Chapter 4

I pointed at the empty signature line at the bottom of the agreement.

I said, "Sign it, and I'll vanish from your world for good. Mrs. Fox's title, that hilltop villa overlooking the city, everything, I'll return it all to Unity, untouched.

"From now on, you and her can be together, just the two of you. I wish your bloodline to end here."

I forced out those last few words through gritted teeth.

Ollie's face darkened in an instant.

He stared me down, like he was searching for any crack in my armor.

"Are you crazy, Violet?" Ollie demanded.

I retorted, meeting his gaze head-on, refusing to back down, "I'm perfectly clear-headed. The one who's lost it is you, Ollie.

"You really think the whole damn world has to revolve around you? You think I can't live without you, Ollie?

"Yeah, maybe that was true before. But not anymore."

I snatched the pen from his hand, popped off the cap, and shoved it right back at him.

"Sign it," I demanded.

My voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the determination in it.

Ollie stared at me, his expression impossibly complex.

There was anger, shock, a searching look, and even a hint of panic he probably didn't realize himself.

He likely never imagined that Violet, the girl who always followed him, idolized him, worshipped him, would one day look at him with such cold, detached eyes.

He stayed silent, frozen like a statue.

I didn't push him. I just stood there, quietly holding my ground, staring him down.

Time ticked by, and the air was thick with tension.

Finally, Ollie made up his mind and let out a cold laugh.

He said, "Fine. Very good.

"Violet, you brought this on yourself. After the divorce, don't come crawling back, begging me to take you back!"

He snatched up the agreement, strode over to the desk, and without even glancing at the terms, signed his name with a bold, furious flourish across the bottom.

His signature was so forceful it practically tore through the paper, every stroke burning with rage.

Once he was done, he slammed the agreement and the pen down on the coffee table with a harsh, jarring crash.

He pointed at the door and spat, "Get out."

I looked at the signed agreement, and finally felt a heavy weight lift from my heart.

I smiled genuinely.

"Thank you," I said.

I walked over, picked up my agreement, and folded it carefully, treating it like a treasure.

Then I turned and walked toward the door, without a backward glance.

No tears, no lingering, no regrets, not even a glance his way.

Just as my hand was about to touch the doorknob, Ollie's voice, hoarse and furious, rang out from behind me.

He asked, "You're just going to walk out like that? What about your stuff?"

I stopped in my tracks, but didn't turn around.

I said, "Those things, just like this agreement, were nothing but your charity. Now that I'm free, I don't need any of it.

"Goodbye, Ollie. Actually, forget it, let's never see each other again."

With that, I pulled open the door and walked out, leaving all his shock and fury locked away behind me.

The sun was shining brightly outside. I squinted, feeling like a weight had finally been lifted off my shoulders.

I wanted to part with Ollie and my foolish, humiliating ten-year love.

I didn't go back to any of the properties in my name.

Ollie had put them under my name in the past while saying, "As Mrs. Fox, you can't be seen as cheap."

They were cages, shackles, constant reminders that I was just a substitute.

In my previous life, I treated those cold houses as home and those expensive jewels as love. In the end, I lost everything, him and the money, and died without peace.

This time, I just wanted to live like a real person.

I took a cab to a serviced apartment I'd been eyeing for ages, and paid a year's rent with my own savings.

The place wasn't big, about fifty square yards, just one bedroom, a living room, a cozy open kitchen, and a sunlit balcony.

But everything here belonged to me.

I stood in the middle of the empty living room, sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a long shadow behind me.

I stretched out my arms and took a deep breath.

It tasted like freedom.

After I got settled, the first thing I did was head to the pharmacy.

Standing in front of the packed shelves, I felt a bit lost.

In my previous life, I found out I was pregnant at the hospital, when the doctor told me.

I was excited and nervous. The first thing I wanted was to tell Ollie.

But when he hit me with that icy "Don't bother me," it was like getting drenched in freezing water, instantly killing all my excitement.

This time, I wanted to find out for myself if this little life was really there.

I grabbed a bunch of different pregnancy tests, headed back to my place, and shut myself in the bathroom.

The few minutes waiting for the results dragged on forever.

My heart raced, and my palms were clammy with cold sweat.

I was scared, terrified this was nothing but empty hope, afraid that even this last shred of possibility would be ripped away from me by fate.

When those two unmistakable red lines showed up on the test, my eyes instantly filled with tears. They burst out before I could even react.

This time, it wasn't sadness or despair. It was wild, euphoric joy.

I clamped a hand over my mouth, trying not to let myself sob out loud, but the tears kept falling, like a broken string of pearls, completely out of my control.

My baby was still with me.

They came back with me.

I crouched down, buried my face in my knees, and cried my heart out, letting all the pain and bitterness from my previous life pour out with my tears.

After I finished crying, I wiped my tears and stared at my swollen, red eyes in the mirror, then gave myself a determined smile.

Starting today, I was not Violet Fox anymore.

I was Violet Hale, an ordinary woman who would soon become a mom.

For my child, I had to toughen up.

*****