The next morning, Ethan finally realized he had missed my birthday.
He called his assistant and ordered several of the most expensive diamond necklaces available to be delivered immediately.
The person who showed up instead was Sophie.
She pouted the second he asked why she was there. Within two minutes, he was apologizing and coaxing her all over again. Then, to calm her down, he told her to make any request she wanted.
And she did.
“I want to move into the villa for a few days,” she said. “I want to be with you all the time.”
For once, Ethan hesitated.
Years ago, when he first forced that disgusting arrangement on me, he had promised one thing: whatever happened outside, no one would ever be brought home.
Before he could answer, footsteps came from the stairs.
I appeared.
Sophie smiled sweetly before he could explain. “Good morning, Mrs. Frost. Mr. Frost sent you your birthday gift. Oh, and my neighborhood isn’t very safe right now, so he’s letting me stay here for a few days. You don’t mind, do you?”
It was a blatant challenge.
I looked at her. Then at Ethan.
“Be my guest,” I said.
She actually seemed thrown by how little I cared.
Ethan, too.
“Lily,” he said, searching my face, “you really don’t mind?”
“There’s nothing to mind.”
I turned and went back upstairs.
Sophie got exactly what she wanted and started moving in that same night, ordering staff around like she owned the house.
As for me, I simply tore another page off the calendar.
The harsh rip of paper made Ethan glance over.
“You tear one off every day,” he said. “What are you counting down to?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Just for fun.”
But something in him had begun to shift. Maybe he was finally noticing that I was too calm. That I had stopped fighting. That I no longer looked at him with love, anger, or even expectation.
He spent the whole morning restless.
A few times he knocked on my bedroom door and tried to fish for a reaction.
“If Sophie moves in, won’t she be noisy? If you don’t like it, just say so.”
“I told you,” I said, pressing my fingers against my brow, “I don’t care.”
He looked almost unsettled. “Why don’t you care? You were never like this before.”
I gave him a mild smile. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Me staying calm and reasonable?”
That shut him up.
Later that day, he suddenly marched upstairs, said something to Sophie, and within minutes she came down red-eyed with her suitcase and left with him.
The house finally went quiet again.
Over the next few days, Ethan stopped coming home. I barely noticed. I packed in peace.
Three days before the end, I went to a notary and secured the real estate I had purchased over the years using his money. I had wasted five years of my youth on him. I did not intend to be generous in the divorce.
Two days before the end, I moved my jewelry collection into private bank storage and prepared for my new house.
On the very last day, I tore off the final page of the calendar.
At that exact moment, my phone lit up.
A picture from Sophie.
It was of my grandmother’s pocket watch.
The one she had left me before she died.
A wave of fury rose so fast it made my hands shake.
Her message was short.
Saw this at your place the other day. Thought it was cute, so I took it. I’m bored of it now. If you want it back, come get it.
There was an address attached.
I left immediately.