There was a time when Marcella, like any newlywed, wanted to frame her marriage certificate.

But the moment Grady heard about it, his face twisted with distaste.

Right in front of her parents, he declared that if she dared to frame it, he’d tear it up on the spot.

Thinking back to that moment, Marcella shook her head, finding her past self almost laughable.

Now, the off-white marriage certificate just sat on the bookshelf.

When she opened it, her hand froze midair.

Her face in the wedding photo had been covered with a sticker—Zeth’s oversized headshot.

Next to it, in scribbled handwriting, were the words: [My dad and my mom]

The sun blazed outside, yet a cold chill crept up from the soles of her feet.

She had no idea what she’d done wrong. Why was Seth so desperate to make Zeth his new mother?

Marcella shut the marriage certificate and took a deep breath, eyes closed.

‘It’s fine, Marcella. It doesn’t matter anymore. None of it matters anymore.’

When she opened her eyes again, clarity had returned.

As she turned around, she saw Grady standing in the study, though she had no idea when he’d arrived.

“What are you looking for? On the phone just now, I heard someone say they were coming to pick you up. Where are you going?”

His gaze landed on the marriage certificate and household registration book, suspicion written all over his face.

She couldn’t let him find out—so she lied.

“I scheduled a check-up. The driver’s coming to get me.”

Grady stayed silent as if weighing the truth of her words.

Just as she was about to walk past him, he grabbed her wrist.

“I’ll go with you.”

“There’s no need. I can handle it myself.”

The moment she refused, Grady’s brows knitted together.

In their marriage, the mere mention of him accompanying her anywhere would have sent her over the moon. From the second he spoke, she would’ve been anticipating it eagerly.

But now, there wasn’t a trace of excitement on her face. She remained indifferent.

Sensing her rejection, Grady tightened his grip.

“What’s really wrong with you? All I did was let Zeth use the bathroom! Is that really such a big deal?”

Marcella turned to glare at him, her eyes cold.

“Just the bathroom?”

The sudden confrontation stunned him.

Something flickered in his gaze—guilt.

For the first time, he avoided looking at her.

“This is ridiculous! I try to be nice, and you act like I’ve done something terrible! Fine, if you’re so eager to go to the hospital without me, suit yourself!”

Grady suddenly yanked his hand away, spitting out the words like she was the one being unreasonable.

Marcella let out a mocking laugh. ‘He’s guilty, all right.’

Not long after she handed her documents to the staff, she received a message.

[Miss Westerman, your marriage has been officially dissolved. To ensure your child’s safety, his status will be updated to adoption.]

The moment she read it, a weight lifted from her chest.

She no longer had to live under the fear of Grady leaving her.

This time, she was the one who left him.

Just as she put her phone away, it rang again.

It was Grady’s mother.

“Come to the family estate.”

That was all she said before hanging up.

She didn’t even give Marcella a chance to refuse.

His family had always been like this—looking down on her.

Yet Grady was the one who insisted on marrying her in the first place.

Later, right as Marcella reached the family estate, a woman’s playful laughter rang out from inside.

The moment Marcella stepped in, the smile on Henrietta's face vanished.

“Good grief, you’re really getting more arrogant by the day. Calling you back for something this important, and you still made me wait. You really don’t know your place, do you?”

Marcella had lost count of how many times she’d heard these words.

The woman beside Henrietta eyed Marcella from head to toe, her gaze filled with contempt.

Marcella had seen her once—from a distance—at an auction. The woman was the Churchills’ heiress.

In Henrietta's eyes, Grady should’ve married someone from a family like Arizona’s.

Arizona smiled faintly, her gaze occasionally landing on the stack of documents on the coffee table.

“Come here and sign.”

Henrietta tossed the words at Marcella, cold and indifferent.

On the table, bolded on the first page, were two words: [Divorce Agreement].

Marcella’s lips curled slightly, almost imperceptibly. ‘So that’s how it is.’

“This is Grady’s decision too?”

Henrietta raised an eyebrow, unsurprised by the question.

“Of course! He only married you for your kidney. We’ll compensate you more than enough to keep you comfortable for life, so you’d better not be ungrateful—”

She barely finished speaking when Marcella picked up the pen and signed her name.

She didn’t even glance at the contents.

Lifting her head, her eyes landed not on Henrietta, but on Arizona.

“Congratulations to you both in advance.”

For a moment, both Arizona and Henrietta were stunned.

Their faces turned pale and then red, clearly not expecting Marcella to agree so easily.

Without another word, Marcella turned to leave.

She had already chosen to let go of Grady. There was no reason for her to keep up appearances for his mother anymore.

“Your son only has one kidney left. Don’t hold up a young woman’s future for him. Besides, in his heart, there’s only Zeth.”

