Chapter 3

The next evening, I had planned to stay in my bedroom.

But the dinner the staff prepared was seafood.

The strong fishy smell made my stomach churn. My morning sickness was more intense than ever.

I barely ate anything and was feeling hungry in the middle of the night.

As I went downstairs to the kitchen, I heard a loud argument.

The sound came from Kieran's private study, a sanctuary no one but him and the Don of the Thompson family was permitted to enter.

I tiptoed down the stairs, following the voices.

The door was ajar, and Camilla's sobbing drifted out.

"Why? Kieran, why do you torture both of us like this?"

I peeked through the crack in the door. Kieran was sitting on the sofa, a bottle of whiskey in hand, clearly having had a lot to drink.

Camilla stood before him, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls.

"If you don't love her, why maintain this marriage? You let me suffer in the shadows, while she never even gets your love!"

Kieran rubbed his temples in agony. "This is my responsibility as heir to the Thompson family. It's not something I can escape. A blood alliance isn't a game, Camilla."

"Responsibility?" Camilla laughed bitterly. "So I'm doomed to be your mistress forever, someone who can never step into the light?"

Kieran was silent, just kept drinking his whiskey.

"Camilla..." After a long pause, Kieran closed his eyes in pain. "You know what you mean to me."

"No, I don't!" She turned to leave. "If you really cared about me, you wouldn't make me watch you share a bed with another woman!"

Heartbroken, Camilla turned to leave.

"I'm tired, Kieran. Maybe we should just end this for good."

Just as Camilla reached the door, Kieran suddenly dropped the bottle and grabbed her from behind, holding her tight.

"Do you want to know how much I've missed you?" his voice trembled. "It's not just a moment. It's every moment. Every second of every day, I'm thinking of you!"

"Every night is torture, imagining what would have happened if I had stopped you from leaving back then..."

Camilla trembled in his arms, her tears flowing even faster. "Then why... why can't you give me a proper title?"

Kieran took her hand and pressed it against his heart.

Through his white shirt, I could see his heartbeat so violently that the fabric trembled.

He gazed into Camilla's eyes and made a solemn promise in a voice only they could hear.

"The day I officially become Don, I will change the family rules."

"Then, this so-called blood pact will no longer exist."

Those words were a dagger straight through my heart.

I clapped a hand over my mouth, stifling a gasp.

Kieran wanted out of this alliance even more than I did.

With a few simple words, he had negated my identity, our marriage, and the alliance itself.

I backed away silently, step by step, and returned to my room.

After closing the door, I opened a box from the back of my closet.

Inside were all the photos of Kieran and me from the past three years, and every gift he had ever given me.

I took them out, one by one, and threw them into the fireplace, lighting them on fire.

The photos curled, yellowed, and turned to ash in the flames.

The necklaces, watches, and brooches that once brought me so much joy were all consumed by the fire.

"Scarlett?"

Kieran's voice came from the doorway. He had obviously noticed the firelight from under the door.

He smelled of whiskey and her perfume.

When he saw the smoldering ashes in the fireplace, his face changed instantly.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice sharp with alarm.

I calmly stirred the embers. "Just clearing out some old things."

Kieran walked over and saw that what I had thrown into the fire was a pink photo album. The flames had devoured the pictures, making them almost unrecognizable.

But he still recognized it instantly. It was our wedding album.

From the engagement party to the wedding, from daily life to formal events.

Beneath each photo, I had written little notes.

"He took me to try on wedding dresses today. He looked at me and suddenly smiled. Does that mean I'm a little different to him?"

"Our first formal family gathering. He took my hand on his own."

"Scarlett loves Kieran. So, so much."

All my feelings were recorded in that album, a testament to my love.

He had flipped through it once. I had been shy, but I never tried to hide my love.

And now, I was burning it all.

Kieran lunged forward, the alcohol instantly wearing off. "Why did you burn this?"

I looked up at him and gave a faint, calm smile. "No reason. It was getting moldy, so I burned it."

I watched as the flames died down, leaving only ashes in the fireplace, which I then began to clean up without hurry.

He watched my movements, silent for a long time. I glanced at him. "It's late. Time to rest."

With that, I lay down on my side of the bed, turned off the bedside lamp, and closed my eyes.

In the darkness, I felt him lie down behind me.

He reached for me instinctively, as he always did.

But I shifted away, evading his touch and curling into a ball at the edge of the bed.

Kieran opened his eyes in the dark, staring at his empty arms.

A knot formed in his chest. For the first time, he realized something was quietly changing.