Chapter 1

With summer break approaching, Claire Chandler, who had been living far from home since getting married five years ago, received a call from her mother, Serena Chandler.

"Your dad's health keeps getting worse. I don't know if he'll make it through the year.

"Summer break's almost here, so if you and Luke have time, could you bring Stella back for a visit? Your dad wants to see you and the little one."

After a slight pause, Serena added carefully, "But if Luke's too busy, then forget it..."

She said to forget it, but Claire could hear the disappointment and hesitation in her mother's voice.

Come to think of it, Claire had been married into the Holt family for five years now.

She had gone home once during the first year of her marriage, but she hadn't returned at all in the four years since.

Luke always gave the same reasons: he was busy with work, he didn't have time, and traveling that far was inconvenient.

Holding back tears, Claire agreed to go. As soon as the call ended, she opened a travel app and booked three plane tickets to Riverford.

After buying the tickets, she hesitated for a moment before calling her husband, Luke Holt.

The phone rang for quite a while before he finally answered.

"Hello."

His voice was cold and indifferent.

"Luke, who's calling this early?"

A woman's voice came through the phone.

Claire's fingers tightened around her cell.

She clearly remembered Luke telling her the night before that he was at the office.

"It's nothing."

Before Claire could say a word, he hung up.

She stared blankly at the screen, her face gradually turning pale.

Luke hadn't always treated her this way. Before they got married, he had been very good to her.

They had been high school sweethearts who eventually got married, and back then, he had adored her. Claire never would have imagined that cheating could one day become part of their marriage.

She wasn't sure when things had started to change. Maybe it was after she gave birth and she was a little out of shape, or maybe there was some other reason, but little by little, Luke had grown colder toward her.

A message from him appeared on her screen.

Luke: [Something wrong?]

He didn't offer any explanation for the woman she had just heard.

Claire bit her lip and let out a bitter laugh. Her father's condition was serious, and right now, she didn't have the energy to argue about anything else.

Claire: [My dad is sick, and it's pretty serious. Stella's almost on summer break, so can we go back and stay for a while?]

She sent the message, but Luke didn't reply for a long time.

Claire didn't know whether he hadn't seen it or simply didn't care, though he had sent her a message only seconds earlier.

As she stared at the screen, her eyes began to sting.

Still, over the past two years, she had grown accustomed to his coldness and to swallowing her hurt without complaint.

She decided she would ask him again later.

Forcing down the sharp ache in her chest, Claire headed upstairs to find her daughter.

She pushed the bedroom door open just enough to leave a narrow gap and heard Stella Holt's muffled voice coming from beneath the covers.

"Aunt Bella, Dad already found a doctor for Great-Grandma, so she's going to be okay. Don't worry about her. You need to take care of yourself too, and remember to eat breakfast..."

Claire stopped abruptly.

She was certain the great-grandmother Stella was talking about wasn't anyone from her side of the family.

Then who was she referring to?

And Aunt Bella...

Did she mean Bella Young?

But Bella was the daughter of Luke's uncle's second wife. Although there was no blood relation between them, she was still considered Luke's cousin within the Holt family.

Stella should have addressed her as family, so why was she calling her Aunt Bella in such a familiar tone?

Claire frowned in confusion.

"Mommy? Is breakfast ready?"

Hearing movement outside the door, Stella poked her head out from beneath the covers and looked over, blinking her large, pretty eyes.

Claire snapped out of her thoughts and pinched her fingertip hard, forcing herself not to dwell on it.

Right now, going back to Riverford to see her father was more important.

She walked into the room and gently stroked Stella's hair.

"Breakfast is ready. Once you've washed up, you can come downstairs and eat.

"After breakfast, we'll wait for your dad to come home, then we'll go to Riverford. Grandpa is sick, and summer break is almost here anyway, so we'll stay there for a while."

Stella paused, and much of the smile disappeared from her face as her delicate brows drew together.

She didn't really want to go.

Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Serena were always nice to her and often sent her treats, but Riverford was so far away, and she hated being stuck on a plane for hours. Just thinking about the trip made her miserable.

Besides, maybe Grandpa wasn't actually that sick. What if he was only saying that because he wanted her to come back?

It was so annoying.

She had already promised Aunt Bella that she would spend time with her later, and Bella had been in a bad mood these past few days because someone in her family was sick. Stella didn't want to see her upset.

