Chapter 3

Seraphina POV

"Divorce?"

Ethan looked as if he had heard a ridiculous joke, a sneer of contempt appearing between his brows.

He strode forward, closing in on me, his tall frame casting me in his shadow.

"Seraphina, stop making a scene." He looked down at me, his tone carrying the arrogance of someone used to getting what he wanted. "You won an award in Paris this time. Tomorrow, I'll have the PR department release a statement giving the credit to Elara's studio. As compensation, I'll give you whatever you want. A limited edition couture dress? The mansion on the east side? I'll make it happen."

His casual tone made it sound as if the heartbreaking betrayal that had just happened meant nothing. As if I were nothing more than a pet needing a treat to be quiet.

I lifted my head, my bloodshot eyes filled with stubbornness and resolve.

I gritted my teeth and repeated, "I said, I want a divorce. Ethan, are you deaf?"

Ethan's eyes darkened abruptly, the temperature around him instantly dropping to freezing point.

"Seraphina, I advise you to face reality." He slipped one hand into his pants pocket, his voice cold and unforgiving. "I'm giving you two choices."

"First, continue to be Mrs. Thorne obediently. Under the protection of Thorne Group, you can enjoy endless wealth and luxury. But you must accept Elara and Leo moving in, continue to be Elara's shadow designer, and not question my private life."

"Second, leave the Thorne family now. The consequence is that you will leave empty-handed, and all bank accounts under your name will be frozen. I will have the entire New York design community blacklist you, and you will find it impossible to get by in this industry, unable to even make a living."

He leaned in slightly, his warm breath fanning my ear, but his words were like a serpent's hiss. "So, do you still want a divorce?"

Elara stood not far away, a secretive smirk playing on her lips.

"Seraphina, Ethan is doing this for your own good. Where can a helpless orphan like you go if you leave the Thorne family? As long as you're willing to stay, we can still be one big happy family."

One big happy family?

That term was the greatest insult to me.

I stared intensely at Ethan's incredibly handsome face, the tearing pain in my heart making me momentarily disoriented.

I suddenly remembered that snowy day five years ago. Back then, Ethan had just taken over Thorne Corp., facing enemies on all sides. To secure investment, he stood in the snow for an entire night. It was I who took all my savings, even sold my mother's keepsakes, to help him through his toughest time.

That day, he knelt in the snow, slipped a plain ring he had personally polished onto my ring finger, and swore with red-rimmed eyes, "Seraphina, my life is yours. As long as I live, I will never let you suffer any injustice."

But now, the man who swore never to let me suffer was holding a knife, carving into my flesh, piece by piece.

Five years of marriage, five years of giving my all, only to be called a "free nanny."

I closed my eyes, completely extinguishing the last flicker of weakness. When I opened them again, my gaze was as clear and cold as water, devoid of any love.

"No need to choose." I took a step back, widening the distance between us. "I find it disgusting."

Ethan's face instantly turned ashen, a vein throbbing faintly on his temple.

"Fine, very good." He laughed in anger, his eyes glinting with terrifying malice. "Since you're so ungrateful, don't blame me for being ruthless."

He turned and walked to his study, retrieving a pre-drafted divorce agreement and slamming it onto the table.

"Sign it. I'd like to see how long you can remain so stubborn once you leave the Thorne family!"

Without hesitation, I walked over, picked up the pen, and decisively signed my name in the signature space.

I tossed the pen down and coldly looked at Ethan. "Ethan, from today on, you and I have no connection whatsoever. What you owe me, one day, I will make you spit it out, principal and interest."

Ethan scoffed. "Big words. I'll be waiting for the day you come crying, begging me to take you back."

"Alfred!" Ethan barked, his voice sharp. "Watch her pack her things. Aside from the junk she brought herself, she's not allowed to take anything from the Thorne house!"

With that, he put his arm around Elara's shoulders and, with Leo, went upstairs without a backward glance, as if even a second look at me was too much.

In the vast living room, I stood alone.

I straightened my spine and walked towards the bedroom I had personally decorated, filled with five years of memories. It was fine. I, Seraphina Clarke, was never a helpless orphan to be slaughtered at will.