Chapter 3

A few hours later, Sarah stood in front of the house she once called home.

The tall iron gates loomed before her like a final judgment, their cold metallic bars glinting under the afternoon sun. The sight alone sent a sharp ache through her chest. Her legs felt unbearably heavy, as though each step toward the gate pulled her further into memories she wasn’t ready to face. This house… once filled with her hopes, her silent sacrifices, and countless sleepless nights… now made her feel like a stranger standing at the threshold of a life that no longer belonged to her.

She stared at the mansion beyond the gates. The garden she had personally designed still bloomed with vibrant roses and neatly trimmed hedges. The white marble fountain at the center still trickled gently, just as it had on the day she moved in as a new bride, filled with dreams she believed would last forever.

But now, the sound of the flowing water felt like a cruel reminder that time had moved on without her.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she stepped forward.

As she reached the gate, the security man hurried toward her, his expression tense and uncertain. He quickly blocked her path, avoiding her gaze as though looking directly at her would make his task even harder.

“You are not allowed inside,” he said awkwardly.

Sarah stopped abruptly.

For a moment, she thought she had misheard him. The words didn’t seem real, as if they were spoken in a language she could not understand.

“You’re joking, right?” she asked softly, disbelief coating her voice. “Don’t you recognize me anymore? I need to see Frederick.”

The security man shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sir Frederick instructed me not to allow you in again.”

The words hit her like a slap across the face.

So quickly…

He had erased her.

Her chest tightened painfully as the reality settled deep into her bones. Five years of marriage… five years of standing beside him, supporting him through business failures and family pressure… and she was already forbidden from stepping inside the house she had helped build.

Before she could say another word, the front door opened.

Frederick stepped out.

He looked exactly the same. Tall. Composed. Impeccably dressed. The man who once made her heart race with just a single glance.

But now, his expression was void of warmth.

“Let her in,” he said coldly, without looking at her.

The security man immediately stepped aside.

Sarah walked inside slowly.

Each step echoed loudly in her ears, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor. The familiar scent of lavender air freshener lingered faintly in the air — her favorite scent, one she had personally chosen years ago. The high ceilings, the expensive chandelier, the carefully arranged furniture… everything looked exactly the same.

Except for one thing.

Them.

Frederick walked further into the living room and sat down on the couch.

Margaret sat beside him.

Too close.

Their bodies leaned toward each other as though they naturally belonged that way. Margaret’s hand rested casually on his arm, her fingers lightly grazing his sleeve as she laughed softly at something he had said moments earlier.

Sarah’s heart clenched violently, the sight piercing through her like a blade.

So soon…

She had already been replaced.

“Why is she here?” Margaret asked, her lips curving into a mocking smile. Her tone carried an unmistakable hint of disdain, as though Sarah were an uninvited guest who had overstayed her welcome.

Frederick didn’t answer her.

He simply stood up and walked past Sarah without a single glance, as though she were invisible. He headed toward the table beside her, picked up a brown envelope, and turned back.

“This is it,” he said flatly, extending the envelope toward her. “Sign and take it.”

Sarah stared at the envelope, her fingers trembling slightly.

The divorce papers.

This was real.

The final severing of a bond she had once believed was unbreakable.

Her hands felt numb as she accepted the envelope and opened it. The words blurred together as tears filled her eyes. There it was… her name printed beside his. A blank space waiting for her signature to officially erase herself from his life.

Her mind drifted briefly to the day she signed their marriage certificate. She remembered how her hands trembled then too — but back then, it was from excitement, from love, from hope.

Now, it was from heartbreak.

She swallowed hard and signed.

Her pen paused for just one moment.

Just one.

A thousand memories rushed through her mind — their wedding vows, the nights she waited alone while he worked late, the times she defended him even when he ignored her, the silent prayers she whispered, hoping he would one day love her the same way she loved him.

Then she forced herself to finish.

As she handed the papers back, her eyes lifted…and she saw it.

Margaret was watching her.

Smiling.

Her eyes glistened with triumph, cruelty etched clearly across her face. She didn’t even try to hide it. She leaned slightly closer to Frederick, her fingers tightening around his arm possessively, as if claiming a prize she had long waited to win.

Then Frederick did something that shattered whatever remained of Sarah’s heart.

He leaned down toward Margaret…

And kissed her.

Right there.

In front of Sarah.

The world around her seemed to freeze. Her breath caught painfully in her throat as her vision blurred. It felt as though her chest had cracked open, her heart breaking into fragments she could never gather again.

Frederick straightened and finally turned toward her, his expression indifferent, almost bored.

“Thank you,” he said casually. “I appreciate you waiting all these years. You can go now.”

She felt numb, as though her body no longer belonged to her.

“I don’t want to ever see you again,” he added coldly.

Sarah looked at him.

Really looked at him.

This was the man she loved.

The man she gave up everything for.

The man who never once chose her.

She searched his face for even a flicker of regret, a trace of the man she once believed existed behind his cold exterior. But there was nothing. Just indifference. Just distance.

And all she felt now… was bitterness.

Without a word, she turned and walked away.

Her steps were slow, but her back remained straight. Each movement felt like she was dragging the broken pieces of her heart behind her, yet she refused to let them see her crumble.

As she reached the doorway, she paused for the briefest moment, her fingers brushing lightly against the polished wooden frame — the same doorway she had crossed years ago as a hopeful bride.

She didn’t look back.

Because she knew if she did… she might shatter completely.

The afternoon sun blinded her slightly as she stepped outside. The warm breeze brushed against her tear-stained cheeks, carrying away the last fragments of the life she once held onto.

And as Sarah walked out of that house for the second time, she made a silent promise to herself.

No more waiting.

No more sacrificing her worth for someone who never saw her value.

No more loving someone who only knew how to break her.

She would rebuild herself.

She would find strength in her pain.

She would rise from the ashes of the love that destroyed her.

She would never beg for love again.

Never.