Elena's POV

Jason's face went rigid for a split second before he let out a short, sharp laugh.

"Don't be ridiculous. You can't just walk away from an alliance marriage."

He got out of bed and cupped my face in his hands.

At this distance, I could see the lipstick stain on his neck and smell the sharp tang of perfume on his skin.

I jerked away involuntarily, dropped to my knees, and dry-heaved.

Jason's hands clenched. His expression darkened.

"What? Disgusted that I've been with another woman?"

He towered over me, picking up the divorce papers and giving them a dismissive glance.

"This marriage was your idea. You begged for it, remember? You're the one who insisted on marrying me—and now you want a divorce?"

He tore the papers to shreds and let the pieces fall over me like confetti.

Back then, I'd cut ties with my family to be with him.

My father had warned me—if I chose a vampire alliance over his wishes, I could forget about ever coming home again.

To punish me for rejecting his chosen match, he'd taken over the Valerie family's human-world business interests.

He swore that no matter how miserable my marriage became, he'd make sure I could never divorce Jason.

With my father's deep business ties to the Valerie vampire clan, Jason and I were locked together for life.

I was proud back then—arrogant, even. I believed that if I just tried hard enough, I'd eventually make Jason love me.

I never imagined he'd hate me this much for a marriage he didn't choose. That he'd spend every day and night humiliating me, feeding off my suffering.

Ten years without producing a strong hybrid heir had exhausted the last of his patience.

"Don't forget, Elena—your family doesn't want you anymore. You have nowhere else to go."

"This little divorce stunt doesn't work on me. Haven't you figured that out by now?"

I looked at Jason's smug expression and could only smile bitterly.

He was right. The last few times I'd threatened divorce, I'd called home. No one ever picked up.

But this time was different.

What he didn't know was that when I married him ten years ago, I'd made a secret pact with my father.

If I could make Jason love me and stay faithful within ten years, my father would fully support our marriage and give us his blessing.

But if I failed, I'd go back and marry the man he'd chosen for me.

I'd lost. Completely and utterly.

So this time, I was really going to divorce him.

Elena's POV

Jason saw the silence in my eyes and a flicker of irritation crossed his face.

"Stop making a scene. Your parents had an arranged marriage too, and they each did their own thing. You don't need to stand here pretending to be hurt."

My fists clenched. I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached, glaring at him through burning eyes.

He knew this was my deepest wound—and he'd ripped it open without hesitation.

Part of the reason I'd defied my father and chosen a vampire was because I truly believed in their nature.

Vampires were loyal to their mates—forever.

I had desperately wanted that kind of marriage, that kind of love. I'd believed that one day, Jason would feel the same.

But I was wrong.

He'd married me under duress, and all he wanted was a hybrid heir.

Every way I'd tried to please him only made him despise me more—a clingy woman who couldn't even produce a child.

To disgust me and make me give up sooner, he'd never even bothered finding a steady companion. Instead, he brought a different woman home every time.

He would never love me. Maybe he was loyal by nature—just not to me. That was why he resented me so deeply.

I finally saw it clearly. It was time to let go.

Jason noticed the shift in my eyes—the absence of any warmth or longing—and something in his expression faltered.

It was the first time I'd ever looked at him without love.

"Shut up!"

I lost control, lunging forward to slap him across the face.

But as a human, I had no chance against a vampire's speed and strength.

Jessica rushed in front of Jason, making a show of taking the hit for him—eyes closed, head bowed. But her hands were already braced, and she shoved me sideways with hidden force.

I slammed into the wall and crumpled to the floor, clutching my abdomen. The pain was blinding, and for a long time, I couldn't catch my breath.

Jason caught the scent of blood. Something seemed to register, and he moved to help me up.

But Jessica was already clinging to his arm.

"Jason, my face hurts so much. Look—is it swelling?"

That suffocating perfume flooded his senses again, overriding every instinct, making him dismiss the blood pooling beneath me. He turned to stroke Jessica's flawless cheek with tender concern.

"Don't get blood on my floor. Clean it up yourself."

"We should call a doctor, though. We wouldn't want Mrs. Valerie dying here, would we, Jason?"

She called his name in that helpless little voice, pretending to be frightened.

But I saw what she did when his back was turned—the way she raised her brows at me, her smile sharp and venomous.

She mouthed something. Then her eyes cut to my stomach with unmistakable malice.

"Go die with your baby."

They disappeared from sight. The door slammed shut.

In my last moment of consciousness, I felt it clearly—the child was gone.

The last reason holding me back from leaving this place had vanished.

In the darkness, I saw the ball again.

The night I first met Jason. The crowded room, the grand feast—and I couldn't take my eyes off that boy across the hall.

I had told my father: I would never regret this. I wanted to marry the man I loved.

I said I refused to have a marriage like his and my mother's.

All of it had been my mistake.

Elena's POV

I woke to a bone-deep cold.

The air held a faint metallic tang. The room was empty—not a single lamp had been turned on for me.

I stared at the white ceiling for a long time before it sank in that I was still alive.

Beneath me, a patch of blood had already gone cold, sticky and nauseating.

I closed my eyes. My chest felt sealed shut, but I had no tears left.

He hadn't even called a doctor.

It took everything I had to pull myself upright using the edge of the bed. My body felt hollowed out—as if everything inside me had been emptied.

I braced myself against the frozen wall and inched forward, every step like walking on nothing. My vision went black in waves, my legs barely holding, yet I kept moving down the long corridor.

I reached the stairwell—and through a half-open door, I heard their voices.

The door wasn't fully closed. Warm golden light spilled through the crack, painfully bright.

Jason's laugh was easy and indulgent—a mocking contrast to the coldness from before.

His voice was low, carrying the kind of tenderness I had spent years hoping to hear.

"Stop fussing. You'll bump the baby."

Jessica giggled, her voice soft and syrupy, layered with rehearsed dependence.

"Were you spacing out earlier? I thought you were worried about her."

Jason paused—just for a heartbeat. I held my breath.

"No."

His tone was as flat as if he were discussing the weather.

Jessica let out a small hum, sounding relieved.

"Good. I wouldn't want her dying here. That'd just be bad luck."

She paused, then laughed lightly, deliberately casual.

"But she did lose a lot of blood. You really aren't worried something might happen?"

Jason sounded almost bored. "I have a bond contract with her. It strengthens her body. She'll be fine."

He said it without a trace of emotion, like he was addressing something that barely concerned him.

A beat of silence. Then the rustle of fabric. A breath drawn close.

Jessica leaned into him, her voice dropping to a murmur. "You're too soft, you know. If it were me, I'd have kicked that barren woman out a long time ago."

Jason didn't answer. But I heard him laugh—quiet and low.

That one laugh said more than any words could.

He didn't deny it.

In that moment, the world went still.

My heart went quiet.

No anger. No grief. No urge to confront them.

I just stood there, listened to every last word, and turned away.

I walked down the stairs, one step at a time—slow, shaking with pain, but utterly certain.

It was over.

I was done with him.