chapter three

I stood up before he could finish.

My hands trembled violently as I walked out of the house.

Outside, I entered the first Uber I saw.

“Where to, ma’am?” the driver asked gently.

I stared blankly ahead.

“Just drive,” I whispered. “Anywhere. I’ll pay.”

And then I broke. I cried for hours.

Not elegant tears.

Not silent tears. Ugly, painful sobs that made it hard to breathe.

The driver never spoke.

Never stared.

Never asked questions.

And somehow, I appreciated that more than comfort.

Because the truth was…

I had nobody.

I was an orphan.

Or at least, I thought I was.

Five months ago, the powerful Rue family found me and claimed I was their missing daughter—the child kidnapped at four years old.

They told me I had four older brothers.

A sister.

Parents who had spent years searching for me.

I rejected them over and over again.

Because I thought Edward was my family.

And five months ago…

That was around the same time he finally “slept” with me.

I thought things were getting better.

I thought love had finally reached our marriage.

What a joke.

A cruel, humiliating joke.

My trembling fingers dug through my bag until I found the card they had given me months ago.

I stared at the number for a long time before finally dialing it.

The call connected on the first ring.

“Roseyyy?” a shaky female voice cried immediately. “Roseyyy, is that you?”

My throat tightened painfully.

And for the first time that day, tears fell without restraint.

“I want to come home, Mom…”

.................................

After the call with my mother ended, the tightness in my chest eased slightly.

Not enough to heal me.

Not enough to erase the betrayal clawing at my heart.

But enough to breathe again.

“Please take me to Miller Group,” I told the driver quietly.

The driver glanced at me through the mirror, probably surprised that a woman who had cried herself breathless moments ago still wanted to go to work.

But he nodded and drove.

By the time I arrived at the company, my tears had dried into something colder.

Acceptance.

Maybe numbness.

I wasn’t sure anymore.

I sat behind my desk for what would be the final time, staring at the mountain of contracts waiting for my approval.

Hours later, I leaned back in my chair and released a long exhausted sigh.

Finished.

The very last contract tied to Edward Miller was complete.

The realization made my chest ache.

This was the last time I would ever work for him.

The last time I would clean up his company’s messes.

The last time I would sacrifice sleep for his success.

The last time I would foolishly act like his partner when I had never truly been his wife.

Slowly, I reached for the documents my lawyer had delivered earlier that morning.

Resignation letter.

Divorce papers.

The two things capable of ending an entire chapter of my life.

I picked them up and headed toward Edward’s office.

Without knocking, I pushed the door open.

And there she was.

Jessica.

Sitting comfortably on the couch inside Edward’s office while eating snacks like she owned the place.

A bitter smile touched my lips.

Funny.

In two years of marriage, I had never once sat on that couch unless it was for business discussions.

Forget snacks.

Sometimes I wasn’t even allowed inside unless Edward called for me.

Yet here she was…

Comfortable.

Claimed.

Loved.

Edward looked up immediately when he saw me.

“Roselyn,” he said.

I walked forward calmly and placed the documents on his desk.

“I’d like you to go through these.”

He barely glanced at them.

“I trust you,” he replied casually as he uncapped his pen.

My fingers tightened slightly.

“Could you at least read them first?”

Before he could answer, Jessica suddenly coughed dramatically.

Edward immediately stood up in panic.

“Jessica?”

He rushed toward her side so quickly you’d think she was dying.

I stood there quietly watching the man who once promised to protect me treat another woman like she was his entire world.

And somehow…

It hurt even more because he had never once looked at me that way.

Not once.

Edward rubbed Jessica’s back gently while signing the papers absentmindedly without even looking down.

My resignation.

Our divorce.

Signed away like meaningless paperwork.

A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.

I wiped it away immediately.

No.

I wouldn’t cry here.

Not in front of them.

I picked up the signed documents carefully and turned toward the door.

Then I paused.

“Thank you, Edward,” I said softly.

He looked up slightly.

“For putting light on my path so I could finally see clearly.”

And then I walked away.

Without turning back.

Edward’s POV

The way Roselyn looked at me before leaving made something inside me feel… strange.

Cold.

Wrong.

Her voice had been calm, but her eyes…

Those eyes looked dead.

I frowned slightly.

What did she mean by see clearly?

A flicker of discomfort settled in my chest.

I knew I had hurt her.

I wasn’t blind.

But what choice did I have?

I loved Jessica.

And now she was carrying my son.

I couldn’t let my child grow up with the title of illegitimate hanging over his head.

