Chapter 1
“Mrs. Vanderbilt, the food’s gone cold again. Should I reheat it?” The housekeeper’s cautious tome carried a hint of impatience as she glanced at Paisley Sutton
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Paisley sat alone at the large dining table, the vast space around her amplifying her solitude. She glanced at the time and then at the housekeeper, whose frustration was over her face. “Just clear it away” said Paisley with a faint smile that barely masked her weariness.
It was her birthday today, yet neither her husband nor son had bothered to come home. The stark absence of their presence made the silence in the room deafening
The housekeeper began clearing the table with swift, almost annoyed movements, muttering under her breath, “Mrs. Vanderbilt, not to be rude, but why go to all this trouble? You knew neither your husband nor your son would be back tonight, yet you insisted on preparing a whole feast.
“Reheating this food three times tonight? It’s exhausting. Honestly, as a wife and mother, you’re not exactly winning any awards. Otherwise, why would they both avoid you like this?”
“You’re right. I’ve failed spectacularly, Paisley replied with a bitter smale. The words stung, but she no longer had the strength to argue. In this house, even the housekeeper had no qualms about being openly dismissive toward her.
She understood that the housekeeper’s attitude mirrored the Vanderbilt family’s treatment of her. She scoffed internally. If my husband and son don’t respect me, why would anyone else?”
Seeing Paisley’s quiet despair, the housekeeper softened slightly, a flicker of pity crossing her Lace.
With a sigh, she muttered, “People always cling to things that don’t belong to them. If I were you, I’d let go. Let it all go. You’d be doing yourself a favor–and maybe even others.”
Paisley didn’t respond, but the words lingered, sinking deep into her mind like stones dropped into a still pond.
The room remained quiet, save for the clinking of dishes being cleared away. The chandelier overhead cast a soft, golden glow, but it only emphasized how hollow the space felt. Paisley’s chest tightened, her heart weighed down by the emptiness she’d grown accustomed to.
The housekeeper finished clearing the table and retreated to her quarters, leaving the vast dining room eerily silent.
Paisley turned of all the lights, her movements slow and deliberate, as if each step required effort.
Cradling the cake box, she climbed the grand staircase and returned to her bedroom. The space was cold, the kind of cold that seeped into her soul
rather than her skin.
She settled onto the plush sofa by the window, the moonlight spilling in faintly, casting soft shadows on the walls,
Carefully, she opened the cake box. Inside was a delicately crafted dessert meant for celebration, though the atmosphere couldn’t feel less festive. She removed the cake, placed a single candle on top, and lit it. The flickering flame reflected in her tired eyes in an overwhelming darkness.
Just as she was about to gather her thoughts, a sharp WhatsApp message shattered the silence in the room. The sound was jarring in the quiet space, its abruptness making her heart jump. She hesitantly reached for her phone, only to find it was a video message.
She clicked on it, and the screen revealed a scene from a VIP hospital suite. Her husband, Dominick Vanderbilt, and her young son, Grayson Vanderbilt, sat by the bedside of a gorgeous, frail–looking woman.
Paisley recognized her instantly. It was Marissa Prescott, Dominick’s childhood sweetheart, to whom Dominick had once been engaged. This video
was from her.
*Dom. I’m so sorry to keep you h
here so late, Marissa’s weak voice came through, punctuated by soft, deliberate cought.
“It’s no trouble.” Dominick replied, his tone warm and gentle, with a tenderness Paisley hadn’t heard from him in years. It wasn’t just warmth was affection, even indulgence.
“So, he’s been with her all day! Paisley thought, a faint, self-deprecating smile curling her lips. She couldn’t even remember the last time Dominick had spoken to her without an edge of irritation, let alone with this kind of fondness.
A pang of bitterness twisted in her chest as she wondered when his voice, once a source of comfort, had turned into every word he directed at her was either critical or cold.
a weapon. Now, it seemed.
