Chapter 3

Giving up on Elias turned out to be far easier than I'd imagined.

No more tying his tie in the morning.

No more sending someone at noon to ask if he'd eaten.

No more waiting for him to come home before sitting down to dinner.

All I'd done was take a few small tasks off my daily schedule, yet I felt lighter than I had in a long time.

Only then did I realize how much all that one-sided effort had worn me down.

A week later, I left the estate for the first time without telling him.

I used to tell him where I was going, afraid he'd worry if he couldn't find me.

But he never responded. He never worried about where I was.

My father was startled when I came home. My mother was even more worried and asked if anyone had mistreated me.

Seeing their worried faces made me want to cry, but I held back.

"Nobody's treated me badly. I just wanted to see you.

"And Silas is older now. I want to come back and work for our family."

My father stared at me.

"But you married Elias. You're a Voss now. Does he know about this?"

I paused and shook my head.

"The only thing he cares about is whether I embarrass the Voss family. Beyond that, he rarely cares what I do."

He studied me for a long moment, his expression hard to read, then nodded.

"All right. But you've been away for a long time. Even with my approval, you'll have to start at the bottom."

I nodded, grateful.

"That's fine. I'll take any chance you give me."

By the time we'd finished talking and I got home, our usual dinnertime had passed.

The study door was shut. Elias was probably working in there.

Silas was eating alone at the table. The moment he saw me, he jumped down and ran over to hug me.

"Mom, you're finally back.

"It felt so strange with you gone today."

I hadn't been involved in any family business since he was born. I was home almost all the time.

That was the first time I hadn't been right there with him.

"Silas, I'm starting work.

"So from now on I can't be with you every minute."

He blinked, then broke into a huge smile.

"That's okay. As long as you're happy, I can eat and go to bed by myself.

"Just tell me a story when you have time."

I kissed his forehead.

"I promise."

The study door never opened, not even after the two of us finished eating.

My life had changed completely in the space of a week.

But Elias acted like he hadn't noticed any of it. He never asked.

Pulling away from him hadn't changed his life at all.

He quickly found someone else to do everything I'd done for him.

All I'd given of myself probably meant nothing to him.

Realizing that felt like someone had cut my chest open while I was still conscious.

But that festering wound had to be exposed before it could begin to heal.

I would never again give my heart to someone who didn't value it.