For the next few days, I barely left my room except to eat.

I just wanted the cooling-off period for the divorce to pass quickly, turning a blind eye to how Kael and his sons bent over backward to please Sage.

Soon, Sage's birthday arrived.

Kael had wanted to throw a grand party, but Sage gently refused. "Let's just celebrate at home. I don't like things too fancy."

River immediately chimed in. "Perfect! I don't like outsiders sucking up to us either. It's so much better with just our family!"

On her birthday, the mansion was decorated luxuriously yet warmly. The staff bustled around while Kael personally placed a birthday crown on Sage's head.

"Make a wish." His gaze was tender.

Sage clasped her hands together and closed her eyes in the candlelight.

After blowing out the candles, Kael and the two children presented their gifts.

Kael gave her a set of antique jewelry, River presented keys to a limited-edition sports car, and Stone proudly offered the deed to a private island.

Sage's eyes filled with tears of emotion. "Thank you all..."

She suddenly looked at me, where I'd been sitting silently, with a sweet smile. "Aria, what did you get me?"

All eyes turned to me.

I looked at Sage's expectant expression and said calmly, "I didn't prepare anything."

I didn't want to, and I wasn't about to.

River's face immediately darkened. "Mom! How could you? You knew it was Aunt Sage's birthday!"

Stone pouted too. "That's so rude!"

The two little ones exchanged glances, and River's eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, doesn't Mom have tons of nice stuff Dad gave her in her room? Let's pick something for Aunt Sage!"

Stone nodded eagerly. "Yeah!"

Before I could react, both children had already rushed upstairs and straight to my bedroom.

"Wait!" My face went pale as I stumbled after them, not caring that my leg hadn't fully healed.

When I pushed open the door, the two children were ransacking my room. My jewelry box was overturned on the floor, and things from my drawers were scattered everywhere.

"Found it!" River suddenly held up a gold necklace with a small moon pendant. "This one's pretty!"

My pupils contracted. That was the last gift Finn had given me before he died.

"No!" I rushed over to grab it back. "That's from your uncle!"

River nimbly dodged aside. "It's just a necklace. Can't Uncle buy you another one later?"

My voice shook. "He's dead!"

Stone rolled his eyes impatiently. "You're lying again! Last time it was just a dummy. Our real uncle is obviously traveling! He promised to bring me a present!"

Then he leaned over the railing and shouted downstairs, "Aunt Sage! We found Mom's present for you! You're gonna love it!"

I reached for the necklace, but River shoved me hard. "Why are you being so stingy!"

"Ahhhh—!"

I lost my footing and tumbled down the entire staircase!

"CRASH!"

The back of my head slammed hard against the silver candelabra that decorated the bottom of the steps, and blood immediately gushed from my temple.

This was a fatal blow to me since the wolf had already fallen into hibernation.

I lay in a pool of blood, my vision blurry and ears ringing.

"Mommy!" River and Stone were terrified and rushed downstairs.

River's voice trembled. "I... I didn't mean to... It's your fault for trying to grab it..."

Stone burst into tears. "Mommy, you're bleeding..."

Hearing the commotion, Kael strode over. His face went ashen when he saw the scene. "What the hell happened?"

River sobbed as he explained, "We just wanted to find a necklace for Aunt Sage... Mom wouldn't let us, and she tried to grab it... I accidentally..."

Kael crouched down to help me up. "Where are you hurt? I'll take you to the hospital."

The two children also scrambled to help.

Just then—

"Ahhhh!"

A scream came from the dining room, and a maid ran over in panic. "Alpha! Miss Sage got burned by the candles!"

Kael froze mid-motion.

"How bad is it?" he asked urgently.

"A huge burn..."

Before the maid could finish, Kael was already standing up. "Aria, call an ambulance yourself. We need to get Sage to the hospital first."

The two children immediately let go of my hands too. "Mom, you go to the hospital by yourself!"

"Kael... River... Stone..."

I weakly reached out, but all three of them rushed toward the dining room without looking back, carefully helping Sage leave.

Blood blurred my vision as I tremblingly pulled out my phone and used my last bit of strength to dial 911.

"Help... me..."

The moment the call connected, I fell into complete darkness.

When I woke up again, the hospital room was still empty.

A nurse came in to change my bandages. Seeing I was awake, she sighed. "Your mate and children are in the VIP room next door taking care of Miss Sage."

She paused, her tone carrying some indignation. "Miss Sage only has a small red mark on the back of her hand, but they're making such a fuss. Alpha Kael is personally applying medicine for her, the older boy is blowing on her wound, and the younger one even went to buy ice cream to cheer her up. You're hurt so badly, but..."

I listened quietly, my heart already numb from the pain.

My phone buzzed, and the screen lit up.

