A Promise Unfulfilled, a Lover Unreturned

I took the divorce agreement, read it carefully from start to finish, and was prepared to sign.

Clara Black finally spoke, which was unusual for her. Her voice held a tension she didn't seem to notice. "Sebastian Hale, think it through. Once you sign, there's no turning back."

My hand didn't falter. The pen traced a clean, decisive curve across the page, and I signed.

"I'm packing my things and leaving right now," I said.

How could I possibly regret it?

In my previous life, I had believed that bringing Leonard Frost home was just another way for her to get back at me. I had foolishly thought that after so many years of entanglement, she must have felt something for me.

How ridiculous.

She and Leonard had two children within three years and stayed devoted to each other for the rest of their lives. I, on the other hand, had existed in that house like an unnecessary piece of furniture. I had endured half a lifetime of awkwardness, with people pointing and laughing at me.

It wasn't until I was old that I overheard Clara and Leonard talking in the hospital room about that incident. She admitted that she had staged that dramatic "caught me cheating" scene back then by arranging for the disheveled housekeeper.

"I was simply tired of him but didn't want things to get too ugly," she said.

Not a trace of guilt showed in her clouded eyes. "So I staged the whole thing. That way, whatever I did afterward would seem completely justified."

So that was it.

No wonder every desperate explanation I made was met with nothing but cold disbelief. She had known the truth all along.

Clara didn't love me, yet she trapped me for 50 years with a false accusation. She could have ended it cleanly, yet she chose to torment me slowly until the very end.

I raised my eyes, looking at Clara's youthful yet still indifferent face. All affection in my heart had vanished, leaving only seething hatred.

She stared blankly at the signed agreement, shock flickering in her eyes.

Outside the door, the faint rustle from those eavesdropping fell abruptly silent. The next moment, my "noble" in-laws burst in, beaming with joy.

My mother-in-law, Bella Jarvis, grabbed Leonard's hand. She examined him from every angle and clicked her tongue in approval. "Oh my, young people really are something. They just radiate energy!"

My father-in-law, Shawn Black, who had always scowled at me, was now smiling warmly. He glanced at me and said pointedly, "Finally, we've gotten rid of that useless piece of trash who took up space and contributed nothing. After all these years, and not a single child to show for it."

Leonard lowered his head shyly, feigning modesty. "Mr. Black, please don't say that. I'm not much younger than Sebastian."

He paused for a moment, a blush creeping across his face. "Actually, Clara has been pregnant for a month. But it's still early, so we haven't announced it yet."

I raised an eyebrow.

As expected, it was the same familiar sarcasm and nauseating tone I'd always known. The only difference was that this time, I no longer cared.