Elena Zhang's hands trembled as she glanced at the divorce papers on her mahogany table. The Seattle skyline blurred through her tears as Ryan's words echoed: "I have found someone else." Someone who is familiar with my goals."

"Ten years," she said quietly, touching a photo of their twins on her desk. "Ten years folks, long gone in ten mins."

The late afternoon sunlight cast long shadows on her nook office at Zhang Industries. Outside, life continued at its relentless pace - conferences, time limitations, and offers. Her inner universe fell into mud.

Her smartphone vibrated. Sophie's face lighted up the screen, her bright smile resembling Ryan's. She was unable to solve the problem. Not now. not while their ideal family image had just smashed into a million bits.

The divorce papers appeared to mock her with their clear, professional style. Terms of separation. Department of Property. Joint custody arrangements. How clinical they made everything sound, as if they weren't discussing the dissolution of a decade-long marriage.

"Mrs. Matthews?" Her assistant's voice crackled across the intercom. "The board assembly starts in 5 minutes."

Elena pushed the button. "Cancel it."

"however Mr. Matthews"

"I stated cancel it, Linda."

She stood up and walked to the ground-to-ceiling windows. Ten years ago, she was a rising star at Zhang Industries, her father's company. She then met Ryan Matthews - an incredibly good, bold, and charismatic Ryan - during a company merger meeting. He had asked her to coffee. Espresso became dinner. Dinner became for all time.

Or so she had thought.

Her phone buzzed once more. This time, it changed into Rebecca.

"Tell me he failed to," her kind friend said, her voice filled with amazement and rage. "Elena, please inform me Ryan Matthews did not simply serve you divorce papers for your personal office."

"He did." Elena's voice sounded hollow, even to herself. "Just after the quarterly assessment presentation. "Isn't he efficient?"

"i am coming over"

"No." Elena shut her off. "I want... I need to process this."

The twins' photos caught her attention once more. Sophie and Luke, aged seven, were caught in the middle of a chuckle during their last family holiday. Hawaii. Three months have passed. Ryan had appeared distant at the time, but she attributed it to job pressure.

Blind. She had been so blind.

Her PC chimed with an email message. From Ryan.

"Mia Johnson has been appointed as the new Head of Strategic improvement..."

The room swirled. Mia Johnson. the brand new rental. Young, talented, and formidable. Elena was the complete package before she chose family over professional advancement.

Every other notification. An employer-wide announcement regarding Mia's merchandising. There was a photo of Ryan and Mia at the clicking convention, their professional smiles concealing a more intimate bond.

Elena's hands twisted her wedding ceremony ring. Ryan had slipped the identical ring on her finger, promising all the time beneath the cherry blossoms in her father's garden. She had believed him then. I believe in them.

Her cellphone rang one more. Luke this time. Their son, who inherited Ryan's strong jaw and obstinate temperament. The youngster, who still believed his mother and father, hung the moon and stars.

"Mommy?" Luke's voice quivered. "Dad is no longer picking us up from football practice. "He always picks us up on Thursdays."

Elena swallowed with difficulty. "I'm coming, sweetheart." "Give me fifteen minutes."

She grabbed her keys as the divorce papers burned a hole in her fancy purse. The elevator ride down seemed forever. Every floor represented another memory: the Christmas party where Ryan first kissed her, the conference room where they announced her pregnancy, and the lobby where he surprised her with flowers on their fifth anniversary.

Seattle's renowned rain greeted her outside, mirroring her mood. Her Mercedes, a gift from Ryan for their previous anniversary, waited in its assigned spot. The parking sign study is being led by the head of felony affairs. Some other identifier with no current meaning.

Her phone lit up with messages.

Rebecca: "Do not you dare close me out."

Samuel said, "I simply heard." "Coming over tonight, no arguments."

Dad said: "The board desires an explanation for this mess."

Mother: "Oh, darling..."

However, it transformed into the final message that shattered her composure:

Mia: "I'm sorry it had to end in this manner. Ryan and I..."

Elena also removed it before starting to read. She started the car and drove out into Seattle's crowded streets. The twins expressed their wishes for her. They'd always needed her, even when she was busy aiding Ryan's goals, managing his schedule, and being the appropriate corporate wife. 

Luke and Sophie waited on the soccer field beside the safe haven, their identical blue uniforms damp from exertion. They ran to her, their eyes filled with inquiries.

"where's Dad?" Sophie inquired, her little face pinched with confusion.

Elena clutched them tightly, inhaling the familiar strong scent of grass and youth. "Let us cross home. "We want to speak."

Elena felt something change inside her as she drove them home, taking looks at their innocent faces through the rearview mirror. The numbness gave way to something darker and less warm.

Her smartphone buzzed one last time. Ryan, once more.

"The paperwork need to be signed by Monday. My attorney will.

Elena turned off her smartphone. The divorce papers were in her suitcase, with each page signifying the end of her fairytale. However, she realized that fairytales were simply nice fiction that grownups had told children. Truth became harsher, colder, and more terrible.

The twins spoke in the backseat, oblivious that their lives were about to change forever. Elena grabbed the steering wheel closer, her wedding ceremony ring catching the last rays of twilight.

Monday, he had stated. Three days to sign away ten years.

A vehicle slowed in front of her, forcing her to slam on the brakes. The twins yelped in surprise. As Elena apologized to them, she noticed something in her rearview mirror: an elegant black Audi.

Ryan's vehicle.

And Mia Johnson's perfectly coiffed head slipped away a little too late in the passenger seat.

Elena's eyesight dimmed, but not from tears this time. The numbness vanished completely, replaced by something she hadn't experienced in years.

Rage.

She pulled into their driveway - no, her driveway - and assisted the twins. Elena waited at the garage while others ran inside in search of munchies and computer games. Her hand returned to the divorce papers, fingers tracing the icy, prison-like phrases that threatened to end her marriage.

However, as she glanced at Ryan's signature, crisp and assured at the bottom of the web page, an idea formed in her mind. A risky and desperate concept.

Ten years worth of memories. ten years of sacrifice. ten years of affection.

All gone in ten minutes.

unless...

She took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found the number she wanted. She never expected to use it.

"Uncle Wei?" It's Elena. You recently informed me about a circle of relatives m

ystery. Something about going back time..."

The garage door closed behind her with a final, foreboding thump.