Chapter 4 The Last Lie

Leander looked bewildered for a moment, as if he couldn't understand what I'd just said.

Then again, why would he? He'd asked for a divorce so many times before, only for me to stop him by threatening both my life and Celeste's.

After all, how could I possibly have been willing to let go after losing my children and enduring the pain of his betrayal?

But now, I was truly exhausted. So exhausted that I could even set aside a blood feud, asking only that Leander and I go our separate ways and never cross paths again.

He instinctively wanted to refuse.

But the next second, Celeste suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. "Leander, it hurts. My baby…"

Leander hurriedly scooped her into his arms.

When he looked at me again, his eyes were filled with a desperate resolve born of complete emotional collapse.

"Seraphina, you're really something. You deliberately showed up in front of Celeste to upset her and cause her to miscarry, then asked for a divorce just to force me to choose between the two of you? Fine. I'll choose!"

He signed the divorce papers, then violently flung them into my face.

"This time, whether you threaten to kill yourself, throw a fit, or try to blackmail me, I'll see it through to the end. But if anything happens to Celeste's baby, I swear I won't let you off!"

The sharp edge of the paper sliced a thin line across my cheek, but I smiled in relief.

He had chosen Celeste. Then, I'd choose freedom.

…

Ignoring him as he rushed off to the hospital, I went straight upstairs to pack my things.

But the first thing I saw was a collection of matching couples' items. Matching mugs. Matching shoes. Even matching rings.

My belongings had long since been replaced.

Back when Leander and I were still deeply in love, I'd pestered him to buy matching things for us, but he'd always called me childish.

Eventually, unable to withstand my constant pleading, he'd reluctantly given me a matching bracelet.

I'd worn it for more than a decade. Even after discovering he'd cheated on me, I couldn't bring myself to take it off.

Now it was badly rusted.

I gave a self-deprecating laugh, took off the bracelet, and dropped it onto the floor. With a sharp clatter, a tiny tracking chip fell out.

I stared at it in a daze for a long while before the truth finally dawned on me.

No wonder I'd never managed to catch him cheating red-handed over all those years. Even his love had been tainted by lies.

Silently, I picked up the bracelet and the tracking chip. Then, I set fire to the little tiger-print baby shoe, dirty from being stepped on, and tossed it into the nursery. 'Leander, you've lied to me so many times. Just this once, I'll be the one to lie to you.'

Flames roared to life behind me. I turned away without hesitation and never looked back.

…

It wasn't until three hours later, after Leander had finally calmed Celeste down, that he remembered I existed.

He coldly ordered his bodyguards to surround the entire ward with layers of security, leaving it virtually impenetrable.

Then, he instructed his lawyer to begin preparing the divorce petition.

He was convinced that even after signing the divorce papers, I'd tear them up in a fit of rage and continue clinging to him. However, this time, I'd crossed a line he could never tolerate.

The divorce was inevitable.

The lawyer hesitated. "What if Ms. Vale threatens to kill herself again…"

At the thought of me breaking down and causing a scene in court, Leander felt a sharp pain in his chest.

After a long silence, he finally made a small concession.

"Have the medical team on standby at all times, but the divorce proceedings must be completed. If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll never learn."

Yet as time passed, I still didn't show up.

In the past, I would've stormed into the hospital and caused a scene by now. But this time, there was no sign of me.

A faint sense of unease slowly crept into Leander's heart.

As the sky darkened, he finally couldn't resist sending his assistant a message. "Find out where Seraphina is."

…

A moment later, his assistant sent back the location of the villa. "The tracker shows that Ms. Vale has remained at the villa the entire time. She hasn't moved."

Leander gave a self-mocking smile and was about to lock his phone.

Then, he saw the next message, and the color drained from his face.

"Mr. Prescott, this is bad. The security footage shows the villa caught fire five hours ago. It's already been reduced to ruins."