A Mother's Secret Goodbye

Cradling Bruce, who had just been soothed to sleep, I tiptoed out of the nursery. The living room was dimly lit; Frank Lynn sat on the sofa, smoking, smoke blurring his features. "Put the child down and come here." He spoke, his tone flat and calm. I sat down as he told me, meeting his gaze across the coffee table. "You shouldn't have come here." Frank stubbed out his cigarette, his fingertips turning pale. "I know." I lowered my eyes, staring at my sleeves, washed so often they had faded to white. "Three days. I'm giving you three days to leave." He said, "I'll have my assistant transfer the money to you. It's enough to keep you comfortable for the rest of your life." I looked up at him—the man I had loved for five years and with whom I had three children—his gaze cold as ice. "No need." Frank Lynn frowned. "What do you mean? Not enough?" "I'm not here to beg." My tone was calm, but inside, my heart was a storm. "Then what are you here for?" His voice suddenly sharpened. "Here to watch the joke between me and Cindy, or to try to snatch the kids?" "I just want to say a proper goodbye to the children." I turned my face away, avoiding his eyes, not letting him see my reddened eyes. "There's no need." Frank Lynn cut me off, "They are the Lynn Family's children; from now on, they have nothing to do with you." I stood up silently, unwilling to argue any further. At the top of the stairs, his voice came again: "Rachel Shaw, don't push your luck." I paused but didn't look back, heading straight upstairs. Back in the guest room, I dug through the bottom of my suitcase and pulled out a one-way ticket—leaving for H City in three days. I had long planned to leave; coming to the Lynn Family as a nanny was only to see the children a little longer. Five years of endurance ultimately ended in a silent farewell. The next morning, as I was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, my eldest daughter Nora timidly walked in. "Nanny, the congee you make tastes different from the one Mom makes." A pang seized my heart, but I forced a smile. "Do you like it, Nora?" "I do." She nodded but kept her distance from me all the same. I knew clearly that in her heart, I was just a stranger's nanny; Cindy Scott was her mother. Frank Lynn walked into the kitchen and happened upon the scene. "Nora, come here." He waved to his daughter. Nora immediately rushed over and clung to his leg. Frank bent down and whispered to her, his voice low but clear enough for me to hear: "Stay away from her from now on." I gripped the spatula tightly, holding back my emotions. "Frank, you don't have to do this." "What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow. "I just don't want my child to be influenced by someone with ulterior motives." "I mean no harm to the children." I set down the spatula and met his gaze. "Whether there's malice or not isn't for you to decide." He sneered, "In three days, I don't want to see you in this house anymore." Having said that, he took Nora's hand and turned to leave. I watched their backs, tears finally slipping down my cheeks. This farewell was, in the end, utterly miserable. At noon, Cindy Scott returned. She wore a costly dress, her makeup impeccable. When she saw me, she gave a disdainful smile: "Oh, isn't this Frank Lynn's ex? How did you stoop to being a nanny in our house?" I ignored her and kept clearing the dishes. "What? Too scared to speak now?" She deliberately bumped into me, sending bowls and plates crashing to the floor. "What are you doing?" I raised my eyes and glared at her. "What am I doing?" She sneered, "This is my home. What right do you—an outsider—have to boss me around?" "I'm just here as a nanny. After these three days, I'm leaving." I swallowed my anger. "Leaving?" She scoffed, "You think you can come and go whenever you like?" "What else? You want to keep me here?" I shot back. "I wouldn't dare keep you," Her eyes darkened. "I'm afraid one day you'll snatch my child when I'm not looking." "Don't slander me." I clenched my fists. "Whether I'm slandering you or not, you know that yourself." She leaned close to me. "You think having three children can replace me? Dream on." "I never wanted to replace you. I just wanted to say goodbye to the children." I pushed her away. "Your farewell will only blur right and wrong." She spun around on her high heels. "Frank Lynn said you have to leave in three days. Be reasonable." I crouched on the ground, gathering the shards, my fingertips cut but I didn't even notice. Everything here suffocates me. Late at night, after the children had fallen asleep, I quietly slipped into the room, gazing at their faces with a heart full of reluctance. Just as I reached out to smooth Nora's furrowed brow, Frank Lynn's voice suddenly came from the door: "What are you doing here?" Startled, I hurriedly stood up. "I just wanted to see them." He stepped in, pulled me outside, and gently closed the door behind us. "Rachel Shaw, I told you, stop troubling the children." "I'll leave tomorrow, okay?" My voice was full of entreaty. Frank Lynn was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright." I returned to the guest room, dragging the luggage I had packed long ago as I left. The morning sunlight fell upon me, but it couldn't warm my cold heart. This five-year entanglement is finally drawing to a close.