beginning to end.

Calm and indifferent, with a chilling detachment.

Lu Jingmo was in a state of agitation. Just as he was about to speak again, his phone vibrated. It was a call from Ning Yan.

“Jingmo,” Ning Yan said with delight, “Mingjin has woken up and wants to see you. Please come to the hospital quickly.”

Lu Jingmo suppressed his displeasure and said, "I'll be right there."

He turned away from Ning Yao and left without looking back.

Lu Mingjin had acute gastroenteritis, which wasn't a serious illness, but his stomach was already weak and he was young. After taking the medicine, he was given an IV drip all night and only just woke up now. His face was pale, and he was leaning listlessly against the headboard.

His eyes lit up when he saw someone push the door open and come in, but when he saw that it was Lu Jingmo, the light disappeared instantly.

"Dad..." he called out in a hoarse voice, then asked in a low voice with a hint of expectation, "Where's Mom?"

Lu Jingmo didn't know how to answer; he couldn't directly tell his son what Ning Yao had said.

In the end, all he could say was, "She has something to do, she'll come see you when she's done."

It was a very clumsy lie, and Lu Mingjin obviously didn't believe it. His eyes welled up with tears: "Is she not coming?"

Lu Jingmo wanted to deny it, but saw Lu Mingjin lower her head, her voice full of sadness: "I asked my mother the same question when I was sick before, but my father never came to see me after he finished his work..."

For a moment, Lu Jingmo felt a complex mix of emotions.

Ning Yan hurriedly stepped forward, took Lu Mingjin's hand, and said softly, "Mingjin, you can't say that. You're still young and don't know how busy your father is at the company. If your father doesn't work hard, how can he give you a good life? It's one thing if your mother doesn't understand, but as your father's child, how can you not understand him?"

Ning Yan had said similar things many times before, but for some reason, Lu Jingmo suddenly felt inexplicably irritated.

He interrupted Ning Yan: "Don't say these things in front of the children."

Ning Yan's expression changed slightly: "Jing Mo..."

Lu Jingmo ignored her and said gently to Lu Mingjin, "Mom wouldn't lie to Mingjin. I'll go call her."

Lu Mingjin perked up immediately: "Then I want to drink Mom's porridge again!"

Lu Jingmo replied, "Okay."

He went to the hallway to make a call, and when he found Ning Yao's number in his contacts, he accidentally scrolled through the call history and discovered that the latest call was more than a month ago.

Lu Jingmo pursed his thin lips and dialed Ning Yao's number.

However, the phone was disconnected after only two rings.

Inside the villa, the moving company had just arrived, and Ning Yao was directing them to load the boxes onto the truck in different categories. Her phone rang twice more, but she ignored them without even blinking.

She and Lu Jingmo really had nothing to say to each other right now, so why waste time?

"Miss, everything's packed. Shall we go now?"

Ning Yao smiled and said, "Let's go."

Her new apartment isn't big, just one bedroom and one living room, but it's enough for her to live in alone.

Ning Yao tidied up the room briefly, then went to a nearby shopping mall to buy some daily necessities and groceries. When she returned, someone called again.

She initially thought it was still Lu Jingmo, but upon checking the contact information, she discovered it was Lu Mingjin.

Ning Yao hesitated for half a second before answering, "Hello?"

Lu Mingjin held the phone watch and heard Ning Yao's voice. She showed a hint of joy, but quickly put on a stern face: "Why haven't you come to see me yet? I told you I wanted to drink the porridge you cooked."

Ning Yao switched the bag to her other hand, her tone devoid of emotion: "Why should I go there?"

Lu Mingjin was stunned.

Ning Yao remained calm and said, "I'm getting a divorce from your father. Didn't you always want Aunt Ning Yan to be your mother? Congratulations, your wish can come true."

"Yes, but-"

Lu Mingjin wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word. Finally, he patted the blanket heavily, his voice trembling with sobs: "That's for the best! I've wanted you to leave for a long time. You're useless and will only be a burden to Dad. Your aunt is a thousand times, ten thousand times better than you!"

Ning Yao lowered her eyes. Everyone says that words spoken in anger should not be taken seriously, but only words spoken without thinking are the truth.

Just as she was about to hang up, the other end of the phone suddenly changed. Lu Jingmo's cold and displeased voice rang out: "How could you say such harsh words to the child? He's still sick, you..."

Lu Jingmo was genuinely angry. He was about to say something more, but all he could hear was the busy signal.

The call was disconnected. With red eyes, Lu Mingjin asked Lu Jingmo, "Dad, do you really want to divorce Mom?"

"No."

Lu Jingmo pressed his temples, feeling as if the events of the past two days were a tangled mess, leaving him feeling frustrated, yet he had no choice but to patiently soothe her: "She's just been in a bad mood lately, be good and don't make her angry."

Lu Mingjin clutched the blanket, remaining silent.

The ward door was pushed open again, and Ning Yan walked in carrying a thermos lunchbox, a gentle smile on her lips: "Jingmo, Mingjin is a very sensible child, how could he make Yaoyao angry?"