Chapter 2

Damian suddenly looked at me and said indifferently, "Vivian's being discharged tomorrow. You injured her. How is she supposed to attend the Mating Ceremony rehearsal—"

Before he could finish, I interrupted him and said, "Let her use the Mating Ceremony I've carefully prepared earlier."

Damian fell silent, almost as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. He stared at me for a long time, disbelief written all over his face.

"What did you say?"

Ethan was stunned too, his brows furrowing together.

No one understood better than they did what that plan meant to me. From the venue to the flowers, the names of every guest on the invitation list, to the songs the bands would play…

I poured my heart and soul into every detail, spending countless nights.

It was infused with all my hopes and dreams for our future.

But now, I was handing it over and letting another woman walk toward the man I loved, in the ceremony of my dreams.

Maybe Damian thought I was just saying it out of spite, because his tone turned impatient.

"Seraphina, we all know you're stubborn and quick-tempered, but don't use something like this to throw a fit. Vivian just needs a plan for the ceremony. There's no need to…"

I looked at them earnestly, my voice so gentle that even I barely recognized it.

"Just use my plan. I really don't mind. She's not well and needs looking after. It'd be a hassle for you two to come up with something new anyway. Besides, I'm leaving soon. I won't be needing it…"

Bang!

Damian threw the container onto the table, the sudden bang cutting me off mid-sentence. His expression was dark—he was obviously thinking I was simply putting on an act.

Vivian shrank back dramatically, whispering, "What's wrong, Damian? Don't be angry! I'm fine with any plan, I'm not picky."

Damian's anger instantly turned into concern. He pulled Vivian into his arms, speaking softly, "Don't worry, I'm not angry at you."

His finger brushed on her cheek before pulling a strand of her stray hair behind her ear, a gesture that was intimate yet natural.

Meanwhile, Ethan quietly cleared the table next to them.

Just like always, I was once again the outsider.

I stood up and grabbed my coat from the chair. My throat felt parched when I spoke, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

"I'm going now."

Ethan paused, cloth in hand. Damian finally moved his eyes away from Vivian and gave me a look. He stood up and picked up his coat, intending to walk me out.

Right then, Vivian suddenly cried in pain. She clutched her throat and collapsed onto the bed.

"It hurts… My throat… There's a bone stuck…" she managed to choke out as tears streamed down her face.

"Doctor! Get a doctor!" Damian shouted, his expression twisted from the panic as he rushed to her side. Ethan hurried after him. The room instantly descended into chaos.

Doctors and nurses swarmed in, surrounding Vivian's bed.

No one gave me a single glance.

After a long while, the doctor finally emerged, announcing that Vivian had only choked on a piece of fish and was otherwise fine.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But Damian and Ethan both turned to glare at me together, their eyes sharp.

Ethan's voice was icy as he said, "Anything you want to say? I know you can't let it go and want to hurt Vivian!"

Damian pulled Vivian tightly into his arms, shouting at me, "Out! Get out of my sight! I never want to see your face again!"

Suddenly, memories flooded my mind—back to years ago, when we had just left the orphanage with nothing. Damian would pull me into his warm coat and kiss my forehead, promising softly in my ear.

"I'll never leave your side, so I can protect you."

Liar.

I wasn't sure why, but my nose stung.

That night, I rushed back to what had once been our home and started packing. From a drawer in the study, I took out the thick Mating Ceremony proposal and placed it somewhere obvious.

The maid was indignant. "Miss, how could you give that woman the plan you've painstakingly prepared? That's just not fair!"

I quietly packed my books and clothes into my suitcase. "It's fine. I won't be staying here much longer, anyway."

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out behind me.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?"

When I turned around, I saw that Damian had somehow appeared behind me, his expression ice-cold, eyes on my suitcase. Ethan leaned against the bedroom door, also staring at me coolly.

Vivian came in behind them, her eyes glued to my luggage, unable to hide her glee.

For a moment, I wanted to tell the truth.

But then I remembered Damian's impatience at the hospital, the cruel words he had uttered.

"If it's something unimportant like that, you don't need to tell us."

Suddenly, I just didn't feel like explaining anymore. That way, when I left, I could at least pretend they just didn't know, not that they didn't care.

I shoved my hands into my coat pockets, fingers clenched tightly. I tried to sound casual as I said, "I'm searching for the Mating Ceremony's proposal and then giving Vivian my room so she can prepare for the ceremony."

Damian's expression softened a little, but he quickly added in a low tone, "She won't be moving in. It's only been a few days since you've pushed her down the stairs. You really think we'll be alright with letting you two live under the same roof?"

Without thinking, I replied, "Then I'll move out."

Damian's face, which had just warmed up, turned dark again.

I honestly wasn't trying to antagonize him. I simply didn't want to make things harder for them since I was going to leave soon.

Vivian stepped forward with an innocent look on her face. "Seraphina, please don't do this… It's all my fault. If anyone should go, it's me."

I looked at her and calmly said, "Don't worry. Once I leave, I won't be coming back."

The corners of Vivian's mouth curled up before she could stop herself. She quickly lowered her head.

Meanwhile, Damian was completely enraged. "Who are you trying to threaten?!"

Ethan sneered with his arms crossed as he leaned against the door. "Enough with the act, Seraphina. No one's stopping you if you want to leave, so stop making it sound like someone's forcing you out."

I didn't argue; I just turned away in silence and kept packing. I lived here for three years, so I had a lot of things. I only took the essentials. I didn't take anything that was connected to Damian or Ethan.

I packed two suitcases to the brim and wheeled them toward the door.

As I opened the door, Damian's growl rang out behind me.

"Seraphina! If you really have what it takes, don't come crying to me for help in the future!"