She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 7

By the time Hulda made it back to her house in Aldercy City, it was already past midnight.

Inside the massive villa, only the motion-sensor light in the foyer flickered to life. Everywhere else was drowned in pitch black. Not a single lamp had been left on to welcome her home.

It was a perfect metaphor for her seven years of marriage. She had never truly integrated into the family; no one had ever genuinely accepted her.

In the past, she could brush off their icy indifference. She had actively bent over backwards trying to please them, all to save Herbert from being caught in the middle.

She used to believe that having her own little nuclear family was enough. As long as she had a husband and a son, she wasn't a homeless stray.

But it turned out that was all just a pathetic, self-constructed delusion.

She didn't bother turning on the lights, navigating her way in the dark to the master bedroom. It was supposedly their shared room, but honestly, the number of times they actually shared a bed in the last seven years could be counted on one hand. He spent almost all his nights either in his study or the adjacent guest room.

She used to think he was just an intensely driven ascetic—cool, restrained, and completely detached from physical desires, pouring every ounce of his soul into his research and tech startup. That relentless focus was exactly why he had made associate professor by twenty-six and successfully launched his own private laboratory and tech firm.

Now, at thirty-three, he was a reigning authority in the tech world. His company had exploded in size, marking him as one of the country's most formidable young entrepreneurs, and he was on track to become a full professor this year.

But now she knew the truth. He wasn't naturally ascetic or emotionally detached. He was only that way with her.

Sitting in the dark, she felt her entire life over the last seven years was nothing but a humiliating joke.

Pulling out her phone, her thumb hovered over Brandon's contact name before finally tapping 'call'.

It rang a few times before he picked up. His voice was thick with exhaustion, yet underscored by a sharp spike of excitement. "Hulda? Calling this late... have you made up your mind?"

"Yes. I have." She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the silence stretch for a few seconds.

In those few seconds, an entire lifetime flashed through her mind.

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