Chapter 4

The construction crew worked through the entire night. By morning, the whole plot of land had been sealed under a layer of concrete, and all I could do was stand there and watch, helpless.

Again and again I threw myself over that patch of earth to shield it, and again and again I was dragged away.

Alexander had left early, ushering Dahlia safely out before the worst of it.

I collapsed on the ground, barely able to breathe. The moment George broke free from the men holding him back, he scrambled over and pulled me upright.

His face was streaked with mud, his voice shaking.

"I'm sorry, miss. I'm useless—I couldn't protect any of you. I'm so sorry."

I clung to him and wept until my throat was raw.

After a long time, I lifted my head and looked at him.

"George, I'm leaving. Come with me. We'll take my parents and get out of this place."

This time, I had no fight left in me.

For an entire week, Alexander didn't come looking for me. He was busy escorting Dahlia to one event after another.

The whole scandal had made her a national sensation. Every social media feed was flooded with stories praising Dahlia—beautiful, generous, a saint.

Wherever Dahlia appeared in public, Alexander was right beside her. People envied them. Fans started shipping them as a couple.

Any comment that so much as mentioned my name was scrubbed within seconds.

A few days later, Edmund personally delivered the divorce papers and saw us off.

When the boarding announcement echoed through the terminal, I put on my sunglasses and said goodbye to that life for good.

One week later. The Sterling family dinner.

Alexander discovered he'd been generous enough to remove me from his blocked list—only to find that I had blocked him.

He assumed I was still throwing a tantrum and briefly considered bringing Dahlia along to the dinner. But his grandfather had never liked Dahlia, so in the end, he went alone.

He walked through the door and scanned the room. No sign of me.

"Grandfather, where's Wren? Typical of her—no sense of propriety. She doesn't even have the decency to show up on time for a family dinner."

Edmund spoke from his armchair, his voice unhurried.

"Wren is gone."

"Gone?" Alexander almost laughed. "You're joking. A woman that desperate to hold on to this family—you really think she'd just walk away?"

"I'm not joking. Wren is gone. She left a message for you before she went."

Alexander stared at him, stunned.

"What message?"

"She said she hopes that, for the rest of your lives, you never cross paths again."