Ten years into our marriage, Declan finally stopped calling me by the wrong name in his sleep. When his "first love" called, he didn't immediately abandon me to run to her. Even our son started treating me like a mother, instead of begging for "Auntie Serena" to be his mom. Friends and family congratulated me. They said my patience had finally paid off, that the clouds had parted. Even my best friend, who had cut me off years ago because she couldn't stand watching me degrade myself for him, sent a text: "After all these years, Declan actually started loving you. I guess you win." Yes, he finally started loving me. He even canceled a major business trip to stay with me for New Year's Eve—a first. But I couldn't find it within myself to be happy. When he presented me with the vintage diamond necklace I had admired months ago as a New Year's gift, all I could manage was a stiff, polite smile. Declan finally snapped. "Isn't this everything you've ever wanted? Elara, what the hell is wrong with you?" Chapter 1 Declan furrowed his brow, looking at me like I was a business crisis he needed to mitigate. "Is it me? Did I do something wrong? Is Leo acting up again?" I shook my head. For the past six months, Declan had cut contact with Serena. He reported his schedule to me. He actually started paying attention to my likes and dislikes. Compared to the hell of the last decade, he was currently a model husband. Even our son, Leo, was behaving. No more screaming at me, and his teachers actually sent home a good report card. Declan’s confusion turned into irritation. He drummed his fingers on the mahogany table. Tap, tap, tap. "If everything is perfect, why are you acting like this?" "Elara, what game are you playing now?" "You have one hour to give me a valid explanation, or I’m not spending New Year’s Eve with you." He knew that was the ultimate threat. Since I was seventeen, my biggest wish was to kiss him when the ball dropped in Times Square—or at least, in our living room watching it on TV. Now, at thirty-two, I finally had the chance. But the joy wasn't there. I couldn't figure it out myself. Was I depressed? Did I just not believe him? Declan didn't get the answer he wanted. Instead, he got a phone call from Serena. He hesitated for two seconds. Then, perhaps to punish me for my silence, he broke his six-month streak and answered it. Serena’s voice, trembling and fragile, drifted from the speaker. "Declan... you finally answered." "I fell in the shower... I can't stand up. Please, you have to come save me." Declan said "Okay." Then he watched me, gauging my reaction. The old Elara would have been hysterical. I would have smashed vases. I would have knelt on the floor, hugging his legs, begging him not to go. But since six months ago, I had lost the energy to compete with Serena. I just said calmly, "Falling in the bathroom can be dangerous. You should go." The darkness in Declan's eyes deepened. He let out a cold laugh. "You’re so generous now. Fine. Since you’re so worried, come with me to help." He drove like a maniac. We arrived at Serena's apartment in record time. Declan waited in the living room while I went into the bathroom. Serena was lying on the tile floor, naked, posed in a way that accentuated every curve. Her voice was like honey. "Declan, I missed you so much... especially your touch..." But when she turned her head and saw me, the seduction died instantly. Her eyes shifted from lust to hatred. "What are you doing here? Did you come to mock me?" "Let me tell you, Elara. Declan only pities you. He’s only nice to you because you’ve been pathetic for so long. The one he really loves is me!" I didn't care to argue. I stepped forward to check if she was actually injured. Suddenly, Serena lunged, snatched my phone from my pocket, snapped several photos of her own naked body, and then threw the phone across the room. She screamed, blood-curdling and shrill. "Don't take photos of me! Help!" Declan burst in, panic written all over his face. "Serena! What happened?" Serena covered her chest with her hands, tears streaming down her face as she pointed at me. "She took nude photos of me! She threatened to leak them online and ruin my career if I didn't stay away from you!" Declan picked up my phone. He saw the photos in the gallery. His expression instantly shifted from concern to terrifying malice. He grabbed my jaw, squeezing hard enough to bruise. "Elara, I thought you had changed. I guess it was all an act." "You are still the same despicable, vicious, manipulative woman." Those adjectives made me freeze. Declan had been so nice lately. I had almost forgotten that in his heart, this was who I really was. Chapter 2 They say first impressions are impossible to kill. When we were seventeen, the first time Declan "met" Serena, she was slipping money into his locker. He thought the person who had been anonymously helping him—the poor scholarship student—was her. Pure and kind Serena. But I was the one who put the money there. I had a crush on him. I didn't want to watch him work three jobs and study until he passed out. I wanted to protect his pride, so I did it anonymously. The day he caught Serena, she wasn't putting money in. She was stealing it. The first time Declan actually saw me, I was the rich, arrogant girl in the hallway, slapping Serena across the face. Serena was on her knees, begging. "Please, don't have me expelled! I need this scholarship to change my life!" So, Declan decided I was a bully. A monster. He didn't know Serena had stolen my late mother’s ring—a ring worth thousands—and sold it to a pawn shop for twenty bucks. I slapped her in a rage. Declan shoved me to the ground. "What do you think you're doing?" My friend tried to defend me. "That thief stole Elara's heirloom!" Declan looked at me with pure disgust. As a poor student, he’d been accused of stealing too many times. The scene triggered him. He threw the love letter I had placed in his locker that morning—along with the cash—at my feet. "Elara Vance, right? Let me tell you something. I will never, ever like someone like you." He helped Serena up and walked away. Later, he put Serena on a pedestal. They went to the same college. He planned to propose. But the night before his graduation, at a party, both he and I were drugged. One night. That was all it took. I got pregnant with Leo. Declan was forced to break up with Serena and marry me. He was convinced I drugged him. At our wedding, he looked at me like I was his worst enemy. I had hope back then. I thought, eventually, he’ll see the real me. But ten