Chapter 1
When the divorce papers were slammed onto the table, the first snowfall of winter was already drifting outside the window.
Emilia Baxter stood by the entryway, still holding a bag of groceries—ribs, corn, radish, all of Kasen Bennett's favorites.
Her gaze lingered on the neatly signed document so long that the draft slipping through the door sent her scarf drifting to the floor.
"Sign it." Kasen's voice came from the living room, cool and distant, as if this were nothing at all. He added, "I've made the terms clear.
"You keep the house, we split the savings, and I'll pay an additional thirty thousand a month in alimony."
Emilia crouched to pick up her scarf, her movements unhurried.
She wanted to ask why, but the question felt redundant the moment it reached her lips. She already knew. Sasha Thomas, his college sweetheart, was back in town.
Over the past month, the faint scent of gardenia on him, the late-night calls on the balcony, the increasingly delayed returns home—every detail pointed to the same truth.
"Alright." Emilia heard herself say.
*****
Emilia walked to the table, picked up the pen, and signed her name on the dotted line. The scratch of the pen seemed harsh in a home that once echoed with laughter.
Kasen glanced up, caught off guard by how easily she went along.
Emilia met his eyes, gave a small, bitter smile, and asked, "So, Kasen, now that she's back, do our three years together just count for nothing?"
"Emilia, I do feel sorry for you," Kasen replied, holding her gaze, his tone surprisingly sincere. "But you can't force love."
'You can't force love,' Emilia thought to herself and realized Kasen was absolutely right.
From the day she married him, she'd been forcing herself—forcing herself to be mature, to overlook his coldness, to believe that if she just tried hard enough, he'd finally see her worth.
But love wasn't something she could earn just by working hard.
She didn't cry, didn't make a fuss, and didn't even spare him another glance. After setting the pen down, she turned and walked into the bedroom, opened the closet, and pulled out a suitcase she'd packed long ago.
"You were ready for this, huh?" Kasen said, stopping at the bedroom door. His expression flickered when he spotted the suitcase.
Emilia didn't reply. She opened the closet and started tossing her clothes in, her hands moving fast, like she'd practiced this a hundred times.
Honestly, ever since she first smelled that gardenia scent, she'd been playing out this scene in her head.
"Emilia," Kasen called from behind, his voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty he probably didn't even notice himself.
"Anything else?" Emilia said, without turning around.
Kasen hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry."
Emilia's hands paused for a second, then she went back to folding her cream-colored cashmere coat. Last winter, Kasen had gone shopping with her and helped her pick it out.
For once, he was patient, spending the whole afternoon with her, carrying her shopping bags in one hand and holding hers with the other as they walked down snowy streets.
She thought it was the start of something real, but later realized it was just him making up for his guilt.
"No need to apologize," Emilia said, zipping up her suitcase and finally turning to face him.
Kasen stood at the bedroom door, still unfairly handsome in his dark gray loungewear, his features clean-cut, but his eyes held nothing of her.
"Kasen," she said, "I wish you happiness."
Dragging her suitcase, Emilia walked out of the bedroom, crossed the living room, passed the divorce papers lying on the coffee table, and by the entryway where their wedding photo sat.
In that picture, she was beaming with happiness, while Kasen's smile was barely there, like he was just checking off a box.
When the door clicked shut behind her, Emilia's eyes welled up, turning red.
But she didn't shed a single tear.
The snow was coming down harder as Emilia stood by the curb, waiting for a cab. Snowflakes landed on her hair and eyelashes, the chill seeping up from her feet and spreading through her whole body.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a bank notification. Kasen had already sent over the first alimony payment.
'That was quick,' Emilia thought to herself.
She let out a bitter chuckle and was just about to put her phone away when another message popped up. It was from Kasen. [It's snowing. Be careful.]
She stared at the message for three seconds and then quietly put Kasen on her blacklist.
When the cab pulled up, snow had settled on Emilia's eyelashes. The driver got out to help with her suitcase, and she slipped into the cozy backseat, telling him the address.
She was heading to her best friend Nylah Booker's apartment.