Chapter 3

03

Caleb didn't come home that night.

The Blackwood Manor felt like a graveyard.

I thought about the laughter and warmth at Seraphina's house.

They looked like a real family, while I was just a ghost in the hallway.

I ignored the ache in my chest and started making a list.

I ordered my maids to begin inventorying my dowry and packing my bags.

One of the girls brought me a dusty scroll she found in the back of the vault.

When I unrolled it, I saw the portrait from our wedding day.

We were both smiling. We looked so happy.

Caleb had commissioned the best artist in the country for this.

He told me he would keep it forever and be buried with it.

I stared at it for a long time before holding it over a flickering candle.

I watched the flames eat away at our smiling faces until only ash remained.

The Amara Vance who loved Caleb was dead.

She died in that fire with her son.

Just as the last of my trunks were being locked, Caleb finally walked in.

The softness in his eyes vanished the moment he saw me.

"You look much better," he said, his voice flat.

"I knew you were exaggerating. You aren't that fragile."

I didn't even bother to respond.

My face was still pale, but he chose to be blind to it.

As I turned to go to my inner chamber, he followed me.

He cleared his throat, trying to sound helpful.

"I heard you wanted some new jewelry."

"I picked this out for you today."

He held out a cheap wooden hairpin with crude carvings.

I almost laughed in his face. 'Picked out'?

He probably grabbed it from a street vendor on his way back.

In my past life, I would have been touched by such a 'thoughtful' gift.

Now, I could see it for what it was: a low-effort insult.

He saw that I wasn't screaming and took it as a sign of forgiveness.

"I remember your nanny, Martha, is an expert in female recovery."

"Send her to the Lyall house. Seraphina hasn't been sleeping well."

I felt a chill run down my spine.

He wanted to take my personal staff to serve his mistress now?

The man had no shame.

"No," I said firmly.

"It's settled then... wait, what? You said no?"

Caleb froze, shocked by my defiance.

Usually, I would swallow my anger just to keep the peace.

"Are you disobeying your Alpha?"

His expression hardened, and he towered over me, trying to use his presence to crush me.

"Call it whatever you want," I said, looking him in the eye.

My heart was like ice.

I had given him everything, and he treated me like an obstacle.

"I want a divorce," I said clearly. "I'm dissolving the bond."

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