Chapter 1
Everyone said that the Third Young Madam of the Locke family was a joke.
She was a girl from the countryside with no education and no connections. Yet, she married into the wealthy family to repay a life debt.
In the three years of marriage, she cooked, cleaned, served her in-laws, and ran the household.
She lived like a maid and never heard a single word of thanks.
Then, that woman came back, and everyone started joking that it was time for the Third Young Madam to leave.
Sera Jenkins thought so, too.
But there was one thing they did not know.
She was never an orphan from the countryside.
The day she left, everything changed in Stratford City.
*****
Outside, the rain was pouring down.
In the living room of the Locke estate, the warm glow of the crystal chandelier was almost harsh, casting its light over every cold, indifferent face.
Sera sat at the very end of the sofa, a divorce agreement lying on the rosewood coffee table in front of her.
The terms were stated clearly in black and white. She'd walk away with nothing but the clothes on her back.
"Sign it," Damian Locke said.
He sat across from her, his long fingers laced together on his lap. His tone was casual, as if he were just talking about the weather.
He wore a dark gray suit, looking sharp and impossibly handsome. The face that used to make women lose their minds was now completely unreadable.
Sera shot him a look.
Three years. Yet, all it took was one sentence for her to go from being head over heels to feeling nothing at all.
"Mr. Locke, Miss Scott is still waiting for you upstairs," Walter Kent, the butler, said.
He stood respectfully off to the side, but there was an urgency in his tone. His words were soft, yet they pierced Sera's heart like a needle.
Mia Scott.
She was Damian's muse. The heiress from a powerful family, and a finance prodigy who just came back from studying abroad.
The Locke family had celebrated the day Mia came back. It had been livelier than New Year's Eve.
Meanwhile, Sera didn't even have a seat at the table.
"Sera, I haven't forgotten you saved my life back then," Damian finally said.
He looked at her like she was just another inconvenience to be handled.
"For three years, I gave you a roof over your head and everything you needed. That should be enough to pay back what you did for me," Damian reasoned.
His voice was cold as he continued, "Now that Mia's back, you should realize that this spot was always hers to begin with."
Sera didn't say a word.
She lowered her head, staring at the words on the divorce papers.
Then, she smiled a little. It was barely there, just a whisper of a smile.
"Okay." With no hesitation, she picked up the pen from the table.
At that exact moment she signed her name, the living room door swung open.
Vivian Locke, Damian's mother, walked in wearing a dark green dress. Mia was trailing behind her, all smiles.
Mia wore a white dress, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, giving off a soft, graceful vibe.
When she spotted the pen in Sera's hand, a hint of smug satisfaction flickered in her eyes, one that was instantly replaced by an innocent expression.
"Sister Sera, don't blame Damian. He's just..." Mia said softly, her voice full of gentle apology.
"Don't call me 'sister'," Sera interrupted.
Sera placed the signed divorce papers back on the coffee table and rose to her feet.
She wore a faded cotton jacket. Her hair was casually tied back, and her face was bare. Standing among a crowd dressed in luxury, she was like a flower blooming out of season.
But she stood tall. Her gaze was steady and calm.
"I've already packed everything. There's not much, it's just a single suitcase," she said.
Vivian raised an eyebrow, her voice oozing false generosity. "Make sure nothing that belongs to the Locke family is in that suitcase, so you can't say we mistreated you later."
"Don't worry," Sera replied coolly, "I wouldn't want a single thing from this place anyway."
Vivian's face darkened instantly.
"You..." she started, her voice sharp with anger.
"Mom, let it go," Damian said, waving her off as if he did not want to spend more energy on someone who would be leaving.
He picked up the papers, checked her signature, and nodded.
"Walter, show her out," Damian said.
Sera straightened her back and strode toward the door without looking back.
The rain landed heavily on the roof. Its relentless drumming echoed through the house, almost as if the heavens were applauding her departure.
As Sera reached the doorway, Mia called out in a low voice, making sure Sera could hear every word.
"Damian, do you think she'll regret it? Once she leaves the Locke family, she'd be a nobody," Mia mocked.
Nobody.
Sera stopped in her tracks, but she did not turn around. Her shoulders twitched slightly, like she was holding herself together.
Then, she kept walking, pushing open the heavy front door.
The rain was pouring down like a waterfall.
Outside, she had no umbrella, no car, and no one waiting for her.
She pulled her faded old suitcase and stepped into the downpour, one step at a time.
The door slowly shut behind her.