Chapter 152 

Zoe returned to Brookesville and drove directly to the cemetery from the airport. 

In early winter, a chilly wind blew. She wore a black coat and held a bouquet of daisies, her mother’s favorite. Standing in the cold wind, she gazed at her mother’s smiling face on the tombstone. 

Her mother passed away in a car accident. In Zoe’s memories, her mother was gentle and affectionate, deeply in love with her father. 

In the evening, the sound of a car would resonate in the courtyard of Kirk Manor. Her mother would carry her downstairs to welcome her father. Her father would kiss her mother first and then hug her, asking, “Did you miss Daddy?” 

“I did! I want to follow you to pick up Noah from school.” 

“Okay! Let’s pick up your brother together and not disturb your mom while she paints.” 

The young Zoe sat in the black RV, watching her mother from behind the rear window. Her mother stood in the courtyard, wearing a shawl, with a blooming wax plum tree beside her and a faint smile on her 

face. 

A tear fell. 

Zoe bent down and placed the bouquet of daisies before her mother’s grave. She thought that tomorrow, in spring, she would plant a wax plum tree here. When winter came again, her mother would hold her, waiting for her father to come home from work. 

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In the evening, she returned to the villa. 

Úpon seeing her return, the maid looked nervous, speaking cautiously, “Madam, you’re back. Mr. Mason called from the company-” 

Zoe didn’t want to hear news about Mason. 

She paused on the stairs and whispered, “No need to prepare my dinner, I won’t be eating at home. Thank you.” 

The maid was stunned. 

Zoe reached the second floor and pulled out a large suitcase, starting to pack her belongings. 

She was going to live separately from Mason. 

laybe she didn’t have the strength to leave him now, but she couldn’t tand sharing the same bed and roof with him anymore. 

She packed a few sets of clothes and important documents, closing 

the suitcase. 

When leaving, she quietly looked at the bedroom where she had lived for three years. Her gaze still had some sentimentality, but her eyes finally landed on the wedding ring between her fingers. 

She had put it on not long ago, and now she took it off again. 

Shetly placed it on the bedside table. 

e were also the platinum and diamond cards Mason gave her. 

left them all there. When putting them down, she felt no 

achment because those were never what she wanted. 

De lifted the suitcase and opened the door. 

Mason stood at the doorway, his expression dark. 

He glanced at the suitcase in her hand and slowly walked in, 

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loosening his tie as he spoke softly and gently, “You just got back, and you’re preparing to travel again?” 

Zoe spoke softly, “I’m moving out.” 

Mason rolled his tie between his slender fingers, nodding after 

hearing her words. “You mean a separation? Why not just mention divorce directly? Are you afraid to say it?” 

Zoe leaned against the wall. 

He trapped her against it and lowered his head, staring at her. His tone softened. 

“Things have been resolved. I’ll have Kirk Manor redecorated. Every stone path she walked on and every sofa she touched will be removed. After the renovation is done, we can go and take a look together. You can move back too if you want. It depends on what Dad and Mia say.” 

Zoe’s voice became even softer. “Mason, is this another one of your compensations?” 

Mason pressed against her, the tie in his hand lightly binding her delicate wrist without tightening it. A slight struggle could easily free her, but this intimate action between husband and wife was 

indescribably private and affectionate. 

He was deliberately reconciling with her, but Zoe didn’t want it. 

She didn’t want his compensation. She didn’t want him and didn’t want this marriage with him. 

The image of Lilith lying on her mother’s favorite sofa was forever etched in Zoe’s heart, making it unbearable. 

She still wanted to leave. 

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Mason’s temper flared. 

His gaze became slightly cold, and his tone cooled. “It seems like you’re determined to leave me, even if it means sacrificing Noah. Well, let’s bargain. I said everything in this world has a price. If the deal isn’t closed, it just means the offer isn’t enough. 

“Besides getting Noah out of jail and helping the Sanders family rise again, what else do you want? Is that enough for me to buy you? Is that enough for you to sleep with me every night?” 

Trembling, Zoe couldn’t take it anymore. 

Mason caught her delicate wrist, preventing her slap from landing. He tossed her onto the soft bed, perhaps too forcefully. He held her chin, -gently capturing her soft lips, kissing her. 

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