Chapter 1 Chapter 1

On the night of our ninth wedding anniversary, my husband—Damian Grant, the man who ruled the mafia by day and once ruled my heart by night—did not bring me roses. He gave the bouquet that should have been mine to Serena Lane, his personal assistant. Beneath the chandelier where we once danced on our wedding night, he turned to me with that same cold charm he once used to whisper sweet nothings in my ear. “She's pregnant.” Finally, everything fell into place. “She's a picky eater. From today onward, you’ll cook three meals a day for her. And no repeats. “She’s sensitive and hates sleeping alone, so you’ll need to move your things into the guest room.” The room fell silent. I did not raise my voice, nor did I shed a single tear. I simply picked up my packed suitcase and walked to the door. The butler tried to stop me, but Damian did not even blink. “She’ll come back.” He lazily swirled the wine in his glass. “She’ll come back crying and begging within three days.” Our guests burst out laughing. They placed a million-dollar bet right in front of me. They were betting on whether I would be back before the night was over, begging Damian to let me back in like a pathetic stray dog with my tail between my legs. However, they did not know I had already received the family heirloom from my real father. I booked my flight to get far, far away from everyone I used to know. This time, I really left. ... Just as I reached the entrance of the villa, I heard Damian Grant’s voice behind me. It was deep and commanding, as always. “Claire, leave the obsidian necklace behind.” I froze. That necklace was a keepsake from my grandmother. It was a raw piece of volcanic stone, forged from fire, and had been brought all the way here from Arendale. I had never taken it off before, not even on the day we got married, or on the night Damian held me tightly and whispered that he loved me for the first time. He stepped closer. His tone was disturbingly casual. "Serena’s pregnancy has been rough. Maybe the necklace will help lift her mood.” For a moment, I thought he was joking. However, the seriousness in his eyes told me he was not. I clenched the obsidian in my fist. Its jagged edges dug into my palm, but the pain could not compare to what I felt inside. When he saw the redness in my eyes, he looked away and let out a sigh. “All right, Claire. Name your price. I’ll compensate you however I can.” How much was a nine-year marriage full of humiliating and degradation worth? I did not bother to do the math. I remembered what happened the last time I refused to give my knee pads to Serena Lane at the ski resort. Damian’s men had stripped off my coat and left me outside in subzero temperatures while Serena sipped hot cocoa by the fire. In front of everyone in the room, I walked over to Serena and fastened the necklace around her delicate neck. I said in a low voice, “I wish you and your baby the best.” Damian finally gave me a faint smile when he heard my blessing. It was as though I had finally done something right. “Claire, as long as you behave, my child will be your child. No one will ever threaten your position.” The moment he spoke, the necklace around Serena’s neck snapped. It was as though fate itself was listening. The obsidian hit the floor and shattered into jagged fragments. A sharp piece slashed her ankle. She screamed. Damian lunged forward and scooped her up like she was made of glass. “Call the doctor!” he barked at the butler. He glanced at me accusingly. This man, who had once stayed up three nights in a row just to hold my hand and hum lullabies when I had a cold, was now looking at me like I was a criminal. The others? Those wealthy snobs in designer clothes—the people I used to think were my friends—stared at me with smug, mocking eyes. They saw what I had become. A woman who was once the Don's most precious treasure was now reduced to the dust beneath his feet. At that moment, I did not need their mockery. Even I found it absurd. I gripped the handle of my suitcase and turned to leave. Damian grabbed my wrist, squeezing so hard that it felt like my bones might snap. “Apologize for what you did.” Ignoring my protests and struggles, he flung me down in front of the now-seated Serena. My knee landed on a shard of obsidian. Blood bloomed across the marble floor. Seeing the blood and the pain in my eyes, Damian finally let go of me. “You broke the necklace and hurt Serena. Shouldn’t you apologize?” I had apologized more in the past year than I had before in my entire life. “I’m sorry the food was not to your liking. “I’m sorry I texted you when you were drunk. I didn’t mean to bother you. “I’m sorry I