However, when she saw the firm look on Claire's face, she knew there was no point refusing.

Pouting, she dropped back onto the bed.

Claire bent down and coaxed her gently. "All right, Stella. Get up."

Stella burrowed into the bed, clearly reluctant to move, before mumbling, "Go get my clothes, run the water, and put toothpaste on my toothbrush..."

"Okay."

Claire went to do it. For years, she had taken care of both Stella and Luke like this.

While Claire stood with her back turned, looking through the closet, Stella secretly picked up her phone and sent Bella a message.

Stella: [Aunt Bella, something came up and I have to go to Riverford, so I can't come keep you company today.]

Stella: [I'm sorry! I promise I'll come back as soon as I can and come see you right away.]

Stella: [I'll keep messaging you while I'm gone too!]

There was no reply for a long time.

Stella anxiously bit her lip, worried that Bella might be disappointed.

"Stella, how about this?"

Claire held up a dress for her.

Stella frowned and put down her phone. "Mommy, you're so annoying. I don't like dresses anymore. Don't you know that?"

Ever since she'd seen the sharp, stylish outfits Bella wore to business meetings, Stella had lost interest in dresses.

When she grew up, she wanted to be successful like Aunt Bella.

She didn't want to become a housewife like her mother, who only cooked, did laundry, and nagged people all day.

Claire paused. "Then tell me what you like. Mommy can buy you something new..."

"No!"

Their tastes were completely different. Stella wanted Bella to pick out her clothes instead.

"Get out!"

She jumped off the bed barefoot, pushed Claire out of the room, and shut the door. Then she grabbed her phone and continued messaging Bella.

Stella: [Aunt Bella, I promise I'll be back tomorrow!]

Bella replied a little later.

Bella: [Sorry, Stella. I was eating breakfast and didn't see your message.]

Bella: [I'm not upset. Go spend time with your grandpa. It's okay. I'll be going to Riverford later too, so we can see each other then.]

Stella paused.

Stella: [Are you going to Riverford to see Great-Grandma? Does Dad know?]

Bella: [He knows.]

Stella immediately brightened. Then, thinking of something, she quickly sent another message.

Outside the room, Claire took a step back at the sound of the door slamming shut, an indescribable ache suddenly rising in her chest.

She had raised Stella herself and had never imagined that one day her daughter would become so impatient with her that she would shut her out.

Claire pressed her lips together, then knocked on the door anyway.

"You get low blood sugar. Once you're dressed, remember to come downstairs and eat."

There was no answer from inside.

Instead, the phone in her pocket vibrated.

Claire came back to herself, took a deep breath, and checked the message.

Luke had finally replied.

Luke: [Something came up earlier. I understand. I'll be home later.]

Still no explanation. He didn't ask about her father's condition, offer to arrange a doctor, or show any concern at all.

Claire's face paled as she remembered what she'd overheard Stella saying earlier.

Luke had found a doctor for Bella's family, yet he showed no concern for hers.

Then she thought of the woman's voice she'd heard when she called him.

That had probably been Bella too.

The two of them...

Claire's grip tightened around her phone. She wanted to ask Luke exactly what was going on between them.

In the past, she would have kept asking until she got an answer.

But now, she suddenly lost all inclination to do so.

Maybe she was tired. Or maybe she had simply gone numb.

Claire put away her phone and went to the master bedroom to pack, her mind in a fog.

Most of what she packed belonged to Luke. He was meticulous about cleanliness and particular about his clothes and bedding, while Claire herself owned very little.

She had gotten used to settling for less, just as she'd settled for a marriage whose warmth had faded with time, all for Stella's sake.

Claire knew perfectly well that Luke no longer loved her. Whatever passion he'd once felt for her was long gone.

After packing the clothes, she went to his study to get his laptop in case he needed it while they were away.

Other than during the first year of their marriage, Claire had rarely entered the room. Luke didn't want her in there and treated her like an outsider.

At first, he had simply reminded her not to come in, but over time, those reminders had turned into cold orders.

She wondered if all men changed after marriage, growing tired of their wives until the promises and love from the beginning felt like nothing more than a joke.

Numbly, Claire slipped the laptop into its bag and was about to leave when she noticed one of the desk drawers was slightly open.

Several documents were stacked messily inside.

She paused, then pulled the drawer open to straighten them.

The moment she saw the document lying on top, all the color drained from her face.

Claire froze.

Divorce Agreement.