"Open the door."

Austin's voice cut through the silence from the hallway. Ella stared coldly at the door, wide awake despite her claim. "I'm sleeping."

"Are you hiding from me?" Austin twisted the handle, his tone dropping to an even lower register.

Ella glanced at the small lamp on her nightstand and replied, "Since we're getting divorced, it is best to avoid excessive entanglements altogether."

"Open the door!" Austin seemed to ignore her, raising his voice slightly. Ella, feeling increasingly vexed, laboriously rose from bed to open the door, intending to engage in an earnest and candid conversation with him.

Upon opening the door, she was met with the displeasure etched deeply upon Austin's face. However, when he saw Ella's pale face and the cold sweat on her forehead, his anger seemed to freeze in his throat.

"Ella, what's wrong with you?"

Ella pressed her thin lips together. "It's none of your business."

"Ella! There's a limit to these tantrums. Don't forget this is my house."

Ella forced a stiff smile. Finally, he had admitted it. She was an outsider. "Your house. So when will you let me leave?"

"Ella, don't twist my words. You'll move back to the master bedroom once Judith moves out," Austin said coldly.

"Austin, please get this straight—we'll be divorced," Ella repeated as a sharp pain in her abdomen intensified.

Austin's expression darkened. He moved closer, his gaze fixed on her as he gripped her wrist tightly. "Without me, who would want you? Have you already secured a new partner?"

"Is that how you see me?" Ella pulled her hand away, bristling with anger. He was the one entangled with Judith, yet he dared to accuse her. "Where did you go this afternoon? I called your office, and you weren't there. You need to improve your lying skills," Austin demanded, his presence looming over her with an intimidating intensity.

As the physical pain and emotional exhaustion peaked, Ella pushed him away. "Even if I were to have someone else, what concern would that be of yours?"

"It has everything to do with me!" Austin grabbed her shoulders, his gaze imbued with icy detachment. The confrontation was fierce; he pushed her back toward the bed, his hands pinning her arms down to keep her from escaping his interrogation. The air was thick with resentment and unspoken words.

Just as Ella felt she was drowning in despair, a fractured voice echoed from the doorway. "Austin, what are you doing?"

Austin immediately pulled away, the sudden silence heavier than the shouting. "Judith, why are you awake?"

The weight lifted, and Ella quickly pulled her quilt around herself, feeling a cold void where the anger had just been. Judith stood at the door, her eyes rimmed red. "I had a nightmare... you weren't there..."

"Judith, don't misunderstand. It's not what you think," Austin said without hesitation, turning his back on Ella to draw Judith into his embrace. "Let's go back."

Ella watched them leave, wrapped in each other's arms. She cast a self-mocking smile at her reflection. Judith's vulnerability was a weapon Ella could never master. Being Mrs. Raymond had worn her out completely. If Judith wanted this life, she could have it.

In the month that followed, Austin treated her like she was invisible. Ella spent her time in seclusion until her friend Sarah forced her out for a meal.

"Try to look on the bright side," Sarah said, lifting the corners of Ella's mouth with her fingers.

"Every night I dream about my baby," Ella’s voice cracked. "Whenever I think about the child, life seems meaningless."

Sarah pounded the table in tears. "That scum Austin ruined you! You used to be so bright—winning research awards, solving complex papers effortlessly. You were my hero!"

Ella looked at the genuine admiration in Sarah's eyes. "You must be disappointed now."

"Not at all," Sarah replied. "I believe you won't be defeated. You are still that passionate woman."

As they spoke, Ella’s phone lit up with a message from a private investigator about the twenty thousand dollars needed to uncover the truth. Her gaze grew determined. She refused to use a single cent of Austin’s money.

"I'll find a job soon," Ella texted back.

She looked out the window at a little boy smiling in the sun. She needed to keep looking ahead. After a month of physical recovery and refining her resume, Ella stood before the headquarters of Quantum Tech, ready for her interview. Life had to continue, and she was ready to reclaim her light.