saw Serena’s message inviting you to a hotel. I wasn’t trying to invade your privacy…” I straightened my back and bit my lip so hard that it bled just to stop myself from crying. Then, I bowed to Serena. Once. Twice. Thrice. I gave Damian an indifferent look and asked in a soft voice, “Is that enough?” His chest visibly heaved as he stared at the blood on my lips. He reached out and roughly wiped it away, gripping my chin. “Claire, your backing isn’t here now. Who are you trying to fool with that pitiful act?!” Before I could answer, the family doctor arrived with a full emergency kit. Damian did not look at me again. He led the doctor over to Serena, stepping right over the trail of my blood like it meant nothing. Serena was the only thing Damian could see. I slowly stood up and wiped the blood from my legs with a handkerchief. As I walked out the front door, I tossed the bloodied handkerchief into the trash. It felt as though I was discarding something else along with it. Yes, Damian. Whatever place you once held in my heart was gone now.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

When I saw the black Rolls-Royce parked outside the estate walls, I instinctively picked up my pace. Still, before I could step out the gate, two of Damian’s men appeared out of nowhere. They seized me, one on each side, and dragged me back into the villa. In the study, Damian had me tightly bound, and ordered someone to gag me with a cloth. The family doctor arrived shortly after. He inserted a thick needle into my arm. The syringe was almost as wide as a baby’s forearm. After drawing a full vial of blood, the doctor headed for the door. Through the half-open door, I heard him speak quietly to Damian. “Mr. Grant, while Miss Turner and Miss Lane do share a rare blood type, Miss Turner has had asthma since childhood. What you’re doing could very likely trigger shock…”“Don’t waste my time with hypotheticals.” Damian’s voice was cold and unflinching. “Your job is to stabilize Serena’s condition. I’ll handle everything else.” After a while, the doctor came back. He inserted a thick needle into my arm again. Damian’s footsteps were light and steady. He stood in front of me. His expensive leather shoes were still perfectly polished. I kept my eyes closed as I was afraid to look up. “Does it hurt?” Damian gently lifted my chin. His fingers brushed across my split lip. His tone was almost tender. “Just bear with it for a little longer. It’ll be over soon.” A bitter laugh slipped from my throat. I muttered two words, “Forget it.” Let this blood be the price I paid for the love he once gave me. By the time twenty ounces had been drawn, my lips had turned purple. My body was cold, and I was gasping for air. I thought that was the end of it. However, just then, Serena started coughing from the master bedroom. Damian had been about to pull me into his arms, but that sound changed everything. Without a second thought, he stopped the doctor from removing the needle and ordered him to draw double the amount. The doctor was horrified. He reminded him in a low voice, “Mr. Grant, if you do that, she might suffer long-term damage.” The air stiffened for a moment before Damian replied, “Serena is pregnant. She's the priority.”“But…” The doctor tried to protest. I interrupted him. My voice was hoarse and trembling, “Just do it. Once you’re done, let me leave.” Damian looked at my paper-white face, rubbed his brow, and said coldly, “Are you done throwing your tantrum yet? “You’d really leave me over something this small? Even after you lied to me…” I never got a chance to respond. The moment Serena cooed his name from the bedroom, he left without a second thought, quick and light on his feet. I watched him from behind and remembered how much we used to love each other. During the first snow of a previous winter, I had a high fever and was slipping in and out of consciousness. Damian had driven through the night just to get to me. He carried me into the hospital on his back, fed me medicine, and never left my side. He once said to me, “You’re the most important part of my life.” I believed him. He used to kiss me like he was losing his mind, pressing me against the tall window and whispering in a husky voice, “Let’s stay like this forever. Just the two of us, okay?” Now, he left without even glancing back. When did things start to change? It was on the day he stumbled across that agreement. The one between my family and the Grant family’s Don, his father, Victor Grant. It laid everything bare. The Grant family would rescue my bankrupt family in exchange for my marriage to Damian. That day, he stood at the doorway of the study, gripping the