Chapter 3

When Dante saw me drenched in rain,he frowned in displeasure.

"The hall was just cleaned,and now you've dirtied it again."

My heart went completely cold.

The tears I had barely managed to stop broke loose again.

Cold wind drove rain through the crack of the door.Celeste gave a soft sneeze.

Concern flashed instantly in Dante's eyes.He took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

"Why haven't you closed the door?What if Celeste catches a cold?"

Numbly,I closed the door.

When I walked,the soles of my feet hurt as if needles were stabbing into them,and watery blood left faint trails on the floor.

But Dante did not spare me even a glance.He only ordered the servants to make hot tea.

He carefully helped Celeste sit down,as if she were fragile porcelain.

Celeste giggled and pushed his hand away.

"I'm not that delicate."

Then,as if only now noticing the blood on the floor,she covered her mouth in surprise.

"Dante,Evelyn's feet are all torn up.Hurry and have someone bring the first-aid kit."

Dante then noticed my injured feet.

His brows drew tight.

Just when I thought he was about to have someone fetch medicine,and I was ready to refuse his belated kindness.

He picked Celeste up in disgust and ordered the servants coldly,"Bring disinfectant.Wipe down every place she walked."

The servants hurried over with alcohol and disinfectant,pouring them over the places I had crossed.

Alcohol splashed onto the wounds by my feet,like fine needles drilling into bone.

But that pain was not even one ten-thousandth of the pain in my heart.

Dante looked at me as if I were some contaminating germ,as if he wished he could drive me out of the house at once.

After a moment of silence,that was exactly what he did.

"Butler,pack a few clothes for Evelyn and send her to a hotel for now."

Celeste leaned smugly in Dante's arms and stroked her slightly rounded belly.

"I'm sorry,Evelyn.He's only worried that with you this dirty,you might harm the child in my belly."

"You'll have to suffer a little and move out for a few days."

I looked up at the estate I had once considered my home.

Now it had become unrecognizable.

The wedding photo on the wall had been torn up and thrown into the trash.

The custom fridge magnets of Dante and me lay scattered in a mess on the floor.

Even the white roses I had planted by hand on the terrace had been uprooted by someone.

To make Celeste comfortable,Dante had personally erased every trace of me.

When I saw the childish pair of couple mugs on the dining table,my heart felt as if it had been gripped by an invisible hand,aching so badly I could hardly breathe.

After the induced labor of that five-month-old child,I asked a jeweler to seal the ashes he left behind inside a tiny star pendant.

I wanted to carry it with me at every moment.

As if he had never left me.

That day,I hung the little star at the head of the bed and slept well for the first time in a long while.

But when I opened my eyes again,the pendant was gone.

I broke down and searched the entire room,yet I could not find a single trace of it.

Dante came out of the study and said lightly,

"That childish little trinket?I thought it was an eyesore,so I threw it away."

He thought it was childish.

So without even telling me,he could throw away the last trace of my child.

But now,he used childish couple mugs with Celeste,used childish stickers with her,and helped her and the child turn this estate into their home.

I curled my lips in mockery and met Dante's icy eyes.

"No need to trouble the butler."

"I'll pack my own things."

"I'll disappear soon enough and never offend your eyes again."

I hurried upstairs.All I wanted was to take my documents,passport,and the relics my mother had left me.

But when I reached the corner,a crisp shattering sound came from the bedroom.