Chapter 3

The days slipped by, and with each one that passed, Kaelan's absence weighed heavier on me. His silence was suffocating. I'd tried everything I could think of to fix whatever was fracturing between us, refusing to let go without a fight.

I'd arranged a private dinner, hoping he might finally sit down and talk to me—or at least listen. He hadn't even bothered to show up.

I'd then suggested a getaway, thinking a change of scenery might bridge the gap, but he'd brushed the idea off like I hadn't spoken at all.

Even the mention of therapy had been shut down before I could finish the sentence.

Then came the news.

Finding out I was pregnant reignited a desperate spark of hope within me. Maybe this would change things. Maybe it would be enough to make him stay.

I stepped out of the bathroom, clutching the positive test so tightly my knuckles ached, my heart hammering against my ribs.

After carefully tucking it away in my purse, I threw on some clothes. Jeans, a loose sweater—nothing elaborate. I pulled my hair into a messy knot and hid my exhausted eyes behind dark sunglasses.

Stepping out of my bedroom, the sheer normalcy of the house struck me. Everything looked exactly as it always did, completely oblivious to the fact that my life was falling apart.

Down in the hallway, I ran into Mirelle. She studied me for a second, her gaze lingering like she was trying to read my mind.

"Heading out?" she asked.

I gave a tight nod.

"Lunch is ready."

"I'm not hungry," I murmured. "Don't worry about saving me a plate."

I didn't have the stomach to sit at the dining table while my marriage was hanging by a thread.

I drove to Kaelan's office first. He wasn't there. Refusing to give up, I thought of the only other place he might be. Despite the strained relationship he had with his mother, I knew he still retreated there from time to time.

So, I pointed my car toward his family's estate.

Pulling into the driveway, I parked a few spots down from Valéria Southwark's car. As I climbed the front steps, the door swung open, and I was surprised to see Serena step out to meet me.

Her face softened, and she opened her arms.

"Elara... is everything alright?"

I shook my head, the lump in my throat making it impossible to hide how close I was to breaking.

"I haven't been able to reach him since Monday. I just... I needed to see if he was here."

Her eyes filled with sympathy.

"He was here earlier," she said gently. "But he just left. He mentioned he was heading back to your place to grab a few things."

A fragile wave of relief washed over me.

"Thank you," I breathed out.

I was turning to leave when Valéria's sharp voice cut through the air, freezing me in place.

"Are you planning to keep up this pathetic act much longer?"

I turned back around, bracing myself against the sheer hostility in her tone.

"My son gave you a deadline, did he not?" she sneered. "So why are you running all over town hunting him down?"

Her venom was nothing new. She had never accepted our marriage, and today, she looked downright thrilled that it was falling apart.

"Mom, stop. That's enough," Serena snapped, stepping between us.

"I will not stop," Valéria shot back. "He's the one suffering here, not her. He's trapped in a loveless marriage simply because she's too stubborn to sign the papers and set him free."

Her words felt like a slap, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me bleed.

"I need to go," I said quietly to Serena.

I turned on my heel and walked away without a backward glance.

Once I was safely inside my car, I gripped the steering wheel and sat motionless for a long moment, forcing my breathing to steady. Then I fired up the engine.

When I pulled up to the house, I tossed my keys to Lucas and hurried inside.

I checked Kaelan's study first.

Empty.

I took the stairs two at a time, my pulse drumming faster with every step.

As I neared our bedroom, a muffled sound drifted through the crack in the door. It was faint, but unmistakable enough to turn my blood to ice.

My hand shook violently as my fingers wrapped around the doorknob.

I pushed it open.

The sight beyond it knocked the air straight out of my lungs.

Kaelan and Mirelle were tangled together on our bed, their bodies far too close to leave any room for misunderstanding.

My purse slipped from my numb fingers, hitting the hardwood floor with a heavy thud that shattered the room's intimacy.

My voice died in my throat. A sharp, agonizing pain ripped through my chest, as if my heart were physically tearing in two.

Kaelan shot up instantly, pulling the sheets over Mirelle in a sickeningly protective gesture.

"How... why?" I managed to choke out.

He stared back at me, his eyes entirely devoid of guilt.

"I could pretend to be sorry," he said, his voice maddeningly calm, "but that would be a lie."

The casual cruelty of his words hit me harder than a closed fist.

"I don't feel anything for you anymore," he continued. "I'm in love with someone else. I tried to hold back, to give you time to process things and sign the divorce papers, but you refused. I'm not going to put my life on hold indefinitely just to spare your feelings."

I stood there, trembling from head to toe, before slowly shifting my gaze to Mirelle.

"Out of all the men in this city..." My voice cracked. "He was the one you just had to have?"

She dropped her gaze, unable to look me in the eye. "I couldn't help it," she murmured, pulling the sheet tighter against her chest. "I've always loved him."

Kaelan shifted, physically blocking my view of her.

"If you have a problem, take it up with me," he demanded coldly.

A hollow, broken laugh scraped its way out of my throat. I swiped a hand harshly across my cheeks, wiping away tears I hadn't even realized were falling.

"Fine," I whispered, my voice hardening. "You want your divorce? You've got it."

I met his gaze dead-on, refusing to blink.

"I read the terms. We walk away clean. Nothing of yours belongs to me, and absolutely nothing of mine will ever belong to you."

He gave a curt nod.

"We cut all ties," I added, my tone turning to ice. "And I never want to see your face again."

Without waiting for his response, I marched straight into the walk-in closet. The divorce papers were sitting exactly where he'd left them.

I grabbed a pen, took one last, shuddering breath, and signed my name.

Every stroke of the ink severed the ties of a marriage I had once believed would last forever.

Marching back into the bedroom, I threw the documents onto the foot of the bed.

"I wish I could say I regret the day I met you," I said, my voice eerily calm. But for the sake of what was growing inside me, I couldn't.

I paused, letting the weight of those words hang in the air.

"I just hope you found what you were looking for."

Without another word, I turned my back on them and walked out.

Every step away from that room took everything I had, but I refused to look back.

Walking out the front door, I left behind the life, the title, and the woman I had been as Mrs. Southwark.

It wasn't just a breakup. It was the collapse of my entire world.

But beneath the agonizing pain, a tiny, resilient part of me knew I had no choice but to keep moving forward.