Before my parents died, they entrusted me to the most powerful vampire clan — the Vanderlooms.

I married Jason, the heir, and spent ten years by his side — only to discover he'd gotten his vampire subordinate pregnant.

He said I was just a human. That conceiving a vampire's child was nearly impossible for someone like me.

That even if my parents died saving his life, it didn't mean I could hold on to the title of lady of the house forever.

Vicky said she needed human blood for her pregnancy and demanded I serve as her blood thrall.

Jason just watched with casual indifference. He didn't stop her.

So I packed my bags and calmly handed him the divorce papers.

He sneered.

"That trick doesn't work anymore. You want to leave? Go ahead."

"Give it a week. You'll come crawling back."

But what he didn't know was that I'd already accepted another man's proposal.

This time, I was done loving him for good.

Elena's POV

The servants watched me with a mix of pity and numb.

My suitcase was practically empty — not even half full.

I was almost through the front door when Vicky called out behind me.

"Elena, it's great that you've come to your senses. But that necklace around your neck — shouldn't you give it back to Jason?"

She draped herself against Jason, her voice sweet and coaxing.

"You promised, Jason. You said you'd make me your vampire bride. That necklace would be mine too, wouldn't it?"

I stopped. My eyes burned.

That necklace wasn't just a symbol of the vampire bride.

It was the medal that Jason's grandfather — the patriarch of the Vanderloom clan — had given my parents.

Ten years ago, Jason was targeted by vampire hunters.

My parents had spent their lives working for the Vanderlooms, managing their financial ventures in the human world.

They were the ones who threw themselves in front of those silver bullets to save him.

After that day, I was taken into the estate.

Before all of it, Jason and I had practically been childhood sweethearts. I'd always believed he loved me.

I never imagined everything would change after my parents died.

He didn't love me. He'd been forced into the engagement, bound to me for life — and he resented me for it.

I was trapped in a loveless marriage for ten long years.

The necklace held a blood-red gemstone, and behind it, engraved on the metal setting, were my parents' names alongside the Vanderloom family crest.

Jason's grandfather had placed it around my neck himself.

He'd said, "From today on, this is your home. You are the lady of the Vanderloom house."

Jason knew exactly what that necklace meant to me.

But he just lounged on the sofa with his arm around the visibly pregnant vampire, not sparing me so much as a glance.

Vicky's voice was soft and light.

"Elena, you're not going to miss it, are you?"

She tilted her head with a look of wide-eyed innocence.

"You're leaving anyway. It's not yours anymore."

I touched the necklace at my chest, then lifted my head. A tear slipped down before I could stop it.

Jason's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly looked away.

"Why aren't you taking it off?"

Vicky's voice carried a hint of amusement.

"Or do you still want to be Jason's wife?"

I said nothing. My fingers traced the engraving of my parents' names.

Jason watched from the sidelines, cold and unmoved. No matter how anyone treated me, he never once intervened.

I used to imagine he'd reach out like he used to — like when my parents were still alive. That he'd be gentle, or at the very least, show me basic respect.

But he never did. Not once.

Just as he said — I was only a human. A human with no family to fall back on, no parents to protect her.

Vicky kept taunting me. I just stood there, knowing with absolute clarity that no one in this house would save me.

Jason's face grew darker and darker, but it wasn't until he watched me unclasp the necklace that something in his expression finally cracked. He let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh.

"Take it if you want it. I just want to leave."

I was exhausted. I'd had enough. Besides, I knew what happened when you defied Vicky in front of Jason.

It wasn't just Vicky. Even before she got pregnant, any blood thrall he took a liking to could bully me freely. My title as lady of the house meant nothing.

I didn't want to have my meals rationed anymore. I didn't want my last pathetic pieces of jewelry treated as things anyone could take.

And I didn't want to hold on to those ridiculous fantasies about Jason anymore.

I was done.

I placed the necklace carefully into Vicky's palm.

The moment the necklace left my neck, every vampire servant in the room caught the scent of my blood.

Seeing their crimson eyes, the image of my parents' death flashed through my mind.

I lowered my head, forced myself to stay calm, and gripped the handle of my suitcase.

I finally reached the estate's front gates.

The iron gates creaked open.

Night air drifted in, carrying a chill. I could already see the white Maybach waiting at the corner of the street.

I was about to step through.

"Wait."

Vicky's voice stopped me.

I didn't turn around. I could feel the weight of countless vampire gazes on my back. Without the necklace's protection, a cold dread crawled over my skin.

"What now?"

She laughed softly.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I just… feel a little dizzy."

The words had barely left her lips when her body swayed.

She collapsed into Jason's arms.

"Jason…"

Her voice was faint.

"I think I'm… hungry."

