Chapter 1

When I realized my soulmate Darius was still hung up on his former lover and her son, I started teaching our son to call him "Lord."

Even if our son's magic spiraled out of control or he was celebrating his birthday, Darius always left the moment that woman called.

At first, every time my boy forced out the word "Lord," he would struggle painfully for a long time.

That was until the day Darius finally wanted to make amends and suggested painting an enchanted family portrait.

Right inside the Portrait Pavilion, his ex sent another message, begging him to go to the Divine Academy and pretend to be her son's father.

Darius looked full of guilt and was about to explain. This time, little Theo did not need my prompting. He just calmly waved his hand.

"It is okay, Lord Darius. Hurry up and go be with your other child. Just having me and Mom in the portrait is enough."

Both Darius and I froze the moment Theo said those words.

Ever since I realized Darius's heart was no longer with us, I taught Theo to call him "Lord Darius" every time he abandoned us for Cassia.

I used this harsh lesson to remind us not to waste tears on someone who was not worth it.

But Theo absolutely refused to accept this change at first.

After all, he was only seven. He was at the exact age where he looked at his God of War father with absolute adoration, longing to be lifted high above his head.

In the past, whenever I made him say the word "Lord," he would always shrink back with red eyes for a long time before finally whispering it out.

But today, he said it all on his own.

The words slipped from his innocent lips. They were cold and entirely devoid of attachment, as if he had practiced them a thousand times.

Seeing our stunned reactions, Theo took my hand and then turned to Darius.

"Hurry up and go, My Lord," he said, looking straight into Darius's eyes. "You have busy divine duties. Do not be late."

Then, he looked up at me.

"Let's go inside, Mom."

He pulled hard on my hand and dragged me through the doors of the Portrait Pavilion.

Darius was the one who suggested painting a family portrait to make up for missing Theo's birthday.

Theo had eagerly looked forward to this day for half a month.

I followed numbly behind him, a sharp ache rising in my heart.

It all started with a forgotten scroll.

He had taken Cassia to a banquet but forgot to destroy the payment parchment in his robes. It was an exclusive reservation from the Starlight Temple. Only deeply in love couples could book a starlight dinner there.

During our last Soul Bond Anniversary, I gently begged him to take me there to see the river of stars, hoping to reclaim the fiery passion we shared when we first fell in love.

Darius refused. "How could the Lord of a realm waste his energy on such frivolous mortal pastimes?"

He sounded so high and mighty when he said it.

Yet a few days later, he took Cassia.

I saw the illusion she flaunted on the realm's public scrying mirror.

Romantic starlight should always be saved for those who know how to appreciate it.

In the vision, she and Darius were raising their glasses under the stars.

I knew Cassia was his old lover. She was supposedly a weak and helpless minor goddess raising a young son alone.

That night, we had the worst fight of our lives.

I told him I was going to petition the temple elders to sever our soul bond.

Darius furiously accused me of being as unreasonable as a madwoman.

He asked if my heart was made of stone and how I dared to deprive his territory's future heir of a great father.

He even swore to the gods of Olympus that it was simply a Lord's basic duty to protect a pitiful mother and son within his territory.

I looked at Theo's pale, frightened face and clenched my hands into fists at my sides.

I knew very well that if I just dragged my son away in anger, Theo would forever yearn for this so-called hero of a father in his heart.

But I also understood that one betrayal would lead to a thousand more.

I would absolutely never allow my precious darling to suffer for his cheap and ridiculous "sympathy."

So I chose another path. I tricked Darius into signing the parchment to sever our bond.

When I handed the agreement to the High Elder of the temple, he sighed. "There are exactly thirty days left until the waiting period mandated by the laws of Olympus expires."

"If you change your mind during these thirty days and nights, come and take it back at any time. I will treat it as a dream and will not breathe a word to the Lord."

Even if I plummeted into the abyss of Tartarus, I would never turn back. I swore this to the Fates in my heart.

So for the next thirty days, I did everything I could to help my son break his dependence and adoration for him.

Today was the twenty-eighth sunrise.

And Theo could finally call Darius "Lord" with a calm and peaceful heart.

I could feel his small body trembling violently against me. But I felt no joy in achieving my goal. I only felt as if Medusa's snakes were viciously biting my heart.

We had already taken a few steps before Darius finally snapped out of his daze.

He hastily chased after us for a couple of steps. He was just about to ask a question when the messaging crystal in his pocket rang again. It was Cassia's weak, tearful voice.

"Darius, where are you? Milo is crying so hard he is going to pass out. I really do not know what to do."

Darius stopped in his tracks. "Alright," he said to the crystal. "I understand. I will be right there."

He hurriedly left me with the words, "We will talk tonight," and then turned and left without even looking back.

The roar of his chariot rolling across the divine path gradually faded away.

Theo stopped walking and buried his face in my shoulder, his tears soaking through my robes.

"Mom," he whispered between sobs.

"Can we... can we just throw Dad away completely and never want him again?"