Also her family had something to bring to the table. They had the potential of making the Miller family at least part of the top five big families in country X. But Roselyn had nothing, not even a family much less a rich one.

She would understand eventually.

She always did.

And when the time was right, I would compensate her generously.

A house.

Money.

Anything she wanted.

She was beautiful, yes.

Any man would admit that.

But women like Roselyn were too easy.

Too soft.

Too willing to bend for love.

And I hated weak women.

“Eddie…” Jessica called softly, pulling me from my thoughts. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” I replied quietly before leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Just be careful.”

She smiled sweetly and wrapped her arms around my waist.

And somehow…

Roselyn’s empty eyes still lingered in my mind.

Two weeks passed quickly.

Two weeks since Roselyn discovered the affair.

Two weeks since her marriage shattered.

Two weeks since Edward unknowingly signed his own divorce papers.

During those weeks, Roselyn slowly packed her belongings little by little.

Edward rarely came home anymore.

And when he did, it was only to grab clothes before returning to Jessica.

Even his mother had moved in with Jessica to “take care of her.”

Roselyn laughed bitterly whenever she remembered his words.

Let’s separate publicly.

Separate?

This was already worse than divorce.

At least divorce came with honesty.

Early one morning, the Rue family’s butler arrived to pick her up.

The moment Roselyn stepped outside and saw the long lineup of luxury cars waiting for her, she froze.

Bentleys.

Rolls-Royces.

Maybachs.

Cars worth more than entire companies.

For the first time, she truly understood something terrifying.

The Rue family’s power was beyond imagination.

Compared to them…

The Millers were nothing.

Roselyn looked down at the single large travel bag beside her feet and smiled faintly.

Everything she owned in this world fit inside one bag.

Being an orphan had taught her many things.

How to survive.

How to endure.

How not to ask for too much.

“Young Miss,” the elderly butler greeted respectfully while bowing slightly. “This way, please.”

Young Miss.

The title felt unfamiliar.

Almost unreal.

Roselyn carefully entered the latest Bentley model, feeling nervous just sitting on the expensive leather seats.

The car alone probably cost more than everything she had earned in years.

Edward owned luxury cars too.

But he had never allowed her to drive them.

Uber rides had always been enough for “someone like her.”

A bitter feeling rose in her throat.

At least here…

She was treated like someone worthy.

She sat carefully, afraid of dirtying anything.

As the convoy drove through massive iron gates into an elite private estate, Roselyn stared outside the window in stunned silence.

The roads looked unreal.

The gardens looked like scenes from movies.

Everything was breathtaking.

Beautiful.

This place looked less like a neighborhood and more like heaven built on earth.

Finally, the cars stopped in front of an enormous mansion.

Roselyn slowly stepped out.

And immediately,

A woman rushed toward her.

“Roseyyy!”

Before she could react, she was pulled into a warm embrace.

The woman held onto her tightly, almost desperately, like she was afraid Roselyn would disappear again.

Roselyn blinked in shock.

The woman looked so much like her.

Just older.

More elegant.

And heartbreakingly beautiful.

“Mom…” Roselyn whispered unconsciously.

The woman trembled at the word.

Then suddenly, a man cleared his throat behind them.

Roselyn looked up.

A tall, dignified man stood there staring at her with eyes filled with warmth and emotion.

“Won’t you let me hug my daughter too, Sarah?” he asked helplessly

The woman.. ..her mother, glared at him instantly.

“This is your father, Rosey,” she said quickly before narrowing her eyes at the man. “But you only need to love me and your siblings. Especially me.”

Roselyn couldn’t help smiling softly.

So this…

This was what having parents felt like.

“Don’t listen to her,” her father said immediately. “You should love Dad more.”

“Oh, stop competing,” her mother huffed before grabbing Roselyn’s hand excitedly. “Come inside!”

Roselyn walked into the mansion slowly.

And froze.

Luxury.

Pure luxury.

The chandeliers.

The marble floors.

The paintings.

The decorations.

Everything screamed wealth powerful enough to crush people.

“Sit, Rosey,” her mother said gently.

Then she turned toward the kitchen.

“Julia! Bring the desserts i prepared!”

A middle-aged woman quickly appeared and smiled warmly.

“This is Julia,” her mother explained. “She practically helped raise your siblings.”

Roselyn nodded politely.

“It’s really good to finally see you, Young Miss,” Julia said emotionally.

Before Roselyn could respond—

“MOM?!”

A loud male voice echoed through the mansion as footsteps rushed toward the living room