Chapter 50 She Could Never Be Mrs. Hawke Again

“Friend?”
"Yeah," she said, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. "I came here with zero prep—just had some of my medical books shipped over from Clear Hospital. I picked them up last night."

Wen Xuxu explained, though truthfully, that was exactly what she’d done: gone to Qiao Shiqian’s place last night to retrieve the books.

Lin Ziyang finally exhaled, long and slow.

"If that's the case, then Mr. CEO, give her another chance. She hasn’t done anything unforgivable, has she? Look—this morning, as soon as she heard little Master Huo was sick, she rushed over. And honestly, Mr. CEO, he’s about to wake up. If he sees you two arguing again, it’ll only upset him… and we all know how he gets when he’s distressed."

Lin trailed off, the unspoken weight hanging in the air.

Huo Yun had been ill because of their fight. If he woke up now and saw them at each other’s throats again, he’d spiral for sure.

Huo Sijue shot a cold, thunderous glance at the woman before him. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.

*Bang.*

The door to the third floor slammed shut behind him as he stormed into the bedroom.

Wen Xuxu’s heart lurched. She didn’t dare stay any longer—she bolted down to the second floor, straight to her son’s room.

To hell with everything else. As long as she could stay, nothing else mattered.

A few minutes later, the low growl of a car engine cut through the quiet. Wen peeked out the window. A sleek black Bentley pulled away from the driveway.

They were going to the company?

So that meant… she could stay here?

Her heart leapt. She spun around the room in giddy circles, laughing under her breath, before finally settling beside her son’s bed, gently massaging his tiny belly with a smile on her lips.

Meanwhile, in the backseat of the car, Lin Ziyang couldn’t help but steal glances at the man in the passenger seat through the rearview mirror.

Something was off today.

This guy had acted like a stranger to the woman—his supposedly dead wife—yet this morning, he’d exploded like she’d burned down his entire world.

She wasn’t even his anymore. If she wanted to sleep with someone else, why should he care?

And *that*—the “lover” comment—had been pure venom.

Still, the truth was clear: Wen Xuxu stayed put at Shallow Bay all day, tending to her son.

But she never imagined that while she was inside the villa, someone else was watching—hidden just beyond the garden wall.

"Xuxu Wen," a voice hissed from the shadows, sharp as broken glass. "After everything, you’re still here? What makes you think you deserve to stay?"

It was a white Maserati parked just outside the estate, tucked behind the corner of Number Two Imperial Court—far enough to avoid notice, close enough to watch.

"The woman who came back from the dead… is *her*?"

The second woman in the car—middle-aged, sharp-eyed—followed the glare of the first.

Gu Qinglian. Gu Xia’s aunt.

"I thought she had some secret power, some magical trick that kept you locked out of Number One Imperial Court after you returned. Turns out, she’s just some common little nobody."

"Uncle," Gu Xia snapped, fury rising in her voice, "you don’t understand. She’s Huo Yun’s *mother*!"

Gu Qinglian scoffed. "So what? You kicked her out when she was carrying him. Now he’s grown, and suddenly you can’t beat her? Where’s your strength gone?"

The words landed like a blade. Gu Xia froze.

She *was* powerless. Yesterday had been her chance—Chen Ma had slipped her a note: *She’s here. He’ll protect her. She’ll stay.*

But then—when the so-called “bitch” left—Huo Yun had thrown her out too.

And today? She hadn’t even been allowed past the gate.

Now she stared at the silhouette of mother and child on the second floor of the villa—the pair bathed in golden afternoon light—and her eyes burned with hatred so deep it felt like fire.

"Staring at her won’t kill her," Gu Qinglian said coolly. "You’d be better off thinking of a way to make her disappear completely."

"Like what?"

"Simple. Make her vanish—forever."

Gu Qinglian’s gaze lingered on the rooftop, calm, almost serene. But there was something chilling beneath the surface—something ancient and hungry. Like a ghost that drank blood and chewed bones.

And so, Wen Xuxu spent the whole day at Shallow Bay.

Unexpectedly, Huo Sijue returned once—probably exhausted from lack of sleep the night before. She tensed when she saw him come in, fearing he’d still be angry from earlier.

But this time, he said nothing. Just let her give him the acupuncture treatment, climbed the stairs, slept for an hour and a half, then left again for work.

"Master Huo," she said softly as he reached the door, voice trembling slightly. "Since I’ve already treated you today, I won’t come back tonight. My uncle’s not well—I need to check on him at home."

She really just wanted to stay with her other two kids.

But the moment the words left her mouth, the man turned sharply, his face darkening. He loomed over her, eyes cold, voice low and dangerous.

"You’re not coming back?"