Chapter 3

3

"Elara? We're at the venue for the charity gala," Daisy's voice snapped me back to reality.

I shook my head, clearing the memories.

As I got out of the car, I saw a familiar silhouette.

"What are you doing here?"

Except for Daisy, I hadn't told anyone about my charity work.

Caleb held up a card, looking apologetic.

"Elara, I didn't mean to follow you. You dropped this at the hospital."

"I saw the address and figured I'd bring it over."

He walked closer, a strange look in his eyes.

"Setting up a foundation was our dream. I didn't realize you still remembered."

I looked him in the eye, my gaze flat.

"You're mistaken. I'm simply doing some good because my heart tells me to."

The 'dream' he mentioned was a bucket list of 99 things a couple must do together.

We had promised to check every single one.

But in five years, only the first one was ever checked off.

The requirement: On our anniversary, visit a place we've been together.

On our ninth anniversary, we met at the courthouse.

But it was only to sign our divorce papers.

"If you aren't here to donate, Mr. Thorne, please leave."

The sound of the stage crew testing the mic echoed nearby. I adjusted my collar to walk away.

He didn't seem to believe me. He spoke carefully.

"Elara, we've only been divorced for five years, but you have a four-year-old child."

"If he's really my son, I want to take responsibility."

I let out a sarcastic laugh. "Responsibility? Are you planning to throw money in my face again?"

When I found out I was pregnant for the second time, I thought we had a chance to fix things.

I called him a dozen times, trembling with hope. He didn't pick up for two days.

I threw on a coat and rushed out the door, only to be hit by a reckless truck. I bled out right there on the pavement.

The doctor said I was too weak. I would likely never conceive again.

I waited in the hospital all night, my heart dying. He finally showed up, holding Skylar's hand.

She stuck her tongue out playfully. "Sorry, Elara. Caleb took me up the mountains to catch fireflies."

"It was my birthday yesterday, and he said the birthday girl comes first. I tried to tell him to check his phone, but he wouldn't."

I grabbed my water glass and hurled it at her.

As she screamed, a sharp slap landed on my face.

He frowned at me. "Elara, it's just a minor injury! Do you have to make such a scene?"

"That was our baby! Do you even care?"

I screamed, my voice raw, the pain turning into a numbing void.

Maybe he had been with Skylar so many times that he couldn't even keep track of his own calendar.

We had been intimate just a month before.

"If you want money, just say it. I don't have time for your drama."

Cash fluttered down around me like falling leaves. I wiped my tears, suddenly feeling exhausted.

He looked confused. "Elara, that time was your fault, and it had nothing to do with a kid."

"Whatever you say," I replied coldly.

Daisy hurried over. "Elara, the manager needs to see you."

"Mr. Thorne, excuse us."

He finally backed down as people kept calling me 'Ma'am.' He watched me walk away in silence.

"Elara, why even talk to him? I'd have punched him if I were you!"

Daisy and I were close; she knew most of the history with Caleb.

"He's not worth it," I smiled.

"That scumbag deserves to be ruined! You're too nice, you're going to get hurt."

She was huffing, her face red with anger.

She didn't know that before the divorce, Caleb and I had a vicious fallout.

It wasn't that I didn't fight back.

But reality was brutal. Compared to the power he had built over the years...

I was nothing.