Take This Withered Love

After the divorce agreement was signed, Elena stopped managing the household.

She no longer woke at 5:00 am to prepare breakfast for the children. She no longer waited up late for Lucas to return from business dinners so she could make him a hangover remedy.

The tasks she once considered her responsibility were handed entirely to the maids.

At first, no one noticed.

Then, Benjamin was reprimanded for being late to school, Charlotte couldn't find her homework, and Lucas' pocket watch stopped ticking.

The maids rushed around trying to keep up, but nothing met the standards Elena had maintained.

Dishes piled up in the sink, toys cluttered the living room, and pressed shirts never came out quite right. The once orderly house gradually fell into disarray.

When Lucas pushed open the bedroom door, Elena was leaning against the window, reading. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting dappled shadows across her.

Standing in the doorway, Lucas spoke in a low voice. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

Elena closed the book and looked at him. "I'm not keeping anything up."

"Then why have you stopped handling things at home?"

He stepped closer, the faint scent of ambergris clinging to him. "Are you still upset about what happened back then?"

She set the book aside. "I'm not upset. I just don't want to do it anymore."

Lucas narrowed his eyes, his slender fingers drumming against the desk. "Why?"

"I'm tired," she said calmly. "We have plenty of maids. I don't have to do everything myself."

She remembered how, in her previous life, she rose before dawn every day.

Lucas' coffee had to be exactly 185 degrees Fahrenheit. His sandwich had to be toasted just right. The children's clothes were hand-washed, and even their socks were ironed.

In return, all she got was Lucas' tenderness toward Sabrina, the children's attachment to the latter, and the loneliness of dying alone at 62.

Lucas' tone turned icy. "Elena, if you're upset, just say it. Don't act like a petulant child."

She gave a faint smile. "I'm not upset. I just want to rest."

Before he could reply, the door flew open. Benjamin and Charlotte rushed in, anger written all over their tiny faces.

"Mom, you're so lazy!" Charlotte shouted. "We want Ms. Miller to take care of us."

Benjamin chimed in immediately, "Ms. Miller is kinder than you, more hardworking than you, and better than you in every way!"

Lucas kept his gaze fixed on Elena, as if waiting for her to soften.

Instead, she took a deep breath and said, "If you think she's better, then invite her to stay. I don't mind."

The air went still.

Lucas' expression darkened. "Are you sure?"

Elena drew another breath. "I'm sure."

Charlotte tugged at his sleeve. "Dad, hurry! I want Ms. Miller here right now."

"Once she's here, we won't need you anymore," Benjamin said, making a face at Elena. "You can leave!"

Lucas looked at Elena one last time. When she didn't waver, he turned and walked out with the children.

Elena stood there, listening to the sound of the engine fading away, and closed her eyes.

Soon, she would give them exactly what they wanted.

She would leave them and this house behind.