The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet

Hertha, with her eyes brimming with tears, looked at Thalassa, her lips quivering as she said, "I can convince myself to overlook Alaric's past, but I just can't bear the thought of my kids having to share their dad with someone else..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down Hertha's cheeks.

She had been feeling down and miserable all afternoon, alone with her thoughts, but she hadn't really let it all out until now.

But with Thalassa by her side, all her pent-up emotions came flooding out, and Hertha sobbed uncontrollably.

Seeing her friend in such distress, Thalassa wrapped her arms around Hertha, gently patting her back, soothing her, "Let it all out, honey. Crying might make you feel a bit better..."

Hertha clung to Thalassa's clothes, crying her heart out. After a while, though, her sobs subsided, and she suddenly straightened up, did a little stretch, and then made a motion as if she was going to jump into the lake.NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

Thalassa's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly grabbed Hertha, exclaiming with a relieved yet serious tone, "Hertha, what are you thinking! No man is worth this kind of nonsense! Remember, you're a mother of two! No one in this world loves your kids more than you do. Imagine how lost they'd be without you!"

Hertha turned around, her eyes still red but now with a smile, and said, "Do I look like someone who'd do something stupid? I wouldn't punish myself for someone else's mistake. I just wanted to say goodbye to the past."

With that, Hertha picked up a rock and hurled it into the lake. The stone plunged into the water with a splash, breaking the calm surface.

Realizing her mistake, Thalassa finally breathed a sigh of relief, understanding that Hertha had merely intended to throw the stone, not herself.

After throwing the rock, Hertha shouted towards the lake, "Ahh!"

The vast expanse of the lake seemed to swallow her shout, diminishing all her pain.

"All the pain seems so trivial in front of this endless water, all the burdens seem to lighten," Hertha said, feeling relieved. She then proclaimed, "Why feel bad over some jerk? I decided to ditch him three years ago! Ditching him again now doesn't make a difference!"

Thalassa laughed, realizing Hertha had already found her own closure without much consoling.

Hertha, now looking a bit brighter despite her tear-stained face, said, "Thalassa, totally get how you felt back then. No matter how tough, things get, being comforted by the warmth of children makes

vene

everything bearable. M

makes us strong; with kids, nothing else matters."

"Exactly, protecting ourselves and our kids is what's most important," Thalassa replied.

"Damn right! To hell with men, let them be!" Hertha said with a mix of frustration and resolve.

Just as she was about to sit down, her phone rang. It was her mother calling.

Hertha wasn't in the mood to answer, but Thalassa nudged her, "Pick it up, your mom's worried about you."

Sliding to answer, Hertha was

immediately greeted by Kimberly's irritated voice, "Did you and Alaric elope to the Pacific? Why did you log out of your live stream account? I've cooked dinner, and it's gotten cold, then warm, then cold again! How can you be so thoughtless? We've been waiting at home to have dinner together. Didn't you hear me?"

Kimberly and Hertha's dad had been waiting at home for ages, not daring to call at first not wanting to interrupt Hertha and Alaric's marriage registration. They waited and waited, and with the civil affairs office closed, there was still no sign of Hertha and Alaric. Kimberly's patience had worn thin, leading to a scolding over the phone. Hertha, not sure how to respond, carefully tried to explain.