3. I'm not taking you...

ELOISE

As soon as those words left my tongue, silence befell the room.

For a few seconds, no one moved.

The envelope rested on Damien's lap, his fingers poised motionlessly above it.

He appeared quite stunned, which, for some reason, brought a peculiar sense of satisfaction to me.

But well, not too long, when—

“Finally!” Rebecca jolted out, her lips curled into a grin.

“Finally you’ve said it yourself! I was wondering how long we’d have to endure this farce!”

Her eyes burned into me with cruel delight.

“You’ve done us a great favour. Damien should have left you long ago!”

“If it wasn’t for that stupid alliance between two old men, we would have never brought someone like you into this family!”

I raised a brow. Really?

Now it's all blamed upon the alliance and me?... My gaze flickered over Selene once.

While, in reality, she had been the core problem of all this.

Damien remained silent, though, his gaze fixed intently on the envelope as though he were still judging my movements.

At first, his face was blank with shock, and then, as if the realization was slowly slipping in, coldness took over.

“Eloise.” My name fell from his lips hoarsely. “What is this nonsense?”

His gaze swept over me, and there it was…

That faint flicker of displeasure, or probably disgust.

His eyes lingered on my figure, the softness I had carried without shame for years.

I had always leaned toward a bit of a chubby side, which he never truly liked, even though he never said it aloud.

His jaw tightened. Always did, whenever his gaze fell on me.

It wasn’t even my fault… it never had been.

My hormonal imbalance was the main cause.

My doctor said, besides hormones, my continuous depression and overstress had also contributed to the situation.

Damien knew it too, and yet… He never truly cared.

“Stop this nonsense,” he rasped, his tone hoarse with visible ache.

“Do not create new scenes for attention.”

Unlike them, however, I was calm. Too calm, in fact.

My heartbeat was strangely steady for the matter that I was meeting my infidel husband.

It was as if something rotten that had been lodged inside my chest for years had finally been removed.

It was a mess, yes— but gone. Which soon flared once more, when—

“M-Mom…?”

A small, uncertain voice shuddered my heart. Forcing my eyes at the little figure beside Rebecca.

And just like that, all my seals burst open…

He was clutching her dress.

His brows were knit in confusion, his beautiful doughy eyes too wide for a child who should still believe his mother was the safest place in the world.

“I won't go with you.” he muttered, almost unsure, almost innocent.

I could only sneer in my heart; this kid still thinks I’m going to take it from him. Not anymore.

“Eloise, I think it's finally the right time to let the air flow peacefully,” Rebecca spoke.

“I assure you, Damien will sign the paper!”

As though to agree with his grandmother and to rub salt in my burning wounds.

Damian’s mocking voice rang out. “Is this your new drama?”

I took a deep breath, averting my gaze towards Damien, carefully observing his face.

“It's no scene, Damien.”

“I gave you what you and your family clearly wanted, didn’t I? I gave you your desired freedom.”

“Freedom?” Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Eloise, don’t be ridiculous—”

“Come on, son. Don't drag this!” Rebecca lightly scolded her son, she looked the happiest at the news.

"Just let it go. You deserve the best…" And with that, her gaze shimmered as she watched Selene.

A bitter sneer twitched against my lips.

Indeed, a perfect match.

“Please…” Selene's weak sobs grew louder.

“Please don’t fight because of me. Diego, baby, don’t cry, Auntie feels so guilty…”

My attention shifted toward her.

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

And then, to her fingers. They were steady as she gently took Diego’s hand.

The old Eloise would have been fooled. Would be hurt perhaps.

This one though, only felt disgusted.

“I didn’t come here to argue,” I said quietly. My voice cut straight through the noise they created.

“I came to deliver something that was long overdue.”

My gaze, once again, fixed on Damien coldly.

“A court date has been fixed for three days from now. Hopefully, you'll be there on time.”

As my words rolled out, silence stretched into the room.

Damien stared at me as if seeing me for the first time in five years…

“You— planned all this?”

“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate even for a second.

“For how long?” His eyes darkened, his tone became demanding.

I paused. Images creeping through my mind without permission—

Me, standing in the kitchen with a high fever, fingers trembling as I cooked his dinner, when I should be in complete bed rest by strict order of the doctor…

Dozing on the couch at 3 a.m., waiting for his car, with his dinner that turned ice cold, yet he never came...

Lowering my head while his parents scolded me in a room full of guests…

Be alone, when my own parents were celebrating their favourite daughter's return…

Me, alone in the rain, scared, helpless, hoping for him to pick up my call once, while he comforted another woman over a dead puppy…

I swallowed the bile painfully that rose in my throat.

“For longer than you ever noticed me,” my voice came out colder than I intended.

“Eloise…” Selene sobbed, interrupting me like always. “I- I didn’t mean for things to turn out like this.”

She immediately tried to reach me.

But, I stepped backward.

“Don't bother.” I said flatly. “Your acts don't really do anything to me.”

For the first time, her expression changed subtly. The hint of victory in her teary gaze, I could see it all.

Not enough for anyone else to notice. Enough for me though.

"Eloise, you are acting impulsively at this moment," Damien stated with a serious tone.

“You’ll regret this. Don’t throw tantrums. Your idiotic dramas will never work.”

Threats…

I couldn’t help but smirk.

“As I've said, none of this is a drama, Damien.”

Rebecca scoffed. “And what about the house? The money?”

“You'll not get a single penny at all, keep that in mind.”

“I didn’t take your wealth, although I should have… for the years of work I had done for your worthless son.”

"I have only kept the apartment, as it was bought with my own hard-earned money.

Therefore, I'll be sending all of Damien and Diego’s belongings to your place.”

The room went dead silent.

Damien’s face contorted with shock, too shocked in fact.

“You’re abandoning your own son?” Rebecca sneered. “What kind of woman are you?”

My fingers curled slowly.

I glanced at him once, he was still clenching Selene’s dress.

“If I were to take him…”

However, before I could finish my words, he flinched, forcing himself more to Selene.

“Auntie… don’t let Mom take me,” he cried.

Something inside me finally shattered beyond repair. I couldn’t help but laugh out…

“As you see, my son abandoned me long before I ever walked out of this door.”

My eyes drifted back to him.

“Don't worry son, I'm not taking you…” My voice rolled out gently.