Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Jiang Tian was Su Nian'an's mother for five years; she truly raised this child.

In her heart, An'an must be her own daughter, even if An'an is only her niece in terms of blood relation.

A mother's instincts run strong, and Jiang Tian couldn't possibly put her child's wishes aside.

However--

Does she really have to sacrifice herself for her child?

No one can relive their life, and she has already filled her life with bitterness for long enough because of certain obsessions.

She is a good mother; she has sacrificed far more for her daughter than others have ever seen.

But once, she was also a little sister who was well protected by her older sister. Even though she worked part-time and her living conditions were not as good as others, she was free. Now, freedom has become a luxury.

For the sake of her child, she was trapped in a cage for five whole years.

Now that her ex-husband Su Hanze has come back and wants to start a new life with her, it's only natural that he's putting pressure on her and making her deal with everything—but why is that?

Jiang Tian suddenly looked at Su Hanze and asked, "Why did you have to choose me?"

“I told you, you can fulfill my desire for a wife.”

"I can let you pursue your career without worry. So you come back to me. Did you even consider my feelings when you did all this? Do I really need to live a life of aimless wandering like a puppet?"

Su Hanze frowned.

"Why are you saying these things? I've already said I'm going to change, and I'm not joking. I'll show you my determination."

“I don’t want to watch anymore. To be honest, Su Hanze, every time you act like this, it feels like my heart is being stabbed. Yes, I am indeed weak, always enjoying the various benefits you provide as a victim, enjoying the life of luxury in your eyes. Now I’ve had enough, I just want to be an ordinary person. Maybe in your eyes this is breach of contract, is using you. But I’ve really had enough.”

"Even if I am using you, so what? If I had no value, you wouldn't willingly let me use you. In fact, I'm even using Wei Su—he knows I'm using him, but he doesn't say anything. Because he knows that I've been lost for too long and can't think like a normal person."

Jiang Tian looked at him, her tone unusually calm: "The only person I've ever loved is you, at least I once was. You successfully shattered all my illusions about love. I'm really exhausted. Do you understand that kind of weariness that's always there, almost overwhelming me? From the moment I married you, I felt like there were two hands pulling me into an abyss. I can bear it all myself; there's no need for me to drag my child down with me."

"I will tell An'an everything."

Actually, upon hearing that Jiang Tian had loved him, Su Hanze felt a surge of secret joy.

But when she said that she still wanted to tell her daughter the truth, Su Hanze's expression changed: "You've always said that I'm a perfect father, but now you're going to tell her the truth. Have you considered her psychological capacity? I don't want to keep repeating what I've said."

“Many problems, if hidden for too long, will become malignant tumors that no one dares to deal with, otherwise, it will affect the whole situation and everyone will suffer, so they must be resolved now. If you really want to be a good father, you should tell her the truth.”

Jiang Tian's answer was very calm.

"Is this what you want, turning her from the enviable heiress of the Su family into the neglected descendant of no one? Don't forget, An'an has had many relatives to play with since she was little. By taking her out of that circle, aren't you harming her?"

Su Hanze directly addresses reality.

Jiang Tian did not avoid his question, but glanced at Wei Su, who had been silent beside her: "He gave me a lot of property a while ago, and I accepted the real estate and the money in the bank account. I've been waiting for this day."

Su Hanze's pupils suddenly contracted.

After a long pause, he continued, "Are you sure you dare to spend the money he gives you? Are you sure he won't take it back? Associating with someone like him means your future will never be certain."

“I’m used to struggling to live an uncertain life, so don’t tell me these things. I know better than you what I’m doing. Instead of letting our child immerse herself in a false fairy tale, we should all face reality—we need to cut open our wounds and let the pus and blood flow. She has real blood relatives, and you know very well what kind of people those relatives are. Even if all else fails, I can take An’an far away, away from this city, or even abroad.”

For the first time, Su Hanzhe saw determination in Jiang Tian's eyes.

She seems to be truly fearless now.

Her sudden change caught Su Hanze off guard: "Why does it have to be this way? Have we reached the point of life or death?"

Just then, An'an returned from visiting her best friend.

Jiang Tian didn't answer his question, but just glanced at Su Hanze: "I want to tell her, are you going to be there? I hope you are. You've been her father for so long, even if you're just here to end things, you should at least have some kind of cleanup."

Su Hanze remained silent. He could see Jiang Tian's determination. There was no point in saying anything now; things were heading in an indescribable spiral.

What will happen next? What changes will his life, their lives, undergo?

Su Hanze had no energy left to think and could only stare blankly as the child approached.

"Mom, what happened?"

An'an was intelligent and perceptive, and immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Jiang Tian's face was devoid of a smile, and her tone was serious.

She glanced at Wei Su, who nodded at her and then looked away.

"An'an, let's find a quiet corner to have a good talk. You come with Mom."

Jiang Tian took her daughter to a quiet place where no one was around.

Su Hanze followed behind the mother and daughter, his thoughts unreadable.

Jiang Tian squatted down and looked at her daughter: "Mom has a secret to tell you—do you remember, Mom said she would tell you this secret after dinner."

"right."

Su Nian'an looked somewhat frightened.

Jiang Tian's expression was very gentle: "You have the right to know this secret. Your father and I don't want you to have any regrets, so we must tell you."

Her words filled An'an's eyes with unease.

Clearly, she had a vague sense that she was about to face a major change in her destiny.

However, she looked at Jiang Tian and nodded silently.

"Mom, just tell me what's wrong. I can handle it."

"You're a good child." Jiang Tian smiled with relief.

She wasted no more time and spoke with certainty about An'an's background: "What I want to tell you is—you are not my child with Su Hanze, you are my sister's child. Back then, my sister was seriously ill and went abroad for treatment. Your biological father sold his house and car to go abroad to take care of her. He left you, a little baby, with no one to take care of you. As your family, I must take responsibility."