Realizing this, I felt a deep chill in my heart.

I gently said, "Ruby, you're my precious daughter. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Dancing is hard, so take a break. I support you. Will five hundred be enough?"

I didn't even ask where she planned to go.

I knew she was going to sneak off and meet that troublemaker.

"Are you serious?" Ruby could hardly believe her ears.

I smiled.

When I handed her the money, Ruby was over the moon.

Watching her cheer and jump for joy, my heart felt cold.

So that's all she wanted. It was that simple.

She could have just told me she wanted to quit and live an ordinary life. Instead, she chose to lie.

She wanted the spotlight but also demanded freedom.

There's no such thing as having it all.

Luckily, it's not too late.

4

After Ruby had gone on her trip, I headed to the sales office and bought an apartment.

In my past life, I saved every penny to pay for Ruby's expensive lessons, living in a rented apartment for years.

I missed the chance to buy a place. When property prices soared, I couldn't afford to enter the market.

This time, I went to a development in the eastern part of the city.

I knew it was still pretty remote, but it would become a prime development area in the future.

I took out the 300,000 dollars I had painstakingly saved and put down a deposit.

Then, I went to the mall, treated myself to a steak dinner, and got a beauty treatment.

The masseuse's touch was incredibly soothing.

I was no longer that poor woman, worn out by life, who gave everything to her daughter and died with nothing left.

I was still myself.

I looked at my radiant reflection in the mirror and suddenly burst into tears.

I was about to head home when Samuel suddenly contacted me.

I answered the call, and Samuel immediately started berating me, "Caroline, what's going on? Why didn't you send Ruby to her training class?"

It seemed he already knew what was going on.

But how did he find out?

I thought for a moment, then deliberately asked, "Did Ruby tell you?"

Samuel was silent for a while, ignoring my question and giving orders. "She doesn't know better, but don't you? Get her back to class."

"Ruby said she doesn't want to go. If we push her, she'll kill herself. She's our only daughter, and her health is more important than anything."