document with trembling fingers. The look on his face was as cold as ice. I ran toward him and explained, “I didn’t even know it existed! I married you because I loved you. I never lied to you!” However, his eyes were cold and distant. “You were nothing but a beautifully wrapped bargaining chip from the start.” That was the moment he built a wall between us with his own hands. From then on, he never held me or kissed me again. When he looked at me, all I saw was suspicion and indifference. All the tenderness, all those promises of him protecting me for the rest of his life had turned into this one cruel sentence: “Are you done throwing your tantrum yet?” I tried to melt his heart with love and with everything I had. I tried so hard to bring us back to what we once were. Damian, I was tired out. I was too tired to love you anymore. I closed my eyes and let the darkness swallow me whole. … Two days later. I woke up in a hospital bed, still recovering from shock. As I sat up, I saw Damian going through documents beside me. Our eyes met and lingered. He walked over with a bowl of oatmeal, scooped up a spoonful, and blew on it before bringing it to my lips. I shook my head. “I can feed myself.” Damian watched silently as I ate half the bowl. Then, he asked gently, “Do you feel any discomfort?” I did not answer his question. Instead, I asked, “Can you pass me my phone?” My tone must have been too distant and too formal. Damian stared at me for a few seconds before waving for someone to bring it over. When he noticed the dozens of missed calls on my phone screen, he frowned and asked, “Who called you?” He had never asked me things like that before. I looked down at my phone and replied simply, “Someone you don’t know.” He suddenly yanked open the top button of his shirt and grabbed my chin roughly. His golden-brown eyes flashed with anger, like a lion baring its fangs. “Claire, how long are you going to keep up this attitude? “The moment I treat you a little better, you start challenging me again?” Previously, whenever Damian got angry, I would blame myself and do everything I could to calm him down. Not anymore. I was too tired. I glanced at his phone buzzing on the table and said indifferently, “It’s Serena. She’s calling you.” Damian froze for a moment. The fire in his eyes extinguished. He stepped back, adjusted his shirt, and walked out of the room. The moment he left, my phone rang. I answered the call, but before I could say a word, the person on the other end anxiously asked, “You promised you’d come find me. Claire, did you change your mind?”“No. I just ran into an unexpected situation.” I lowered my voice. “What happened? Are you okay? No. I’m coming to get you myself…” I cut off his worried rambling with a soft smile. “Just give me a few more days. That’s all I need. I’ll be there soon.”

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

When Damian returned to the hospital room, I had just ended the call. He seemed to be stunned for a few seconds when he saw the smile still lingering on my lips. How long had it been since I last smiled like that in front of him? He stared at me with a kind of quiet greed. I knew he wanted to ask who I had been speaking to. However, he could not. He knew he should not come any closer. He should be singing lullabies to Serena’s unborn child instead. Damian assumed the call was probably from some relative. He picked up the files he needed and turned to leave, not even glancing back. “There’s some family business I need to deal with. I’ll come see you tomorrow.” However, Damian never showed up the next day, the day after, or the day after that. Instead, I kept receiving video after video from the family members who thrived on gossip, each one showing Damian and Serena together. It was as though he was trying to provoke me. He was taking her to every elite social event he could. He went out of his way to introduce Serena to everyone, and she clung sweetly to his arm, smiling so brightly like she was the real wife. The day I was discharged, Damian posted nine carefully edited photos on Instagram. In them, he and Serena were riding a hot air balloon at sunset. Their fingers were interlocked, gazing out at the horizon. He looked happy and free. I left a comment: [May you have the perfect family, be blessed with both a handsome son and a beautiful daughter, and have a love that lasts forever.] Ten minutes later, Damian called me repeatedly. I did not pick up a single call. Half an hour later, I checked myself out of the hospital. As I passed the OB-GYN department, I saw Damian and Serena. I overheard a nurse say to her, “Miss Lane, you’re so lucky. Your husband takes such