Chapter 5

Nathaniel stood up from his chair, eyes fixed on Elara’s figure. He looked stunned like he had just heard a word that didn’t exist in his vocabulary.

For a moment, his expression didn’t change. Then shock flickered across his face, quickly replaced by a cold, amused smile.

He had seen her sign the papers. He had heard her say the words. But he didn’t expect her to be serious because in his mind, Elara was still the same wife who wanted his attention. And now she was standing in front of him like a woman who had finally realized she didn’t need him.

Nathaniel blinked slowly, as if he was trying to process what he was seeing.

His voice came out low, almost amused. “Are you serious?” he asked, a laugh escaping him.

“Is this some kind of… tantrum? Because of Melissa? Seriously Elara?

Elara’s expression didn’t change.

Nathaniel leaned back in his chair, his voice dripping with amusement. “You are really doing this little drama to get attention from me? Unexpected.”

Elara’s jaw tightened.

“You think I’m jealous?” she repeated calmly.

Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed. “Isn't that why you tried to hurt Melissa last night, didn’t you?”

Elara blinked slowly.

“I did not,” she said firmly.

Nathaniel’s voice grew harsher. “Don’t lie. First you mess things up and hurt Melissa out of jealousy and now you come here with divorce papers like a child who didn’t get her toy.”

Elara’s breath steadied.

“Do you know what it feels like,” she said softly, “to hear the man you married say he never wanted you?”

Nathaniel shrugged.

“Then why are you here? You’re not stupid, Elara. You know what marriage is in this family. You know it was never love. You just want attention and… money.”

Elara’s eyes burned, but her voice stayed cold.

“I don’t want attention or wealth,” she said. “I want freedom.”

Nathaniel looked at her like she was a puzzle he couldn’t solve.

“You want a divorce because you’re mad,” he said. “You want to make me feel guilty. It’s a drama. Fine. I will sign. Let me play along with your tantrum. We both know you will not leave.”

Nathaniel looked at her with a bored expression and signed without even looking at the papers, as if it was nothing.

He thought it was over. He thought she would walk away and return after a few days, begging. He thought she would regret it. But Elara didn't show any emotion.

He didn’t care.

To him, it was just another day. To Elara, it was the end of her captivity.

When he finished, he threw the folder back on the desk.

“Good. Now stop being dramatic,” he said.

“You’re not going anywhere. You’ll be back by tonight.”

Elara didn’t reply. She turned and left.

As she walked out of the study, she passed the hallway and there she saw Melissa with her mother-in-law standing near the entrance, her posture perfect, her smile sweet.

Lady Blackwood, Aurelia Blackwood, stood there like a queen. Her face was calm, her eyes cold, and her voice was smooth as silk as she looked at Melissa in admiration.

Elara stopped.

Melissa tilted her head slightly, her eyes bright.

“Oh Elara” she said, calling her but Elara didn’t look at her.

Melissa stepped closer, voice soft and mocking.

“It must be so painful, right? Nathaniel and his family think of you as an orphan gold digger who trapped his grandfather with fake kindness to marry into money.”

Elara felt her blood run cold.

Melissa smiled sweetly. “You know what, Elara? Take my advice and leave Nathaniel. After all… you wouldn’t want to look like the woman who lost her husband to his first love, would you?”

Elara didn’t respond. Lady Blackwood watched with open approval as Melissa threw those words on Elara.

Melissa’s smile widened. “You’re so thick-skinned. It’s impressive,” she said mockingly.

Elara’s eyes flicked toward Melissa’s face, and she felt something dark and cold settle in her heart.

Melissa stepped aside, letting her pass.

Then Lady Blackwood suddenly spoke. Her voice was soft, but her words were sharp as knives.

“A little advice too, Elara,” she said, smiling politely. “You should leave before you embarrass the family more.”

Lady Blackwood’s eyes scanned her like she was a stain. “You’re an orphan,” Aurelia continued. “You have no name. No blood. No right to my son’s life.”

Elara’s heart tightened.

Aurelia leaned in slightly, her smile staying calm.

“Nathaniel deserves someone with a pedigree. Someone who fits our world. Someone like Melissa.”

Melissa smiled hearing Lady Blackwood praising her after all she had always been Aurelia’s favorite since the beginning.

Elara didn't seem hurt. Her voice stayed quiet, but steady..“And you think I don’t belong here?”

Aurelia’s smile widened. “You don’t,” she said plainly. “Not in our world. Not in our home. Never.”

Elara felt her hands clench.

Lady Blackwood continued, her tone cold.

“I don’t know why you keep pretending to be one of us. You were never meant to be a part of this family.”

Elara stopped. Her heart didn’t race anymore. Something inside her had finally stopped begging for approval.

She turned slowly, her eyes steady, her voice calm but sharp. “I never pretended,” Elara said finally, her tone low and controlled. “I survived. I married your son. And I lived in this house while you all treated me like dirt.”

Lady Blackwood’s smile faltered.

Elara continued, her voice gaining strength with each word. “You can call me an orphan. You can call me a gold-digger. But you will never make me feel small again.”

She took one step forward. “And if you ever speak about me like that again… I won’t waste my time answering.”

Then she walked past them, her head held high, leaving their insults behind like dust. She walked into her room, packed a small bag, and pulled out her phone. Her hands moved as she dialed a number.

A calm voice answered on the other end.

“Cars are ready, young miss,” the voice said.

Elara’s eyes closed for a moment.

“Good,” she whispered. “Send them to the front gate. And don’t tell anyone.”

She hung up the phone.

A new feeling rose inside her, one she hadn’t felt in years.

Freedom.

Elara slipped out of her room, avoiding the servants and the cameras. She moved silently through the mansion.

Elara didn’t look back.

She walked out of the mansion with her bag in hand, her heart finally quiet.

The car waited at the front gate, engine running.

She slipped inside, the doors closing like a final sentence. The headlights cut through the darkness as the car moved away.

And behind her, the Blackwood mansion stood silent and devoid of her presence.

Elara left without a goodbye. Without a tear. Without even one backward glance.

She was done.

That night, Nathaniel walked into their bedroom expecting the same sight he always saw.

Her silhouette on the bed. Her breathing. Her warmth.

But the room was cold and empty.

Her clothes weren’t on the chair anymore. The bed sheets were untouched. The space where she always sat… was blank.

His eyes fell on the vanity.

The wedding ring was there. placed neatly beside their marriage photo.

As if she had taken everything else with her. Elara’s scent lingered in the air like a fading ghost.

And then Nathaniel realized that she wasn’t in the mansion.

A cold panic settled in his chest. He had never felt this before. He had never felt like he had lost something he didn’t even want. But now Elara is gone.

And for the first time in his life, Nathaniel felt something he had never expected.

Fear.

***

Hey my dear eaders.

Thoughts on the chapter?

Elara has walked away, but the consequences are only starting. She has left with her dignity, and her head held high and let's keep one thing in mind, Elara didn’t leave because she was weak. She left because she finally chose herself.

Let me know what you think of Elara and Nathaniel in this chapter.

Welcome to a story of loss, regret, and the kind of love that comes too late.

Do comment, give your review, follow, and share the book so others also follow the journey of Elara <3

Love

Ishq