Chapter 10 Rebirth and the Ending

I cared nothing for how the farce in the dining hall ended.

I went upstairs, locked the door behind me, shutting out the crying, the shouting, and the wreckage. Silence fell instantly. I walked to the window, gazing at the heavy night beyond, my heart filled with a peace I had never known before—tinged with the thrill of rebirth.

It was over.

The nightmare that had once belonged to Sophia Lane—the humiliation, the disguises—was finally over.

Not long after, hesitant, heavy footsteps stopped outside my door. He lingered for a long time before finally knocking softly.

“Sophia.” Ethan Caldwell’s voice filtered through the door, hoarse, filled with weariness and… almost a plea. “Open the door. Let’s talk, please?”

I didn’t respond. I simply stood still.

He waited for a long time, then sighed, and his footsteps retreated, heavy and defeated.

That night, the Caldwell residence was deathly silent.

The next morning, I packed my things—though there wasn’t much, only a small suitcase with a few old clothes I had brought from the Lane family. I had no intention of taking anything from the Caldwells.

When I dragged my suitcase downstairs, Mrs. Zhou and the servants shrank into the corners, silent, their eyes full of fear and awe. Vivian Caldwell’s door remained shut—no doubt she lacked the face to come out.

Ethan sat on the living room sofa. In one night, he looked haggard, unshaven, his suit wrinkled, his eyes bloodshot, filled with regret as deep as the ocean. When he saw my suitcase, his pupils constricted sharply, and he jumped to his feet.

“Where are you going?” His voice was dry.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled out a document from my suitcase and placed it calmly on the coffee table.

A divorce agreement.

I had already signed it. The terms were simple: I would leave with nothing, take not a single cent from the Caldwells. I only asked for one thing—that from now on, there be no ties between me, the Caldwell family, or the Lane family.

“Sign it, Mr. Caldwell.” My voice was calm, as if discussing the weather.

He stared at the agreement in disbelief, then lifted his eyes to me, anguish tearing through his gaze. “No… Sophia, I know I was wrong. I was terribly wrong. Give me a chance to make it up to you…”

Make it up? I almost laughed. Could any gift repay the searing humiliation, the frozen nights, the dignity trampled beneath his feet?

“There’s nothing to make up for.” My eyes were clear, cold, without a shred of longing. “It was only a mistaken transaction. And now, the transaction is over.”

I held out the pen to him.

His hand trembled, unwilling to take it.

“Those… Stellar Dawn matters—was it you?” His eyes locked on mine, desperate for one last confirmation.

I smiled faintly, neither admitting nor denying. “Mr. Caldwell, what matters is this: from now on, the Caldwells won’t have only one opponent named Stellar Dawn. Consider that your warning.”

The words landed like a death knell, tacitly confirming everything.

All color drained from his face. He staggered, unable to bear the weight of that truth. Finally, he understood what he had truly lost.

I gave him no more time. I placed the pen atop the papers, turned, and wheeled my suitcase to the door.

“Sophia!”

He roared my name behind me, broken, desperate.

My steps faltered for an instant—but I didn’t turn back.

Sunlight streamed in through the tall glass windows, stretching my shadow long across the floor. I inhaled deeply, pushed open the heavy ornate doors, and left behind everything—humiliation, lies, the hollow marriage of the wealthy—shut away forever.

Outside, the sunlight was dazzling, and warm.

…

Three months later.

Stellar Dawn Group officially moved into one of the city’s top office towers with overwhelming momentum. No one knew who truly controlled it. They only knew it was powerful, ruthless, flush with capital, and had already secured several major projects in quick succession.

I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of my bright office, looking down at the bustling city below. My hair was cropped short, I wore a sharp suit, my eyes confident and razor-sharp. This—this was my battlefield.

An assistant knocked, then entered. “President Lane, there’s a man downstairs with the surname Caldwell. He’s been coming every day for a week, begging to see you.”

I turned. My face showed no ripple of emotion. “Tell him I’m busy. I won’t see him.”

“But… he seems determined.”

“That’s his problem.” My tone was cold. “If he comes again, have security handle it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The assistant withdrew.

I walked to my desk and picked up a document awaiting my signature. The header read: Feasibility Proposal for Acquiring Select Assets of Lane Corporation.

A cold smile curved my lips.

This was only the beginning.

Outside, the city lights began to glow. Below the tower, a lonely, familiar figure still stood, gazing up at the gleaming skyscraper as if staring at something forever out of reach.

Perhaps he would wait forever.

But that had nothing to do with me anymore.

I lifted the pen and signed my name in one unbroken stroke.

—Sophia Lane.

(The End)