The air in the hall turned tense in an instant.

When a vampire said "hungry," it only ever meant one thing.

Jason's hand steadied her waist.

But his gaze drifted slowly toward me.

Those red eyes, deep as blood.

Then I heard his voice.

"Bring her back."

The moment he spoke, two shadows materialized behind me.

I didn't even have time to react before my wrists were seized.

My suitcase crashed to the floor.

I was dragged back into the hall.

Elena's POV

Vicky leaned against Jason, her face pale.

She looked at me and licked her lips. "I'm sorry, Elena."

Her smile was gentle. "The doctor said… pregnant vampires need human blood for nourishment."

The study reeked faintly of blood.

Two servants stood behind me, pinning my wrists in an iron grip.

A sharp silver needle broke the skin, and a crystal goblet was placed beneath my wrist.

Bright red blood dripped into the glass, one drop at a time.

Through the half-open door, I heard the physician speaking to Jason in a low, urgent voice.

"Sir, too much blood loss at once is dangerous for a human. Elena is already frail. If the bloodletting continues, she could go into shock."

"And Vicky's cravings are just a pregnancy symptom — animal blood would work just as well."

"No need."

Jason's voice was cold as ice.

"Your only job is to keep Vicky healthy. I'll handle the rest."

I heard his footsteps approaching and slowly closed my eyes.

"Does it hurt?"

He stood before me.

Maybe it was the blood loss playing tricks on me, but I thought I heard something tender in his voice.

I turned my head away. "Once you've taken enough, let me go."

My eyes stayed shut. Ever since watching my parents die, I couldn't look at that shade of red. I could only fight to keep my voice from trembling.

I'd hoped our last moments together could at least be dignified. But looking back, Jason resented me for tying him down his entire life, for failing to give him an heir while occupying the seat of his wife. Of course he wouldn't let me go easily.

Vicky nestled against Jason, watching the bottles fill with my blood. She sighed softly.

"I've always felt sorry for Elena, honestly. Living here all these years and leaving with nothing."

She sipped my blood as she spoke, her tone impossibly gentle.

Jason glanced at the blood in the bottle, his expression flat. "She was only ever a human."

Vicky laughed.

"But the clan spent quite a bit on her, didn't they?"

"I heard they brought in physicians from the oldest bloodlines just to help her conceive a vampire child."

Her gaze drifted to me — half-collapsed on a narrow medical cot, thin as paper.

"What a shame. Ten years, and she couldn't produce a single heir."

Jason didn't argue.

He simply said, "The Vanderlooms don't keep dead weight."

A buzzing sound broke the silence.

My phone.

I forced my eyes open and stared at the dim screen as notifications piled up.

Vicky glanced over and smirked.

"You're popular. All these messages — who's looking for you?"

Jason's gaze flickered to me with a hint of displeasure, but he quickly smoothed it over with the same mask of indifference.

"Debt collectors? If you apologize to me now, I might consider settling the debts your parents left behind."

Listening to the sound of my blood filling those bottles, my mind drifted.

Years ago, Jason's grandfather had officiated our wedding. Afterward, the old man went north to expand the family's business and rarely returned to the main estate.

Without him here, Jason had grown bolder in disregarding our marriage.

Even the assets my parents left behind were carved up by other clans. Funds they'd legitimately withdrawn for investments were repackaged as debts I could never repay.

My parents never could have imagined that the gratitude they'd bought with their lives would become chains around my neck.

I looked down at my phone.

[Elena, the driver says you haven't come out yet? Don't tell me you've changed your mind.]

[You promised to marry me. Why won't you let me come get you?]

[You still care about that vampire, don't you? … It's okay. I don't mind. As long as you're willing to come with me.]

Message after message lit up my screen.

My finger hovered for a few seconds before I tapped the reply field.

The glow of the screen fell across my face.

Jason suddenly noticed something different in my expression.

Not the despair and humiliation I usually wore in front of him — but something he hadn't seen in a long time. A quiet tenderness.

His brow furrowed slightly.

Vicky scoffed.

"Texting someone at a time like this? Elena, your creditors really don't give up."

I ignored her.

I typed slowly.

[Just a little longer. I'll be there soon.]

My vision began to dim. I could no longer make out what Jason and Vicky were saying about me.

The usual things, probably — that I couldn't produce an heir, that I was draining the Vanderloom fortune, that I was clinging to their charity.

In my memory, the image of the bright, smiling vampire boy I'd once known faded to nothing.

I sat there quietly.

As if none of this had anything to do with me anymore.

Only one message remained in my mind.

[As long as you're willing to come with me.]

In ten years, I'd had countless chances to leave — to walk away from this hopeless marriage.

