Chapter 9

The moment Edward saw my signature on the paper, a flicker of relief crossed his face. It was the relief of a man finally free, finally able to step into the open with Aurora without hiding.

He recovered almost instantly, though, burying that telltale gleam beneath a carefully composed mask of reluctance and guilt.

When he spoke, his voice quivered on cue. "Charlotte, I truly can't bear to part with you. I know I'm the one who let you down. I failed you. But what else could I do?

"I couldn't stand the thought of wasting your best years, watching you struggle and suffer because of me. You deserve so much better than someone like me. I couldn't keep you here."

Such grand, high-minded words.

He was the one who threw me away, traded me for power and fortune without a second thought, yet here he was, dressing up his betrayal as concern for my own good, as if leaving me were some noble sacrifice on his part.

And he said it all without a shred of shame.

Watching him perform, I felt nothing but disgust. Even looking at him for one more second felt like more than he was worth.

I waved a hand, my voice cold and edged with impatience. "Do whatever you want."

Seeing that I wouldn't play along, he dropped the act immediately. He snatched the divorce agreement off the table, folded it with exaggerated care, and slipped it into his robe like a man clutching a winning lottery ticket.

Then he stood up, without so much as a glance in my direction, and walked briskly out of my courtyard. His steps were light, almost cheerful, as if something monstrous were chasing him from behind and he couldn't get away fast enough.

After that day, he never once returned to my courtyard, nor did he ever step foot inside this house again.

I knew exactly where he was. He must be by Aurora's side, savoring the wealth and status that were finally within reach, having already forgotten all about the woman he had once called his wife.

I felt neither grief nor bitterness. I simply went about gathering my things in silence.

This house had become a place of nothing but lies and betrayal, of heartbreak and humiliation, a place I had wanted to leave behind for longer than I cared to admit.

I packed my clothes, my jewelry, and the dowry I had brought from the Hughes family, carefully securing everything into several chests.

I did not go back to Hughes Manor.

As the only daughter of the Hughes family, my stubborn decision to marry an illegitimate son had already brought enough shame to my family's name.

Now my elder brother and his wife were the ones managing the household, and my sister-in-law was not an easy woman to live with.

My parents had lived far to the south, and showing up on their doorstep unannounced would only worry my father half to death.

The last thing I wanted was to stir up fresh gossip against him and ruin the quiet, well-earned retirement he had always dreamed of.

So I rented a small house in the western part of the city. It was modest, but peaceful, more than enough space for my maids and me.

The day I moved in, the weather was glorious. The sun shone bright and warm. And yet I felt nothing, just an endless, hollow stillness where my heart used to be.

I had told myself that once I left Edward and walked away from that suffocating house, I would finally find some peace. I believed that, in time, I would slowly forget the pain of the past.

What I did not expect was that Edward would never let me have that peace.