Chapter 3

To Caroline, Cooper Manor, the century-old mansion, felt less like a home and more like a chilling tomb.

As soon as she left the hospital, Caroline was called straight back there. Daniela Cooper, the real power behind the Cooper family, sat at the head of the living room.

She was holding a silver cross in her hand, eyes closed. The air around her was so heavy that it felt like it could crush people.

Darian sat on a single sofa nearby, absentmindedly flicking a lighter, flame sparking up, then snuffed out with a soft click.

"I've looked over the divorce papers," Daniela said, her eyes snapping open, gaze sharp as a blade as she fixed it on Caroline.

She added, "Caroline, even though you came from nothing, after three years in the Cooper family, you should know the rules. You won't take a single thing that belongs to the Coopers."

Caroline stood tall, her back straight despite her lingering weakness. "Rest assured, Mrs. Cooper. Aside from my clothes, I don't want anything else."

"Including the Tear of Ocean?" Daniela pointed at the priceless necklace around Caroline's neck.

It was the necklace Darian bought at an auction on their first wedding anniversary.

Caroline's fingers brushed the cold pendant, a self-mocking smile on her lips.

Without a second thought, she unclasped the necklace and set it down on the coffee table.

"Darian, you once said this would be the only necklace you'd ever give me," Caroline said, her eyes lifeless as she looked at him. "Now, I'm giving it back to you."

Darian stared at the necklace, his expression cold and forbidding. "If you're going to cut it clean, do it.

"Caroline, don't play the victim. Don't forget you begged to marry into the Cooper family."

Caroline's chest tightened painfully. Back then, when the Fullers were about to go under, she'd stand in the pouring rain, begging Darian to save her family.

Sure, he saved them, but it cost her three years of her life and left her heart shattered.

"Fine," Caroline said, nodding.

She turned and headed upstairs, back to the bedroom she'd lived in for three years.

The room still held traces of Darian's cologne. She dragged out an old, battered leather suitcase from the depths of the closet, the only thing she'd brought with her from the Fuller family.

She stuffed her few faded, threadbare clothes inside and pulled out a thick diary from under her pillow.

It was her emotional journey over the past three years, how she loved him, how she endured the loneliness, and how she waited, hoping he'd look back at her once.

Caroline flipped to the last page, where she'd left a message before the accident: [Darian, happy third anniversary. Today, I want to tell you a secret.]

She never got the chance to tell him she was pregnant. When the car crash took the baby, she never got to feel that little life growing inside her.

She tore out that page and tossed the whole diary into the trash.

"Darian, not even in death will I look back," she whispered into the empty room.

As Caroline dragged her battered suitcase downstairs, Darian stood in the entryway. His eyes lingered on the worn luggage, a flicker of mixed emotions crossing his face.

"Caroline, once you walk out of the Cooper family, you won't be able to make ends meet," Darian said, his tone laced with mockery. "Edgar has cut off your mother's medical bills."

Caroline paused and lifted her chin defiantly. "Save your concern, Mr. Cooper. Even if I have to work as a waitress, I'll still support my mom."

She brushed past his shoulder, never looking back as she stepped into the pouring rain.

Darian stood in place, listening to the suitcase wheels rumbling across the gravel, until her slender silhouette faded from his view.

"Mr. Cooper," Cason Bilton, his assistant, hurried over, keeping his voice low. "Daniela's people are still watching from the shadows."

Darian's posture suddenly wavered. He grabbed his chest, coughing violently.

Bright red blood oozed between his fingers, dripping onto the dark marble floor.

"Mr. Cooper," Cason cried out, rushing to steady him.

Darian raised a hand to stop him, his face pale, but his eyes burning with a wild desperation.

Cason asked, "Are you not going to tell Caroline the truth? You took all of Daniela's attacks onto yourself to protect her, even if it meant ruining your own reputation."

"No need," Darian said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze turning icy again. "Her hatred for me is what keeps her alive.

"Did you make sure everything about the Fuller family's medicine is handled?"

"We've swapped everything out for vitamins. The slow-acting toxins Mr. Fuller gave Caroline haven't started affecting her organs yet," Cason replied.

Darian closed his eyes, pressing himself against the cold wall. "Good. Track her down, but make sure she doesn't notice."