Chapter 3

Seraphina’s POV

The following day I was discharged from the hospital, but Silas didn’t come to pick me up.

His assistant did. I wasn’t surprised.

Six months ago, I would have sat in the hospital room staring at my phone waiting for his message.

Now I simply climbed into the car and looked out the window.

The city moved past in a blur. For the first time in ten years, I felt strangely calm.

Maybe because there was nothing left to lose. Or maybe because I finally understood the truth.

Silas had never loved me.

The black gates of the Wolfe mansion slowly opened. The moment I stepped out of the car, laughter drifted from inside the house.

Male voices, Silas’s friends. I immediately recognized them.

Over the years, I cooked for them, prepared gifts for their birthdays, and stayed up late helping Silas entertain them whenever they visited.

Not one of them ever respected me.

“…Seriously, Silas, how much longer are you going to keep Seraphina around?” one of them was asking inside.

Laughter followed. I froze beside the doorway as another voice spoke.

“Now that Evelyn is back, there isn’t really any reason for her anymore.”

“Exactly and Evelyn is pregnant for you.”

Someone snorted. “You’ve been dragging this orphan around for ten years.”

“I almost feel sorry for her.”

More laughter erupted before a familiar voice finally answered.

It was Silas, my husband.

“Seraphina will understand, she always does,” he said.

My heart twisted painfully as one of the men laughed.

“Understand what? That you’ve been waiting for Evelyn this entire time?”

Another burst out laughing.

“Come on. Everybody knows Evelyn is the one you’ve always wanted.”

“Poor Seraphina.”

“She’s so in love with you she can’t even see what’s right in front of her.”

A third man spoke. “Actually, I almost admire her.”

“Ten years. Most women would’ve left by now.”

“Not Seraphina. She’d probably stay even if you married Evelyn tomorrow.”

The room exploded with laughter as my fingers slowly tightened around my handbag.

I heard Silas laugh too. He didn't deny their words or even attempt to defend me. He just joined them to laugh and mock me.

Something inside my chest went completely numb.

One of his friends lowered his voice.

“So when are you finally getting rid of her?”

Silas replied casually. “We’ll see. She’s useful.”

The laughter grew louder.

Useful? Ten years of being together. I was his wife and that was all he had to say about me.

I stood there for a long moment then I pushed the door open and walked inside.

The laughter disappeared instantly as every head turned toward me.

For one brief second, panic flashed across several faces then everyone quickly recovered.

Silas immediately stood.

“Seraphina.” His voice softened.

If I didn't know better, I would have sworn this man cared about me.

He walked over and took the bag from my hand.

“When did you get home?”

As if he hadn’t been discussing my future like I was a piece of furniture.

I smiled faintly. “Just now.”

Silas studied my face. Probably trying to determine whether I had heard anything.

I lowered my gaze, pretending to be naive and innocent. Just like I had done for years.

The tension in the room slowly disappeared.

One of the men even laughed awkwardly. “Good to see you’re feeling better.”

I nodded politely.

Silas wrapped an arm around my shoulders. The familiar gesture almost made me sick.

“Why didn’t you call me when you left the hospital?” he asked.

I shrugged, “I didn't want to bother you.”

I quietly pulled a folder from my handbag. “These are some documents from the hospital.”

Silas barely glanced at them.

“What documents?”

“The doctor asked for signatures.”

He frowned slightly. “More paperwork?”

I nodded.

Silas sighed impatiently. Without reading a single page, he grabbed a pen from the table and then signed his name.

The entire process took less than thirty seconds.

Not one question, not one glance, and not one attempt to verify what he was signing because after ten years, Silas trusted me completely.

Or perhaps… He simply never thought I could betray him.

He handed the folder back.

“There.”

I accepted it quietly. “Thank you.”

Silas sat back down before suddenly remembering something.

“Oh.” He reached beside the sofa and handed me a luxury shopping bag.

“I bought you something.”

I looked down to see a designer logo staring back at me.

“There’s a party tonight.” His tone became gentle again, “Wear it.”

One of his friends smirked and I pretended not to notice.

“Okay.”

Silas seemed satisfied with my obedience. Just like always because in his eyes, I was still the same Seraphina.

The woman who would forgive anything, the woman who would stay forever, the woman who was too dependent to leave.

I excused myself and walked upstairs.

The moment the bedroom door closed behind me, the smile disappeared from my face.

I sat down slowly on the edge of the bed then opened the folder.

My eyes landed on the final page.

Silas Wolfe. His signature stretched neatly across the divorce papers.

For a long moment, I simply stared.

Six years ago, I had dreamed about seeing his signature beside mine on a public marriage announcement.

Now it sat on our divorce papers instead.

I picked up my phone. My fingers hovered above the screen briefly before typing a message.

‘Dad, it’s done. Come get me.’

The reply arrived almost immediately.

‘Alright, Princess.’

My eyes slowly drifted toward the divorce papers again.

For the first time in ten years, I was finally letting Silas Wolfe go and instead of heartbreak, all I felt was relief.