But I kept letting myself believe that Jason still loved me, staying like a fool to be humiliated and tormented.

Now he had a child on the way. He had a woman carrying it for him.

There was no reason for me to stay.

This blood — consider it my final repayment to the Vanderlooms.

Soon, I'd be free.

Elena's POV

When I woke, the sky outside was already fading to dusk.

My body felt hollowed out. Even breathing brought a faint sting.

The ceiling was an unfamiliar white.

It took me a few seconds to realize I'd been moved to a guest room.

My wrist was wrapped in thick bandages. The air carried a faint smell of blood.

"You're awake?"

Jason's voice came from the direction of the sofa.

I turned my head slowly.

He was leaning back, flipping through documents, perfectly composed — as if the person who'd drained half my life just hours ago hadn't been him.

When he saw me looking, he closed the folder and stood.

"The physician says it's just blood loss. You'll live."

His tone was flat, like he was reporting the weather.

I didn't speak. My throat was so dry it burned. I coughed twice.

Jason walked to the bedside and held out a glass of water.

I didn't take it. He didn't push. He set it back down, looking faintly uncomfortable.

"Vicky just woke up."

A beat of silence.

His voice held a barely perceptible gentleness.

"She feels guilty. Says she shouldn't have taken so much."

Jason watched me, as if waiting for something.

I just stared at the ceiling. No response.

He frowned.

"She's actually a good person. Just exhausted from the pregnancy. That's why she wanted your blood so badly. She went a little overboard."

His eyes stayed on my face as he spoke, searching, testing.

In the past, words like that would have broken me.

I'd once lost control completely — screamed at him, shattered the glass coffee table with my bare hands.

I'd stood there with blood running down my fingers, crying, interrogating him.

"Jason, why do you treat me like this?"

"Did you ever love me?"

"Or was I just a joke from the very beginning?"

I'd been half out of my mind, clinging to him like a last straw, desperate to hear even a shred of an answer.

But Jason had just stood there, watching me with eyes that held none of the warmth they once had.

"Love?"

He turned the word over like it tasted strange.

Then he scoffed.

"Elena, I think you've misunderstood something."

"I never needed a human wife."

His gaze dropped to my flat stomach, cold as a blade.

"What I needed was an heir. A woman who could carry and bear my child."

"As for you—"

He paused.

As if searching for the right word.

Then, with devastating casualness:

"You're just a trouble my grandfather left behind."

After that day, I never asked him again.

Now, Jason was still watching me, waiting for the familiar reaction.

Anger. Jealousy. Devastation.

He liked seeing me fall apart. He savored my pain, as if the years we'd spent as childhood sweethearts had never existed.

But I gave him nothing. I just said, quietly:

"That's great. Vicky suits you. I know she's always been in love with you."

Jason blinked, clearly caught off guard.

"What?"

I turned to look at him.

My voice was so calm that even I found it strange.

"You two should be together. Don't waste what you have. I'm fine. I won't die. Go take care of her."

His frown deepened.

This wasn't the reaction he was used to.

After a long silence, he said, "What kind of tantrum is this?"

I shook my head. My fingers twitched, then strained to reach the glass of water. I brought it to my lips, weak and trembling.

Jason stared at me for a long time. Then, suddenly, something seemed to cross his mind.

"By the way — Grandfather is coming back for his birthday celebration."

"He says he hasn't seen the younger members of the family in a long time."

Jason straightened his cuffs and rose from the edge of my bed, his voice settling back into its usual chill.

"There'll be many guests. I need you to handle the invitation list and prepare a gift."

I froze for a second, then struggled to sit up. "But we're getting divorced."

Jason's hands stilled.

Then he moved to the head of the bed and pressed down on my shoulders, leaning over me.

He looked down at me, a glint of mockery in his eyes.

"Until I sign, you're still Mrs. Vanderloom."

"So be good. Grandfather adores you. Keep him happy, and it'll work in your favor."

He straightened up.

"Isn't that convenient? Once the celebration is over, I'll sign the divorce papers."

He studied me for a moment, then added with a contemptuous smirk:

"Not that it matters. You'll be begging me not to divorce you by then. Why bother with this act, Elena?"

The room was quiet for a long time.

I slowly closed my eyes. I had no energy left to argue.

After a moment, I said softly, "Fine."

"I'll prepare a gift. I'll make sure Grandfather has a good birthday."

Jason nodded, clearly satisfied.

He turned to leave, reaching out of habit to pat the top of my head — but I tilted away before he could.

The moment the door closed behind him, I finally allowed myself a small smile.

If he wouldn't let me go, then I'd stay. I'd give the Vanderloom patriarch the birthday celebration of a lifetime.

And I would give Jason a gift he'd never forget.