Chapter 2

Claire didn't bother arguing further. She raised her left hand and ran her fingertip over the plain wedding band she had worn for three years on her ring finger.

The ring was nothing fancy. Leon had picked it up at a random jewelry store after they got their license. Ten grand meant no more to him than a meal.

She'd worn it for three years, never once taking it off.

Now she applied slight pressure and slipped it off easily.

Then, under Leon's stunned gaze, she lifted her hand and dropped that wedding ring right into the glass on the coffee table in front of him.

The clink hung in the quiet living room like a slap across Leon's face.

"Leon, rest assured," Claire said, her voice steady and utterly final. "Even if I end up starving on the streets of Riverdale, I will never look back at you."

With those words, she turned and strode out.

By the door, she had already packed a small 24-inch suitcase. Inside were a few of her own clothes and the drawing tablet she had used for years.

Everything in that villa, the house, the furniture, the clothes, the jewelry, came from Leon. She wanted none of it now, and she was taking none of it.

Claire pulled the door open. The autumn wind swept in with dry leaves, lifting her long hair.

She didn't look back. She walked straight out of that velvet prison where she'd been locked away for three years.

The door slammed shut behind her, burying every trace of warmth and misery inside and snapping three years of blind hope clean in two.

In the elevator, the mirror showed her face. No makeup, bare and plain, eyes faintly red but no tears falling.

It wasn't until the doors closed and the numbers started ticking down that the tears finally came.

She wasn't crying because she couldn't let go of Leon, or because she regretted walking out.

She cried for the Claire from three years ago, the one who stood at the top of Aethel's design world, radiant with confidence and hope in her eyes. That Claire deserved better.

She cried for those three years she'd made herself small for love, confining herself to the kitchen and living room, letting her brilliance fade into dust. It wasn't worth it.

When the elevator reached the first floor, Claire wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and rolled her suitcase out the front door.

The autumn night air was chilly, but it brought her a clarity sharper than ever.

She took out her phone, found the number saved as "Mr. Franklin," and dialed.

It rang twice before a strong, aged voice answered, full of surprise and joy. "Claire? Is that you? After three years you've finally decided to call me?"

James Franklin was a giant in the country's design world and Claire's mentor. He was the one who spotted her talent and personally guided her to the top of Aethel's design scene.

When Claire suddenly vanished three years ago, only he knew she'd thrown away her future for love.

Over the past three years, he'd called her countless times, urging her to come back, but she always turned him down.

Hearing her mentor's familiar voice, Claire felt a sting in her nose, but quickly pulled herself together. Her voice carried a determination she'd never had before. "Yes, Mr. Franklin, it's me. I'm back."

"That's wonderful. So glad to hear that." James sounded excited. "I always knew you couldn't keep yourself hidden away forever. The design world should have been yours long ago."

"Mr. Franklin," Claire paused, then asked, "That national landmark design competition you signed me up for three years ago, can I still enter it?"

This competition was the most prestigious event in the design world, bar none. James had registered Claire three years ago, but right then, she'd just gotten her marriage license with Leon.

Leon said he wanted a quiet life and didn't want her out in the spotlight, so she gave up her spot.

That pause lasted three years.

"Of course. Why wouldn't you be able to?" James said immediately. "Registration for the preliminary round closes in three days. I'll submit your materials now. Claire, no more foolishness this time. Take back everything that belongs to you."

"Okay." Claire nodded firmly, light flickering back into her eyes. "Don't worry, Mr. Franklin. This time I won't leave again."

She hung up and looked up at the night sky over Riverdale.

There were no stars, only the dazzling neon lights of the city.

Welcome back, Claire, she said to herself.

Back in the villa, Leon stared at the divorce papers on the coffee table and the wedding ring lying at the bottom of the glass. His face darkened like a storm cloud.

Vivian walked over cautiously and tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft. "Leon, don't be mad. Maybe Chloe's just upset right now. If you talk to her properly, she'll come back.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't accidentally broken her thing, none of this would have happened."

Her eyes reddened again, the picture of guilt.

Leon snapped out of it and patted her hand. His tone went gentle instantly, nothing like the ice he'd shown Claire moments ago. "This has nothing to do with you. She's the one being unreasonable, throwing a tantrum."

He picked up the divorce papers and flipped through them. He saw Claire's signature already on the dotted line, and under the asset division section, the words "voluntarily relinquishes all shared marital property" stared right back at him.

The sight only stoked his anger, but it also made him more certain than ever. Claire was throwing a fit, trying to force his hand by walking away with nothing.

Leon let out a cold scoff and tossed the papers back onto the table, his voice dripping with contempt. "Throwing a tantrum? Let's see how long she can keep this up. Once she's had enough hardship out there, she'll come crying back to me."

He didn't take any of it seriously, least of all Claire's threat of divorce.

In his eyes, Chloe was nothing but a songbird he'd kept in a cage. Without him, she wouldn't survive.

He didn't even plan on going to the courthouse.

He was sure that in three days at most, she'd come crawling back, apologize, admit she was wrong, and go back to being the meek, compliant Chloe he was used to.

What Leon didn't know was that this time, what awaited him wasn't Chloe's return. It was a truth that would fill him with regret and shatter everything he believed.

And he had no idea that what he'd so casually tossed aside wasn't some clinging vine who needed him to live. She was a one of a kind gem, brilliant enough to light up the entire design world.