good care of you. He’s here for every appointment. “He even has staff lay down blankets on the bed for ultrasounds so you won’t get cold, and he covers all the sharp corners in the room so you won’t bump into anything… He won’t even let you take a single step around here. He insists on carrying you himself.” The other expectant mothers nearby all looked at her with envy. I did not have the strength to correct them. All I wanted was to hold onto a shred of dignity and quietly walk away. I tried to slip past them unnoticed—quietly, carefully. However, Damian turned his head and narrowed his eyes. “Claire? What are you doing here?” What he really wanted to ask was why I ignored his calls and what my comment was supposed to mean. Before he could say more, I instinctively lowered my head and explained, “I wasn’t following you. Just ran into you by coincidence, really. I’m sorry if I disturbed you. I’ll leave now.”“Wait.” The moment Damian furrowed his brows and said that, I saw a flicker of something dark flash across Serena’s eyes. She clung tighter to Damian’s arm, but her face remained sweet. “Claire, I’m really grateful you donated blood to me. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably still be dizzy right now. “Please, can we bring Claire home with us? Just for a little while?” Her tone was innocent. However, her eyes were anything but. Damian looked at me for a moment like he was trying to figure something out. Then, he simply said, “Whatever you say, Serena.” I already planned to return home to pack my stuff. That was the only reason I did not reject Serena’s invitation. Sitting in the back seat of Damian’s sleek black Ferrari, I kept my head turned toward the window. The city blurred by. Then, I saw something under the seat. It was a damp piece of lace lingerie. It was torn in half. Serena covered her mouth, pretending to be shocked. “Oh! I can’t believe that’s still here.”“Damian, didn’t you say you already got rid of it?” I took a deep breath. My nails were digging hard into my palms. Serena snuggled into Damian’s chest, playfully hitting him with a shy smile. Damian let out a low laugh, blaming himself while secretly watching my reaction. However, I just happened to meet his gaze with a blank expression. He looked away a second later, embarrassed. Even his attention to Serena became half-hearted. It was as though the whole show had lost its audience, and without an audience, there was no point in performing. Halfway through the drive, Damian finally spoke. “Claire, you’ve been staring at your phone ever since you got in the car.” In the rearview mirror, his eyes narrowed, and his tone was unfriendly. “Are you talking to some family member or someone I don’t know?”

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

I had just finished booking my flight and turned off my phone screen. I closed my eyes, leaned back to rest, and replied in an indifferent tone, “I was just reading the news.” A flicker of irritation deepened between his brows when he heard what I said. Without a word, he turned and snatched the phone from my hand, unlocking it with practiced ease. Both of us froze for a moment. The password was my birthday. He had typed it in so smoothly, so naturally, like he had done it a thousand times before. His face flushed red with anger and embarrassment. He locked the screen immediately, ignoring whoever I might have been texting. His voice was sharp. “Don’t overthink this. I’m warning you.” I shook my head and replied calmly, “I don’t understand what you mean. I’m not overthinking anything.” However, saying that only seemed to make him angrier. Just then, Serena let out a delighted giggle. She wrapped herself around his arm and batted her lashes playfully. “Damian, that’s the day we first met. It’s worth remembering, isn’t it?” He brushed her hand away. His voice was laced with irritation, or maybe something else entirely. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s just go home.” That was how we arrived at home. As soon as the Ferrari rolled to a stop, Damian tossed the phone into my lap like it was burning his fingers. He got out, helping the fragile-looking Serena back to the master bedroom. “Make something Serena likes,” I heard him say to the housekeeper. Then, after a pause, he added quietly, “And a few dishes Claire likes too. Set the table for three.” His voice was soft. It was as though he was too embarrassed to let me hear it, but I heard it anyway. I did not know how to respond to his so-called kindness anymore. The time we used to love each other felt like they belonged to someone else’s memory, far in the past. Was I supposed to be grateful? Should I be