It was a reminder text from the Alpha Council: 【The mate bond severance has been approved. You may receive your mate bond severance certificate in three days.】

I stared at that message for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

Finally, it would be over.

After being discharged, I began preparing to leave.

On the first day, I went to the cemetery.

Next to my parents' headstones, a small new marker had been erected—Finn's.

I knelt before the grave, gently wiping the young, smiling face in the photo.

"Mom, Dad, Finn..." My voice was soft. "I loved the wrong person."

"I shouldn't have fallen for Kael, shouldn't have had those two children..."

I smiled, tears silently falling. "I'm leaving... This time, I really don't want them anymore. I'll live well for the rest of my days. You take care down there too, don't worry about me. Years from now, we'll meet again underground."

The mountain wind lifted my long hair, and the white chrysanthemums in front of the headstone trembled slightly, as if responding to me.

On the second day, I went to Lovers' Bridge.

Years ago, Kael and I had hung a love lock there, engraved with both our names.

I found that lock and viciously cut it with pliers, throwing it into the river.

The moment the metal hit the water, I seemed to hear the laughter of my younger self.

How ridiculous—vows of "eternal love" apparently only had a five-year shelf life.

After that, I visited every place where Kael and I had shared memories—

Our usual restaurant, the park where we had our first date, the church where we got married...

Bit by bit, I erased all traces of our love.

Back home, I packed up all the gifts Kael had given me over the years and threw them in the trash.

Finally, I packed my luggage, just waiting to get the Alpha Council's approval to sever our mate bond tomorrow before leaving for good.

On the third evening, Kael came back with the two children.

As soon as he walked in, he unusually took the initiative to explain. "Sage has been sensitive to pain since she was little. That's why we took her to the hospital first."

River mumbled quietly, "Yeah, Mom, you're way tougher than Aunt Sage. You don't need us..."

Stone nodded. "Aunt Sage is an Omega. She's too fragile and needs our protection."

"Enough." I cut them off. "You don't need to explain."

I understood too well.

All their explanations boiled down to one thing—they loved Sage, not me.

Once, this realization would have destroyed me. But not anymore.

Because I... didn't love them anymore either.

Seeing how calm I was, Kael felt a strange flutter of panic. He seemed to want to make up for something and spoke again. "There's a meteor shower tonight. I'll take you to the mountaintop to watch it."

"No need."

"Don't be stubborn." Kael glanced at the two children. "Help your mom get changed."

River and Stone immediately grabbed my arms from both sides. "Come on, Mom!"

I was forcibly stuffed into the car, only to discover Sage was there too.

"Don't mind me, Aria," Sage said softly. "I've been afraid of the dark since I was little. Kael didn't want to leave me alone at home..."

Kael immediately chimed in. "Sage has night blindness. She gets scared being alone at night."

The two children also chattered supportively. "Poor Aunt Sage!"

I closed my eyes wearily, not wanting to hear another word.

Throughout the drive, Kael and the two children fussed over Sage.

Adjusting her seat, handing her blankets, feeding her fruit—terrified she might be even slightly uncomfortable.

Sage kept glancing at me, trying to catch jealousy or anger on my face, but found me just quietly looking out the window as if none of this concerned me.

Halfway up the mountain, everyone got out to walk.

Suddenly, Sage slipped and cried out, grabbing my wrist—

We both tumbled down the slope together!

"Aria! Sage!"

Kael and the two children rushed down frantically, only to see that Sage had just scraped her palm and was pitifully holding back tears.

Meanwhile, I had hit a rock. My calf was sliced open by a sharp stone, blood instantly soaking through my pants, and my face was ghostly pale.

"I'll take Sage back first." Kael made a quick decision. "Aria, hang in there a bit longer. I'll call the pack warriors to rescue you."

After saying this, he scooped up Sage and left without looking back.

River and Stone hesitated, looking at my bleeding leg, then at Sage in their father's arms, before ultimately following them.

I lay on the cold mountainside, watching their figures disappear into the night.

I waited all night.

No one came back.

At dawn, I gritted my teeth and dragged my injured leg, crawling bit by bit up to the road.

I flagged down a car, went to the hospital to bandage my wound myself, then headed straight to the Alpha Council.

When the mate bond severance certificate was handed to me, I looked at the gold lettering and actually felt relieved.

When I returned to the mansion, it was empty. Kael and the others were still at the hospital with Sage for her "comprehensive examination."

I placed Kael's copy of the severance certificate on the coffee table, next to a note:

【I'm gone. Don't bother looking for me. I don't want any of you anymore.】

Then I picked up my pre-packed suitcase and left without looking back—escaping the cage that had trapped me for five years.

Behind me, the morning sun was rising, and ahead of me—

Was a brand new life without Kael, River, or Stone.