Chapter 3
Back then, Damian was just a young guy who'd recently come back from abroad.
When he saw Sera lying in a pool of blood by the roadside, he didn't even hesitate before he picked her up in his arms and rushed her straight to the hospital.
That was the one and only time in Sera's life she ever put her life in someone else's hands.
She was grateful to him.
So after she recovered, she simply agreed when the Locke family suggested she marry Damian to repay his kindness.
She thought, maybe this could be a few years to take a break and catch her breath.
She had been exhausted.
Since taking over the family business at fifteen, she'd survived countless dangers and walked through fire and blood.
Living like an ordinary person in the Locke family, doing laundry, cooking, just watching the sun go down, sounded like a pretty good deal.
But over time, she realized she'd mistaken a crucial fact.
Damian's rescue wasn't out of kindness.
He only did it because his car's camera was rolling, and he needed some footage of himself playing the hero to publicise the Locke family's charity.
She didn't find out about it until her second year with the Locke family.
One day, she overheard Damian talking on the phone with a friend.
"That woman? Just some random stray I took in. If it hadn't been for the foundation audit, I wouldn't have even bothered with her..." His laugh was casual, almost careless, like he was talking about something insignificant.
Sera was just outside the study, holding a bowl of hot soup she'd just made.
The steaming bowl suddenly felt cold in her hands.
From that day on, she started quietly planning her exit.
But she'd made herself a promise to stick it out for the full three years.
Because back in that hospital, she'd promised herself that a life debt would be repaid with three years of her life.
Sera was the kind of person who always honored her promises. When she gave her word, it was set in stone.
And so the days slipped by, one after another.
Until the day Mia walked back into their lives.
The day she returned, the sky was clear, and the sun was blazing.
She strutted through the Locke family's front door in a designer dress and sky-high heels, and it was like the whole living room suddenly lit up.
Vivian grabbed her hand, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Mia, you're finally back. Now this is what a Locke daughter-in-law should be," Vivian said.
Sera was standing right there, mop in hand, when those words left Vivian's mouth.
Not a single person batted an eye.
Mia turned to Sera, her smile soft, but with a hint of aloofness.
"You must be Sera, right? Damian always talks about you," Mia said.
Sera knew those words were nothing but empty pleasantries. Her name never even crossed Damian's lips. She was just a shadow in his world.
Mia first moved into the guest room, then she took over the study.
Eventually, she moved into Damian's bedroom.
Everything just happened so naturally, like everyone had been waiting for this moment to finally come.
Vivian started nudging her, "Sera, you're not exactly young anymore. Maybe it's time to make some plans for yourself."
"You know that Mia and Damian grew up together," Vivian added.
"The Locke family won't shortchange you. When you leave, we'll send you off with a little cash," she said.
A little cash.
Three years of Sera's youth, three years of putting up with it all and bending over backwards, all for a little cash.
Sera didn't feel a trace of anger. She didn't feel the slightest bit of sadness, either.
Honestly, she just found it all absurd.
On the last day of the third year, the divorce papers were handed to her.
The terms were brutal and to the point.
Sera had to walk away from everything they owned together and she was not allowed to spill any Locke family secrets.
They would not even let her stay in the same city. She had to pack up and get out of Stratford City within a week after the divorce.
Sera read through the agreement and neatly placed it on the table.
Then she went to the kitchen to make one final meal.
Pork stew, baked fish, crouton salad, and Damian's favorite risotto.
She was the only one sitting at the dining table, eating in silence.
Upstairs, Damian and Mia's laughter echoed down, filling the empty house.
Sera finished her meal, washed up, and wiped down the table.
Then she headed upstairs to pack.
An old suitcase filled with a couple of sets of clothes, a dog-eared old book, and an unremarkable black ring.
She'd never worn that ring around anyone in the Locke family. But that night, she had slipped it onto her finger.
A black Rolls-Royce sat at the end of the street. Rain drummed against its body, sending up a delicate mist.
Sera opened the door and slid inside, her long hair soaked and sticking to her face.
The car was warm and cozy. On the back seat lay a neatly folded black coat, with a cup of perfectly-warmed hot milk beside it.
"Master," Victor greeted as he turned in the driver's seat to face her.
At forty-five, his hair was immaculately combed. A set of gold-rimmed glasses perched perfectly on his nose, and behind them, his gaze was respectful.
Yet there was a hint of something more complex flickering in his eyes.
When he saw Sera soaked to the bone, his eyes were slightly reddened.
"You've suffered," he said softly.
"No." Sera slipped on the coat and took a sip of the milk. Her tone was calm, as if she'd just returned from the grocery store.
"What are some of the things you've taken care of for me over the last three years?" Sera asked, her tone calm and casual.
Victor pushed up his glasses and, with practiced ease, unlocked his tablet.