Chapter 2

Royce followed my gaze, but all he saw was the young woman on horseback, clumsy but determined, and the corner of his mouth lifted without him even realizing.

"Blythe just landed a period piece with riding scenes. She's never been on a horse before, and Luna is gentle, so I let her practice."

"Get her off."

My teeth were chattering. Royce assumed I was just jealous and smirked. "It's just a horse, Mrs. Drayton. Be a little more gracious."

I turned and shoved open the stable gate, stepping in front of Blythe and Luna. "Get down!"

Before I could even reach the reins, gentle Luna suddenly panicked, rearing back with her front hooves about to come crashing down on me. In that split second, Royce shot past me without sparing me a single glance, because the only person he saw was her.

"Blythe!"

I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for impact, but Luna recognized me. To keep from hurting me, she wrenched her entire body to the side, let out a sharp cry, and bolted. Blythe screamed, clinging to her back.

Royce pulled out a gun. Several shots rang out, and the white figure crumpled to the ground.

"Luna!" I screamed and ran to her, only to find a sight that shattered me. Luna's eyes were still open, her white coat soaked in blood.

Royce was already ahead of me. He scooped up Blythe, who didn't have a scratch on her but had fainted, and shouted for a doctor. The look he threw my way was cold enough to stop my heart. He even called me a lunatic.

"I want her to pay for this with her life!" I stormed into the hospital, lunging for the gun Royce had used to kill Luna.

For the first time, Royce dropped the indifferent act. His dark eyes burned with fury as he shoved me away.

"Enough! If you hadn't barged in and spooked the horse, none of this would've happened. Will you stop making everything into a scene?"

I stared at him in disbelief. He actually thought I did this on purpose.

Seeing me sway on my feet, Royce seemed to realize he'd gone too far, but after a few deep breaths, his voice was still hard and cold. "Look at yourself right now. No wife of mine acts like this."

In the glass door, I caught my own reflection, wild-eyed and completely unraveled. My voice came out hoarse. "I want a divorce. I don't want to be Mrs. Drayton anymore."

I was so tired. I was just so tired.

Exhaustion was written all over Royce's face too, and he went quiet. He didn't grab my face in a rage and force me to take it back the way he always used to.

Ten years ago, when I first came to Grayport, I had no idea who Royce really was. He'd married me back home behind his family's back, and when the truth came out, they beat him within an inch of his life, but he still refused to say the words to let me go.

"I'd rather die than be apart from you."

But now, after a long silence, Royce just stared at me, cold as ice.

"Don't be stupid, Celia. You'd never actually leave me. Have you forgotten? You cut off your own parents for me.

"Without me, you have nothing. So, stop threatening me with divorce, because if I ever take you up on it, where exactly would you go?"

His words hit like a bomb going off in my ears.

I knew I had lost the bet.