“Marissa, you don’t need to worry, came Grayson’s soft, childlike voice from the video. His small, chubby body crawled up onto the bed, snuggling into Marissa’s arms. Daddy and I love staying here with you. We don’t wanna go home.”
Chapter 1
The boy’s next words hit like a dagger. “I love having Marissa around. I wish she was my mommy”
The video ended abruptly, leaving Paisley staring at the blank screen.
Her hands trembled as she set the phone down. The candle on the cake flickered, its glow dim against the suffocating darkness in the room
Finally, Paisley made up her mind. She drew a deep breath and blew out the flame. The dinness swallowed the room at her voice broke the silence. soft and almost a whisper. “Happy birthday to me.”
Dominick returned home well past midnight. The house was shrouded in darkness, an unusual sight. There was always a light left on for him, no mutter how late he arrived, but tonight, that small comfort was conspicuously absent.
His brow furrowed with imitation as he handed Grayson off to the housekeeper. Without a word, he strode toward the master bedroom, his steps brisk and sharp. When he noticed the light spilling out from under the door, his grim expression eased slightly.
Inside, Paisley sat upright on the sofa, her posture unnervingly composed. Beside her was a neatly packed suitcase, and on the low coffee table in from of her lay a divorce agreement, stark and unmissable.
Dominick’s fleeting relief vanished, replaced by a cold, impenetrable look. His voice was clipped and edged with annoyance. “Paisley, what is this!
Another one of your stunts?
Paisley could feel the tension between them crackle like static in the air. She didn’t have the energy to entertain his accusations, nor did she have the desire to dig into the complicated mess he called a “stunt
She stood her ground, her voice quiet but unwavering, “Dominick, I want a divorce.
He sighed heavily, his fatigue evident as he loosened his the and tossed it onto the sofa. That was when his gaze fell on the small cake sitting on the coffee table, its candle burned down to the wick
“It’s your birthday today! His tone carried faint disbelief, 1
laced with a trace of guilt. He’d forgotten, and his assistant hadn’t reminded him either. “It doesn’t matter,” Paisley replied, shaking her head. She pushed the divorce agreement closer to him, her expression unwavering. “Sign it. Let’s
Dominick’s brows drew together, his irritation and confusion flaring as if she were the one making a scene. “Why” he demanded, his tone accusatory. “Because I forgot your birthday? Don’t you think that’s a little melodramatic?”
He glanced at the agreement with a hint of mockery in his eyes, and then stretched out two fingers, pinching the paper between them. Slowly, he began flipping through it, one page at a time, as if inspecting it like some trivial document that didn’t matter.
He sneered. “You ask for nothing? You’re going to leave empty–handed? Paisley, where would you even go without me?
A bitter laugh escaped Paisley’s lips, though her heart felt heavier with every beat.
“So that’s it, she thought. He’s so certain that Em trapped, that I have no sure he can keep draining me of every last ounce of love and patience”
o one to rely on
on in Harrowfell, no place to go. That’s why he’s so confident, so
Her inner voice hissed with venom, What an arrogant, self–satisfied jerk
Yet on the outside. Paisley remained cenly calm, her salence more cutting than
any re
Teror
She let out a cold, mirthless laugh. “Where I go is none of your concern. All you need to do is sign the tomorrow. Her voice was calm, but the ice in her tone could cut through steel.
the papers and meet me
me at t
the City Hall
At that, Dominick’s temper flared, his voice laced with frost. “Have you really thought this through?”
She alidn’t bother responding, simply tossing
ng the p
pen onto the table near his hand. “Stop wasting time. Sign it.
Her unwavering resolve struck him like a blow. For a moment, Dominick faltered, his mind clouded with a fleeting sense of unease. Her once–soft eyes now turned with an unyielding determination he hadn’t seen before.
Slowly, he drew in a deep breath and massages his temple, the weariness in his expression growing more pronounced. “Fine. Divorce it is,” he his tone heavy with frustration. Tut Sonny’s custody That’s off the table. You’re not taking him.”