cold and indifferent? I chose to say nothing. I turned around and went to the guest room to gather my things. However, I was stunned when I opened my suitcase. Every piece of clothing inside had been shredded beyond repair. Only a few things were intact—my passport and documents, still hidden in the suitcase’s lining. Grateful for that much, I hid them securely on my person and prepared to leave quietly. Before I could make it to the door, two men grabbed me and dragged me down to the basement. They threw me inside like trash. That was when I saw Serena standing calmly in the corner. She looked me up and down with mocking disdain. “You’ve got quite the tolerance, Claire,” she sneered. Her tone was filled with smug delight. “Most women would have run away by now, after being humiliated like that. But not you. You just keep… clinging onto ridiculous fantasy.” She gave a theatrical gasp. “Oh, that’s right. Your sweet old grandmother passed away last month, didn’t she? Now that she’s gone, you’ve got no one left to run to—not even to cry to, except Damian.” Her eyes lit up with cruel delight as she turned toward me. “Do you remember the day you begged Damian with tears to take the private helicopter, just so you could see your grandmother one last time before she died?” I held my breath. She pulled out her phone and held up the screen, eyes glittering. “He said no because he’d already promised me a sunset over the Aegean Sea that night. Romantic, right? You lost the last person who ever truly loved you, and he was busy chilling champagne for me.” Her words echoed off the cold, concrete walls, ricocheting like bullets. I could not take it anymore. With a sharp slap, I knocked her phone from her hands. Serena burst into a laugh. It was sharp and high-pitched. “Oh, Claire, did you know Damian gave me full control over this house? I even moved the ammunition cache next door. “And now… it’s time.” Before I could react, a deafening boom split the air, and heat scorched everything in its path. The walls crumbled, and the ceiling crashed down. I was slammed to the floor, pinned beneath a chunk of debris. Blood trickled down my face. I saw Serena nearby, also trapped, but a slab of wall still shielded her, giving her a chance. Thick, choking smoke clawed its way into my throat with every gasp. My lungs burned, and my vision swam. Then, just before I blacked out, I heard it. “Claire!” It was Damian’s voice. Then, I heard the panicked shouts of his men. “Sir! It’s too dangerous! You can’t go in! Rescue’s already on the way—”“Get out of my way! Claire’s still in there!” He ran in. Through the smoke and fire, he spotted Serena first. She was pinned beneath the fallen wall, weakly calling out to Damian for help. “Damian, help me…” His heart skipped a beat. He rushed to her, lifting the rubble from her body with his bare hands. “Hang on, Serena!” He picked up the dust-covered Serena in a hurry, only to turn and find me also lying crushed under a collapsed wall. Our eyes locked. He hesitated just for a second. As my blood-blurred vision swam, I saw him bite down hard, then turn his back on me. Leaving me buried in the rubble, alone in the smoke. The heat seared my skin, and the thick smoke clawed its way down my throat. Every breath felt like torture. I knew only one thing. If I gave up now, I would really die. No! I had to live. Even if it was only to see the day Damian would regret this so deeply it tore him apart! I clenched my jaw, pushed against the fallen wall with all the strength I had left, and slowly, inch by inch, crawled toward the hidden emergency tunnel I remembered from the house’s blueprints. It was the only fireproof section of the entire villa. The air vent at the end led out behind the garden wall. Maybe, just maybe, I had a chance. Come on, faster… Then I saw it. It was the moon over the garden, the freedom I never dared to hope I would see again. I collapsed into the rose bushes, thorns tearing into my cheeks until they bled, but I did not feel anything. Instead, I laughed. I laughed freely, wildly, like I had not in years. In the end, I got into that black Rolls-Royce waiting outside and headed for the airport. After checking in my luggage, I boarded the flight to Landale, coughing all the way. Just before takeoff, a message from Damian lit up my phone: [I don’t have time for your games. Come see me now.] The old me might have dropped everything, my pride included, and ran back to him without a second thought. Not anymore. I simply powered off my phone, pulled out the SIM card, and tossed it in the trash. The plane took off. The landscape slowly faded beneath the clouds. Damian and I were done now. Forever.