Daughter from the Future Mommy, Please Divorce Him

In the first year of our arranged marriage, I gave birth to Hazel, my precious baby girl. On her fourth birthday, I hand-stitched the swan dress she had been begging for. Yet, just outside her bedroom door, I overheard her speaking to my husband. "Daddy, when are you going to divorce Mommy? I want Aunt Chloe to be my new mommy!" "How about... tomorrow?" "Yay! I love Aunt Chloe most! I hate Mommy!" I froze outside the door, rendered completely speechless. The very next day, I signed the divorce papers and flew overseas. Five years later, news reached me that Hazel had passed away from an illness. I rushed back in sheer agony. The moment my flight landed, an email pinged in my inbox: "Mommy, let me tell you a secret. I came from the future to save you." I retreated to the living room, waiting for their conversation to end. Chloe. That was a name I hadn’t heard in ages. After a while, the bedroom door opened and they stepped out. Nathaniel frowned slightly upon seeing me, then said, "Hazel, Mommy’s home. Why don’t you see what present she brought you?" I forced a strained smile. "Hazel, come here, sweetie." Her eyes filled with blatant disdain. "Ugh, it's always the same boring stuff! Lame!" Despite her words, she walked over to me. She snatched the gift, took one look at it, and hurled it onto the floor. "It’s hideous! Who would ever wear such an ugly dress? Daddy, Daddy! Look at Mommy! She’s just using garbage to brush off your daughter!" She threw herself onto the floor, screaming and thrashing in a full-blown tantrum. Nathaniel scooped her into his arms with a mix of indulgence and helpless affection, murmuring soothing words. Step by step, he carried her back into her room. About half an hour later, he finally emerged. "She’s just a little girl. She doesn't know any better. Don't take it to heart," he said in a cold, matter-of-fact tone. Turning my back to him, I wiped away my tears. "I heard everything you two said in the room." His dark eyes flickered for a second. "I was just playing along to humor a child. You don't need to take it seriously." My hands clenched tightly into fists, and I lowered my gaze. My own daughter hated her mother more than anyone, while adoring the woman who had always been her father's first love. "I don’t care about the women you keep on the side," I demanded, voice shaking. "What I care about is that you turned my daughter into this! When did Chloe start coming around her?" "Evelyn, drop the self-righteous act," he snapped. "Hazel wandered off because she was playing around, and Chloe was the one who found her and called me! Not everyone is like you, weighing pros and cons, scheming every second of the day." I stood up abruptly. "Hazel went missing? Why didn't you tell me?!" "Keep your voice down!" he hissed. "Hazel is already asleep!" I stared at him in silence, a bitter lump burning in my throat. I had missed far too much of Hazel’s life. I sniffled and wiped my face clean. "Tomorrow, I’ll have my lawyer draw up the divorce papers." The moment the words left my lips, his fingers twitched slightly. "No need. I already had mine draft them." He walked into the study and brought out a stack of documents. I scanned through the terms. "I won't take a single dime of our marital assets. But I want full custody of Hazel." He let out a derisive scoff. "She won't go with you. She's going to have a much better mother." "She is my daughter," I repeated firmly. Slipping one hand into his pocket, he looked down at me with disdain. "Hazel has never once acknowledged you as her mother." He stood there like an undisputed victor, holding every card in his hand. "I won't give up," I threw back, before walking away in defeat.Early the next morning, I arrived with two copies of the divorce agreement. It happened to be the time Nathaniel was taking Hazel to preschool. I crouched down in front of her. "Hazel, if Mommy and Daddy get divorced, who do you want to live with?" An unreadable flicker crossed her little eyes. After a long silence, she said coldly, "Excuse me, ma'am. Daddy is taking me to school. Please move out of the way." The answer was painfully obvious. I stepped aside. I followed quietly behind them. Once our daughter was safely inside the gate, I pulled out his copy of the divorce agreement. "It’s signed. Here." He took it with an arrogant smirk. "I told you. You’re just embarrassing yourself." I ignored his sneer. "I’ll explain things to my parents. Just take good care of Hazel. I’ve already booked the court appointment. Bring our marriage license in thirty days, and we’ll finalize it." With that, I turned to leave. "Evelyn, is it really worth throwing everything away over words meant to comfort a toddler?" I let out an incredulous laugh. "Nathaniel, you cheated on me first. How do you have the audacity to claim you were just humoring