Before Paisley could react, a small voice pierced the tension. Grayson had woken at some point and now dashed into the room, clutching
Dominick’s arm tightly
sod.
He glared at Paisley, his little face twisted with anger as he yelled, Tm staying with Daddy. I don’t want to witch
go with yo
you. You’re a horrible mom A
2/4
9:34 PM ď ď
Chapter 1
“Sonny,” Dominick snapped, his voice sharp enough to startle the boy,
But Grayson was undeterred, his tear–streaked face defiant after getting screamed at. “I’m not wrong, he shouted, his words tumbling out in a storm of emotion. “You’re just a useless housewife. Grandma and Aunt Kayla said so.
“If you hadn’t come between Daddy and Marissa, she would be my mom right now?
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Dominick sighed deeply, “Grayson, enough—*
But Paisley cut him off, her voice slicing through the air like a blade. “I dont care about Grayson. I don’t care about anything. I just want a divorce.” Her tone was final, leaving no room for negotiation or second–guessing.
Dominick’s lips tightened into a thin line, his expression hardening in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Paisley to say something like that—something so resolute, so cold. To refuse to take Grayson with her after the divorce, after everything she had been through for Grayson, felt unthinkable.
Dominick couldn’t forget the sacrifices she had made to bring their son into the world. Paisley had nearly lost her life on the operating table, and afterward, she had poured herself into raising Grayson, rending to him with an intensity that bordered on obsession.
She had given him everything, every part of herself, to make him safe, healthy, and loved. And now, she was simply saying she didn’t want him and didn’t want anything to do with him.
Even Grayson seemed stunned into silence by her words, his sobs abruptly halting as he stared at her in disbelief. But the shock didn’t last long. A twisted smile crept onto his face, one too bitter for a child. “Good.
“Daddy, hurry up and divorce her. Then Marissa can be my mommy”
The words hung in the air like poison, choking the remnants of warmth left in the room. Dominick ignored Grayson’s outburst entirely, his sharp gaze fixed on Paisley like a predator sizing up its prey
His voice dropped an octave, cold and commanding. “Il ask you one last time–are you absolutely sure about this divorce?”
Paisley met his eyes without flinching, her tone calm yet resolute. “Yes“:
She watched Dominick’s pen carved his name onto the divorce agreement, his movements deliberate yet forceful. Without hesitation, she picked up her copy, the weight of it fuldly berating
y was unmistakable, “9:00 am
She grabbed her suitcase and headed toward the floor. Her voice was steady, but the undercurrent of finality was tomorrow. Cay Hall. Don’t be late.”
Just as her fingers tightened around the handle of her suitcase, her wrist was seized in a firm grip. Dominick’s hand was broad, his veins prominent along the back of it, exuding a raw, munculine allure that once had her utterly captivated.
She’d been obsessed with those hands, with the man they belonged to. But now, his touch felt like repulsive shackles.
“Let go,” she said icily, her voice stripped of all warmth.
Her thoughts churned bitterly. What’s the point of clinging now? Isn’t this divorce exactly what e housekeeper seemed eager to see me gone!
everyone wanted? Dominick, his family, and the
Dominick’s lips curled into a mocking smile, his tone laced with dark amusement. In such a hurry to leave? What? Got yourself a lover on the side. already!
A wave of exhaustion swept over Paisley, sinking into her very bones. She looked into his eyes, her words cutting through the tension like a knife. “Dominick, I have never hated you more than I do right now.”
For a moment, her words seemed to shake him. His grip loosened, and he let her wrist slowly slip from his grasp. His tone softened, almost imploring. “It’s late. Even if you’re set on leaving, you could wait until morning”
Adry, humorless laugh escaped her lips. She pulled her hand back, her gaze unwavering.
Without sparing him another glance, she grabbed her suitcase and walked out. The sound of the door closing behind her echoed in the vast emptiness of the house–a house that had imprisoned her for four long years.
Her departure felt like breaking free, but the weight of her pain and disillusionment lingered, trailing behind her like a shadow she couldn’t quite
shake
Chapter 2