As expected, the moment Marcella said that, Arizona’s face drained of color.

The Walquists had been tight-lipped about Grady’s accident all these years. No one knew his true condition.

All anyone knew was that he had married a woman he didn’t love—out of obligation.

Marcella let out a soft laugh and shot a glance at Henrietta, whose face was now flushed with anger. Then, the younger woman turned and walked away.

Suddenly, with a crash, a porcelain vase shattered against the doorframe behind her.

“Without the Walquists, what do you think you are?! All these years, haven’t you and that kid been living off Grady’s money? Divorcing you is the greatest mercy we could show you!”

“What divorce?” A deep voice cut through the air.

Grady suddenly appeared in the doorway, his gaze shifting between Marcella and his mother.

Before Marcella could speak, Henrietta quickly reacted, putting on a pitiful act as she grabbed Seth’s hand.

“Marcella heard rumors about you and Zeth and came crying to me, demanding a divorce. No matter how much I tried to talk her out of it, she wouldn’t listen.”

She hadn’t expected Seth’s eyes to light up at that.

His gaze kept flickering toward the car parked outside.

The moment he heard they were getting a divorce, all he could think about was rushing out to tell Zeth.

Grady stood in front of Marcella, his expression unreadable.

“I’m leaving. The papers are signed.”

To her, the agreement didn’t really matter anymore—she was already set on heading into the wilderness. But since Henrietta had asked her to sign, Marcella figured she might as well get it over with.

But just as she stepped out, Grady grabbed the papers from the table and ripped them to shreds.

The pieces fluttered to the ground at her feet.

“I never agreed to a divorce! Don’t even think about leaving me in this lifetime!”

The light that had just flickered in Seth’s eyes instantly dimmed.

Seeing this, Marcella couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness in her heart.

Did he really hate her that much?

But Zeth had only been around for 10 days.

Grady’s gaze remained fixed on Marcella’s face as he spoke those words.

But she stayed indifferent, not even showing a hint of surprise.

She was nothing like the woman who once had eyes only for him.

For some reason, Grady felt as if something was slipping away—something beyond his control.

Just as Marcella turned to leave, Grady stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her out of the family estate.

But the moment they stepped out into the garden, Zeth was already standing there.

Her eyes were red as if she’d just been crying.

Her phone was still connected to a call, and from a distance, Marcella could see the contact name on the screen—Seth, the boy she had raised for seven years.

The man who had just been gripping her wrist so tightly instantly let go the moment Zeth turned her head.

All Marcella was left with was his retreating.

“Mom, if you want a divorce, why don’t you just be straightforward about it? You keep saying you want to leave, but then you cling to Dad. I hate you! I want Aunt Zeth to be my mom!”

With that, Seth shoved Marcella aside and ran off, chasing after Zeth without hesitation.

Standing outside the villa, Marcella couldn’t hear what Grady said to Zeth.

She only saw that one moment, Zeth was still angry, but in the next, her lips curled up slightly.

Then, Seth threw himself into her arms.

[I’m going to the office. Figure out how to get home yourself.]

It was a text message from Grady that popped up on her screen.

By the time Marcella looked up, the three of them were already in the car, ready to leave.

The scorching sun beat down, drenching her shirt in sweat.

The Walquists’ family estate was built up in the mountains, surrounded by nothing but wilderness for the sake of privacy.

Marcella walked alone along the mountain path, unable to get a cab no matter how hard she tried.

Her head was starting to feel dizzy. She took out her phone, thinking of calling for help.

But after scrolling through her contacts, she realized there wasn’t a single person she could call.

A distant honk broke the silence. When Marcella turned around, Arizona had already pulled up beside her.

“Playing hard to get a little too much, aren’t you? I almost believed you were serious about that divorce. So… it was all just an act, huh?”

Marcella never expected that signing the divorce papers without hesitation would be seen as nothing more than a ploy.

Of course. Everyone knew Grady had a wife who loved him to the bone—a wife who didn't even hesitate to donate her kidney for him.

‘So that’s what Grady thinks too, huh?’

Marcella didn’t bother explaining. She didn’t spare Arizona another glance.

Having just been ignored by Grady at the family estate, now being treated as air by someone she looked down on made Arizona’s blood boil.

As she watched Marcella’s retreating figure, an idea flashed through her mind.

The car suddenly sped up, brushing past Marcella.

Caught off guard, she stumbled and crashed to the ground.

“Oh my! So sorry about that! Maybe next time, watch where you’re going?”

Arizona leaned out of the car window, grinning at the sight of Marcella struggling to get up from the dirt.

Then, with a flick of her hair, she stepped on the gas, leaving nothing behind but a trail of exhaust.