When I got back to the villa, I could hear the sounds of pillow-talk upstairs.

Elowen's giggles were mixed with Jaxon's low, ragged breaths, muffled grunts, and pleas.

I went up and entered the bedroom to grab my passport and bank cards. Then, I changed into a new set of clean clothes.

When I came down with a suitcase, I ran right into Jaxon and Elowen stepping out of the master bedroom.

"Oh, Scarlett's back. Why is she leaving right after coming back?" Elowen asked, feigning surprise.

Jaxon's eyes were fixed on my suitcase. "Where are you going?"

"Leaving," I said, heading straight for the door.

He grabbed my arm hard. "Stop! Does your mom know you—"

"She's dead," I cut him off flatly. "She died last night while you locked me up."

Elowen gave a shrill laugh. "Gosh! You'd even curse your mom just for a show!"

Jaxon's gaze darkened at my words. "Scarlett, you—"

"Move!" I snapped and yanked my arm free.

"Oh, don't be mad, Mr. Wilde," Elowen interrupted as she stepped right in front of me with a gloating grin.

"Scarlett, even if your mom did die, it's for the best. She leeched off Mr. Wilde for so long and raised a daughter who drugs men and crawls into their beds, so good riddance!"

"Shut up! You have no right to speak of her!" I turned and gave her a sharp, cold glare.

"And why not?" Elowen's voice rose as she jabbed her finger so close to my face. "Your mom was just a filthy old woman who pimped out her daughter, a pathetic creature who fakes tears and plays victim just to get money from men—"

A slap rang out clean and sharp.

While she clutched her face, Elowen's eyes bulged in shock. That shock soon settled and twisted into hate as she screamed, "How dare you hit me! You filthy whore!"

I stepped back and swung my arm.

She stumbled from the force and sprained her ankle, crashing into the cabinet beside her.

There was an ugly tearing sound as her arm tore across the cabinet's sharp edge and instantly split her flesh. Blood splattered the wallpaper and carpet in a grotesque arc.

"Help! It hurts! My arm!" she screamed and collapsed, clutching the wound.

Jaxon immediately pulled her behind him and glared at me. "Feeling guilty now that your dirty secrets are out? Can't stand being exposed?"

I stared him down and flatly replied, "I didn't push her."

However, he ignored every word as rage swallowed his last shred of sense. He turned on Winston and the housekeepers who'd just rushed in and roared, "Burn everything in her room! If she wants to leave, fine! She doesn't get to take a single thing from this house!"

I watched in silence as the flames swallowed the last photograph we ever took together. All I could feel was freedom and relief from having ten years of our youth burned to ash.

"Now, apologize!" Jaxon snarled and gripped my chin, only to freeze when he saw my eyes.

I slapped his hand away hard and turned to walk toward the door. Behind me, he roared, "Scarlett! Walk out that door and don't come back!"

I clenched the flight ticket in my fist and didn't look back.

…

Three days later, Jaxon returned from the hospital with Elowen, whose arm was wrapped in layers of plaster cast. The moment he stepped through the door, something felt off.

Usually, even if he came home late, the kitchen light would instantly flick on, and warm coffee would be readily served to sober him up.

But now, there was an eerie silence. A few housekeepers peeked out from corners and quickly shrank back.

Elowen purred and leaned close. "Mr. Wilde, sit down, will you? You must be so tired. Let me—"

"Winston!" Jaxon annoyedly snapped, cutting her off. "Where's Scarlett? Tell her to get down here!"

Winston rushed over and calmly reported. "Mrs. Wilde isn't home, Mr. Wilde."

"Not here? Did she really run away? Call her and tell her to crawl back here now!" Jaxon frowned.

"We couldn't reach her. She left her phone on her desk when she left two days back," Winston said as his voice dipped lower with every word.

Then, he paused and added, "There's also a set of signed divorce papers."

A cold glint flashed in Jaxon's eyes. He stormed upstairs and kicked the bedroom door open. It was empty, and only the desk remained.

The divorce papers were beside the old phone with my name, "Scarlett Emberlyn", signed at the bottom.

"Ha! So she thinks she's grown a backbone?" His cold laugh came out strangled, while his rage flared hotter by the second.

He furiously kicked the desk drawer, and the locked compartment flew open with a crack, revealing an old diary inside.

He grabbed it on reflex and was ready to hurl it into the trash can, but the words on the cover made him pause. He started flipping through the entries.

"May 20th, 2010—Sunny. It's funny. As the perfect student, he hates fights. But when they picked on me, he'd always throw a punch. I asked him why, and he said it's just because he liked my blue sunflowers. When I gave him the painting, he simply smiled when the paint smudged his sleeves."

"March 12th, 2015—Overcast. We're together! He says it's just to deal with blind dates from his family, but I'm still so happy."

"March 15th—Light rain. He's still cold three days after the wedding. I understand that he can't let Aveline go, but I believe my efforts and genuine concern will eventually melt him."

"September 3rd, 2020—Stormy. His stomach hurt again tonight. He wouldn't let the housekeepers in, so I left a bowl of warm soup outside the study. Though he called me a pathetic bitch, he did drink a little of the soup."

"September 10th, 2021. This is the third 'Aveline' he's brought home and had me teach how to please him. After he did, he said I was smart."

"December 25th, 2022—Snow. He got drunk on Christmas and held me as he called out Aveline's name. I pretended not to hear and made him some hangover soup. When he threw up all over me, I had to clean until dawn.

"Mom coughed blood again, and there was another hospital bill… How much longer can I keep this up, Jaxon?

"October 8th, 2025—Cloudy. This marks the tenth year, and Mom's getting worse. The doctor says it won't be long now.

"He brought back another 'Aveline' who looks more like her than any of the others.

"Just hang in there a little longer. The savings are almost enough, and everything's going to be okay once I take Mom out of here."

The last page was dated three days ago.

"October 10th, 2025. Let's not meet again."

"No way!" Jaxon yelled.

Jaxon felt his heart clench. For the first time, panic overwhelmed him as he slammed the diary shut and shouted, "Get the car! We're going to Pinecrest Hospital! I'm sure she wouldn't dare abandon her mom!"

Winston stepped in with a notice from the hospital and announced in a trembling voice, "M-Ms. Emberlyn's mom is dead!"

Jaxon was stunned. "What?"