Chapter 3: Matrimonial Home

Matrimonial Home.

Inside the villa.

Serena used to have a very vibrant look on her face. She had fair, luminous skin and bright hazel eyes. Her long, light brown hair had perfect curls that waved down her back.

Alice used to say she became more and more beautiful after she got together with Nathaniel.

Serena supposed her friend was right, because right now, without her husband, there was nothing radiant about her. Her eyes had no life, her hair was tied into a messy bun, and her face was pale.

Dianna’s revelation left Serena completely stunned, and it was the same with Alice.

“I’ll see what I can find,” Alice said, leaning back on the sofa in the house.

Serena nodded. She looked around the living room and said, “Yeah. It’s just a suspicion. What’s important right now is for me to pack my things.”

“And I’m here to help,” Alice declared. She took a break from work just to give Serena a hand.

What Dianna said would have to wait. Some things were better kept quiet until there was proof.

Serena had decided to live with Alice for now. Her best friend had two spare rooms in her apartment, more than enough space for them.

The idea of leaving the city was lingering in her head, but Serena hadn’t fully decided yet.

Velmon City was her home. It was hard to start all over again in another town.

Serena started with her clothes, but the moment she opened her closet, memories came flooding back.

Almost all of her clothes were bought by Nathaniel.

Every month since they were married, he took her shopping. Sometimes, his assistant pre-ordered designer clothes for her. Nathaniel knew her body well. He knew what fit her and what looked good on her.

Serena couldn’t believe Nathaniel went through so much effort to make her feel so treasured, yet it was all fake.

In the end, she only took about fifteen items of clothing, four bags, and five pairs of shoes, the ones she bought with her own salary. After packing her personal items, she returned to the living room.

Alice was emptying her fridge. Since she was alone there, Serena found herself recalling the number of movie nights she had spent with Nathaniel in that same spot.

She recalled the laughter, the teasing, and the kisses they shared.

They were all lies.

Then, her eyes landed on their wedding photo mounted across the TV. Serena frowned. The sparkle in Nathaniel’s eyes looked so genuine, she almost convinced herself she was simply having a very bad dream.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she sniffed them back. She fetched a small ladder, took the portrait to the stone fire pit at the back of the house, and burned it!

But that wasn’t enough.

Serena went back inside, searched for her old wedding gown, and burned it too.

Next, she went back for their photo albums, the ones that contained her memories with Nathaniel, and set them on fire.

When Serena realized she was still wearing her wedding ring, she took it off. She was about to throw it into the burning pit when Alice grabbed her hand. “Hey!”

“Stop!” Alice said. “I hate Nathan too, but let’s be real. You could use whatever money you have left.”

“Let’s sell every damn thing he gave you,” Alice proposed. “Including this—”

Alice looked around, looking regretful of the vast estate. “Including this beautiful house?”

The villa was Nathaniel’s pre-wedding gift to Serena. It was a six-hundred-square-foot, two-story home. It had a circular driveway in front and a small backyard with a stone patio and fire pit.

Nathaniel promised they would raise a family here. It was another lie she was foolish enough to believe.

Once, the place felt warm and alive. Now, it felt empty and cold. It was still beautiful, but to Serena, it no longer felt like a home.

“Yes.” Turning to Alice, Serena agreed. “Let’s sell everything. I bet this house would easily give me around six million or seven.”

Serena did not bring much. She was planning to sell the furniture along with the house. After loading everything she had into the car, she and Alice got ready to leave.

They were using Serena’s SUV. She was about to hop into the vehicle when she felt like someone was watching her.

Instantly, she looked out the gates.

Serena felt a chill run down her spine when she spotted a car parked right outside the grilled fences. As soon as she noticed the vehicle, it drove off, as if it feared her stare.

She frowned. As much as she wanted to identify the car, it was already dark by the time she and Alice were done. Through the dim light, all she could make out was the silhouette of a black car. A BMW, she thought.

‘What if it’s another one of my father’s rivals?’ she muttered in her head. ‘Then, it’s just right that I sell the house.’

Victor Kline had many rivals. Over the past years, a few had targeted her because she was his daughter. Her nanny once told her she was almost kidnapped when she was three years old. That was why, even though her relationship with her parents wasn’t the best, she was at least thankful that they had assigned her a private car since she was young.

They never gave her the tender loving care that many children received growing up, but at least her parents protected her.

“Let’s go,” Serena said to Alice. “The house is just giving me the chills right now.”

Serena kept herself busy in the following days, selling her wedding ring and every piece of jewelry Nathaniel had given her. An agent took care of the rest, including her designer clothes, luxury bags, and even the house. She meant to sell everything until there was nothing left to remind her of the life she once had with Nathaniel Thorne.

She found a new resolve, but even then, nothing could prepare her for what would come next. It was something Serena never expected.