I Let Her Go, Now She's Unattainable

"We're ending this marriage."

A stack of divorce papers landed on the table with a careless flick, stopping right in front of Elliana Reed.

"Thirty million is more than what a top-tier maid earns, so that should be enough for you."

Elliana held a plain envelope tightly, and she kept her head lowered while the heavy text on those papers made her vision burn.

After a shaky breath, she raised her face and tried to steady herself as she took in the man whose sharp features were frozen in a cold, distant stare.

When she finally spoke, her voice stayed soft.

"Dominic, it's our third anniversary. Let's sit down and eat together. After dinner, there's something important I want to tell you."

Dominic Stanley never gave her the chance.

His impatience surfaced with a stiff frown as he interrupted. "Elliana, what's the point of dragging this out? I haven't so much as touched you in three years. What you claim happened back then is only your own version of the story. Renee is back now. She managed to get an invitation to the banquet at Vista Cay, and she actually knows Caduceus. She told me she can convince Caduceus to treat my mother during the event. You could never give me anything like that."

Each word hit Elliana with a cold force, and she felt her chest tighten.

It always came back to Renee Fowler.

The moment Dominic said her name, a fleeting gentleness crossed his otherwise distant eyes.

Softness replaced the tight line of his lips, and a gentler look surfaced.

Elliana realized, not for the first time, that she had never been on the receiving end of that expression.

A bitter smile tugged at her lips, though she tried to hide it.

Three years ago, Renee vanished the moment Dominic lost the use of his legs.

Elliana, on the other hand, stayed by his side, night after night, administering secret treatments to help heal what was broken. Even so, her devotion was outweighed by the promise of a banquet invitation and a handful of empty words.

There was something almost laughable about it all.

"Did Laurie agree to all of this?"

"Of course she did. Renee and my mother have always gotten along. Just today, she was at the house, chatting and helping with my mother's medication, and somehow my mother's health already seemed to improve. Honestly, Renee is the only person my mother ever thought of as her daughter-in-law."

He sounded almost proud as he said it, but his eyes were sharp with disdain.

A sharp ache spread through Elliana's chest, like invisible needles.

Years of cold shoulders and cutting remarks from Laurie Stanley had taught her that nothing in this family would ever change.

No matter how hard she worked or how much she sacrificed, she would never be enough for Dominic or his mother.

Maybe it was time to let everything go.

Without a word, she slid the envelope into her pocket, hiding away the