years of marriage taught me otherwise. He abandoned me for Serena over and over. He sided with her every time she framed me. He whispered her name in our bed. I was done. Standing in that bathroom, listening to his accusations, I felt nothing but fatigue. "Apologize to Serena," he commanded. I pushed his hand away. "Only people who do wrong need to apologize. I don't." I looked him in the eye. "If you feel so bad for her, go ahead and carry her to bed. She was just saying how much she missed your touch." I had never spoken to him like that. "Get the hell out!" he roared. As I turned to leave, he yelled, "Elara! Don't you dare regret this!" I regretted a lot of things. Leaving that room wasn't one of them. I walked out into the cold night. The next morning, headlines exploded. Tech CEO Declan and Actress Serena: A Steamy New Year's Eve Reunion. Declan didn't come home. I was the laughingstock of our social circle again. Leo reverted to his old ways, crying that he wanted to sleep at Auntie Serena’s house. Worse, the internet "detectives" started digging. Since Declan never publicly acknowledged me, they assumed I was the mistress interfering with true love. Serena’s crazed fans cornered me in an alleyway behind the grocery store. Panic set in. I dialed home. Leo answered. "I'm making a birthday gift for Auntie Serena! Don't bother me!" Click. I called Declan. Before I could scream for help, he cut me off. "Unless you are calling to apologize to Serena, don't call me." His voice was so cold it made me forget the baseball bat swinging toward me. I let out a bitter laugh. "What if I'm about to die? Can I call you then?" Declan paused, his breathing heavy. Then, fueled by anger: "Then go ahead and die." The line went dead. The bat connected with my ribs. I closed my eyes. I collapsed in a pool of my own blood. Chapter 3 I woke up in a hospital bed. Declan was sitting there, looking uncharacteristically disheveled and anxious. I tried to move, but my body felt shattered. Especially my chest. "Don't move," Declan said, pressing my shoulder gently. "You have three broken ribs." He licked his dry lips, looking guilty. "I'm sorry. I... I didn't know you were in danger that day." "Did they catch the people who did this?" I asked, my voice raspy. Declan looked away. "Karma will get them." I almost laughed. Even Serena’s violent fans were protected by him? Seeing my expression, he mumbled, "The ringleader is close to Serena. She... she’s in a delicate condition right now. I can’t upset her by having her friend arrested." Delicate condition. I looked at his eyes and I knew. Serena was pregnant. He forgot about my "delicate condition" years ago. He brought Serena to our house and slept with her on top of the baby clothes I bought. He claimed he had no money for my prenatal vitamins, then funded Serena’s acting career. When Serena tripped me and sent me into early labor, nearly killing me, he blamed me for being clumsy and hurting Serena’s ankle. The rage should have burned me alive. But Declan, oblivious, took my hand. "I know you're upset, but you wronged Serena first." "That day... if you hadn't provoked me, I wouldn't have slept with her." "Elara, if you promise to change, I’ll give her a settlement once the baby is born. I’ll cut ties. And then..." He looked down, his ears turning red. "Then I will love you properly. More than I have these past six months." My eyes widened. He said he would love me. The words I had waited fifteen years to hear. But instead of joy, my heart sank like a stone. In that moment of clarity, I finally understood why I hadn't been happy for the last six months. Because by the time he started loving me, I had stopped loving him. It was such a simple answer. Loving him had been my survival instinct. Even when he destroyed me, I couldn't turn it off. But now? It was gone. I wouldn't accept crumbs anymore. I wouldn't accept pain in the name of love. The invisible chains around my neck shattered. "Declan," I said clearly. "Let's get a divorce." He froze. Then, the anger exploded. "Elara, are you threatening me?" "Do you want me to force Serena to get an abortion? Is that it?" "Are you so cruel that you'd kill an unborn child?!" Just then, Serena walked in, holding her stomach. She dramatically fell to her knees. "Elara, please! Spare my baby!" Behind her, my son, Leo, rushed forward. He had a hard plastic toy in his hand. He slammed it down onto my broken ribs. "Bad woman! Don't bully my Mommy Serena! Don't hurt my baby brother!" Chapter 4 The pain in my chest was blinding. It rivaled childbirth. Declan pulled Leo back, scolding him, but Leo just glared at me with pure hatred. This was the boy I almost died birthing. The boy I nursed through postpartum depression. He used to cling to me. But at three years old, Declan started "educating" him. Don't be like your mother. Be kind like Auntie Serena. He turned my son against me. Just minutes ago, I was debating fighting for custody. Now? I was free. When the pain subsided, I whispered, "Have the baby. I was joking." Declan relaxed. "I knew you wouldn't be that heartless." "When you get discharged, you can help take care of Serena at the house. She can't be seen in public with the bump right now." I agreed to everything. Inside, I was planning my escape. I had lost my family, my friends, and my career for this marriage. I had hit rock bottom. But I wasn't going to die there. A month later, I discharged myself while Declan took Serena to an ultrasound and Leo was at school. I went home, grabbed my passport and ID—which I had to hunt for—and packed one suitcase. I took one last look at the house I had been imprisoned in for ten years. On the desk, I saw Declan's open journal. The last entry read: I forgive her for her despicable past. I have made peace with loving her. I scoffed. I picked up a pen and wrote one line beneath it. I placed the signed divorce papers next to the journal. And then I walked out the door. ... After the ultrasound, Serena picked a fight with Declan. "You're distracted. Are you rushing back to see Elara?" "Do you only feel guilty toward me? Do you love her?" Declan didn't answer. He didn't know the answer. He just felt a frantic need to see Elara. He sped to the hospital, but the bed was empty. He raced home, ready to scream at her for leaving without permission. But the house was silent. The closet was open. Her things were gone. He stumbled into the study and saw the papers. He saw the note in the journal. He read it once and collapsed to the floor.
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