a kid?" "Hazel likes her, and Chloe and I are completely innocent! I just didn't want to ruin the kid's mood on her birthday. Stop making a scene out of nothing!" His brow furrowed coldly, his tone laced with irritation. "Then what about this divorce agreement you prepared in advance? Since when did you become so indecisive, Nathaniel? Or are you just reluctant to lose my family's financial backing while refusing to let go of your high school sweetheart?" I stepped closer, studying the man I could no longer recognize. He hurled a venomous parting shot: "You're going to regret this!" Then he stormed off. He sounded just like I had yesterday. He left, but I stayed behind. I walked into the preschool office to ask the director about the day Hazel went missing. The director explained that Hazel had claimed to have a stomachache and insisted on calling her dad. The teachers called him right away, but he took forever to show up. Taking advantage of the chaotic pickup rush, Hazel slipped out unnoticed. The entire staff went frantic looking for her, until a gorgeous young woman brought her back. Shortly after, Nathaniel arrived and drove both of them away. I nodded, thanking the director for her time. Standing by the front gates, my heart ached. Hazel, just how much do you love your father? It seemed no matter what I did, you would never love or accept me. Yet no matter what mistakes your father made, you forgave him simply because he was your dad. Standing at the boarding gate, I couldn't resist dialing my daughter’s smartwatch. The call connected. "Hello, who is this?" "Hazel... it's Mommy." "Oh. Are you leaving?" "Yes. Hazel is so smart." "I told you everything this morning. Why are you calling me again?" Her voice dropped significantly lower. "Mommy just wanted to promise you... if Daddy is ever mean to you, Mommy will come take you home whenever you want." I spoke every word with absolute sincerity. Her voice grew even smaller, thick with an odd strain. "Who asked you to care? I'm going to have a much better mommy anyway! If you want to leave, just leave! Don't ever call me again! I don't need you in my life!" She abruptly hung up.I paused for a second. How did Hazel know I was leaving the country? I knew she was smart—far brighter than most kids her age. Yet nobody knew about my overseas relocation except my parents. How could she have known? Besides, with Hazel's fiery temper, she never spoke so quietly when she was lashing out. She only lowered her voice like that when she was holding back tears. Before I could wrap my head around it, final boarding was announced. Hours later, my plane touched down abroad. This was where my parents had long planned to expand our business empire. A month flew by, and I flew back to finalize the dissolution of our marriage. When I arrived at the courthouse, Nathaniel wasn't alone. Beside him stood an undeniably gorgeous woman—someone I had seen from a distance once before. Chloe Davis. The one that got away, the first love he could never forget. Nathaniel looked impassive, his voice raspy. "Sorry we're late. We stayed up late last night and could barely get out of bed." The woman beside him flushed with deliberate bashfulness. "Yeah, Nate was so relentless last night. My back still hurts." I looked straight at them. Nathaniel’s brow twitched, but he didn't dispute her claim. I knew what he was capable of in bed. When he really lost control, getting out of bed the next morning was genuinely difficult. Otherwise, we wouldn't have conceived Hazel during our very first year of marriage. Still, the exhaustion in his eyes was genuine enough—he clearly hadn't slept much. Without a word, I walked into the clerk's office. They followed right behind me. The clerk looked over our marriage certificate and sighed, "You two have been married for five years. Is there really nothing that can be worked out? Why divorce?" Nathaniel remained silent. I pointed at the woman standing beside him. "You don't actually think she's his sister, do you?" The clerk instantly processed the paperwork, stamped the dissolution decree, and handed it over. "Happy divorce to you both. Now, if this couple wants to register their marriage, please take a number at the kiosk." I sat on a bench nearby, quietly watching them register their new marriage. Chloe clutched their brand-new marriage license, practically glowing as she flaunted it in front of me. Nathaniel walked over to where I was sitting. "What, having second thoughts?" "Hardly," I replied with a calm smile. "I just wanted to wish you two a lifetime of happiness." Chloe clung possessively to his arm. "Don't you dare get any ideas about Nate! He belongs to me now! And we are going to be happier than you ever were!" A loud snort of laughter erupted from behind the service desk. When the three of us turned to look, the clerk hastily hid her face behind a thick file.