Chapter 3

3

I didn't understand Dominic.

He had a hundred ways to ruin Alaric, but he chose to use me.

Years later, I can still see that room vividly.

The VIP lounge was dimly lit. Dominic had me sitting on his lap.

Alaric burst in, holding a contract. When he saw us, he froze.

His eyes were bloodshot. His voice was a broken rasp. "Why?"

I looked him in the eye and lied. "You can't give me the life I want, Alaric. But Dominic can."

Dominic let out a boisterous laugh.

His greasy hand squeezed my waist.

I felt like a thousand arrows were piercing my soul. It was pure humiliation, but I forced a giggle and leaned into him.

"Isn't this better, Alaric? I get you the resources, you sign with Hearst. Everyone wins."

I watched the light die in Alaric's eyes.

But he still reached out his hand to me. "Serafina, come here. I don't need the money if it means this. I'll work harder. I'll give you everything you want."

He was pleading. He looked so desperate.

In that moment, I felt like a heavy stone was crushing my chest. I could barely breathe.

"Serafina, I won't sign it. Just come home with me," he said.

The man who was once so proud, the man who would fight a billionaire for me, was now begging.

Dominic's laughter was triumphant.

"Look at your woman, Alaric. One snap of my fingers and she's in my bed."

"So, what was the point of hitting me with that bottle? Was it worth it? Hahaha!"

Alaric didn't look at him. He just stared at me.

I wrapped my arms around Dominic's neck and smiled at Alaric. "Come on, Alaric. Don't be so serious. Look at the big picture."

I don't remember much of what happened after that.

I only remember him signing the contract. His eyes were a terrifying shade of red.

"Serafina Sterling," he whispered. "I will make your life a living hell for as long as we both breathe."

After that, he became a workaholic. He was obsessed.

In just a few years, he turned his startup into a public company. By the next year, he was a billionaire.

He succeeded.

And I became the biggest stain on his soul.

When his three-day deadline passed, I obviously didn't show up.

Alaric came back to my yard.

Skyler was excited. He kept running circles around his father, trying to slip his tiny, ghost hand into Alaric's palm.

"Mommy! I'm holding Daddy's hand!" he cheered.

My eyes burned. I forced a smile for him.

For years, Alaric believed Skyler belonged to Dominic. He hated the boy. He wouldn't even look at him.

Even when I showed him the DNA results proving he was the father, he wouldn't believe it.

He told me I'd paid someone to faked the report.

After that night with Dominic, Alaric never trusted a word I said.

I had asked for a divorce. I wanted to end the toxicity.

But he just gripped my chin and hissed, "You owe me, Serafina. I told you, we are never over until one of us is dead."

"Divorce? Not a chance."

He brought countless women to our house. He would touch them right in front of me.

Whenever I tried to argue, he'd remind me how "dirty" I was for being with Dominic.

This lasted until Rosalind came back from abroad. Once she was back, he cut off all the other women.

They were always together in public.

Even his business partners started calling Rosalind "Mrs. Blackwood."

The memory faded as Alaric stood at the gate, trying to call me.

The mechanical voice told him the number was no longer in service.

He frowned and opened our old messages. The last one was from three days ago, threatening me to show up for the transplant.

I hadn't replied.

He scrolled through my old posts. He stopped on a photo from four years ago.

It was a candid shot I took. He was sitting on the sofa, and Skyler―only two then―was leaning his little head against Alaric's shoulder.

I thought it was beautiful at the time. But a second after the flash went off, Alaric had shoved the boy away in disgust.

He stared at the photo for a long time. Then, he typed a new message.

"Serafina, you asked for this. The three days are up. I'm cutting off all your funds starting today."

He waited. No reply. He kicked the gate in a fit of rage.

Skyler, who had been happily dancing around him, started shaking.

His lip trembled, and he ran back to me, sobbing. "Mommy, what's wrong with Daddy? I'm scared."

I pulled him into my arms. "Don't be scared, baby. He can't hurt you anymore. Look, there's a butterfly! Why don't you go play with it?"

I tried to distract him.

Skyler looked over and saw a butterfly fluttering near the weeds.

He wiped his tears and chased after it.

Alaric paced back and forth, rubbing his temples. Finally, he pulled out his phone again.

"Hello? Is this the locksmith?"