Chapter 3

Kelsey POV

I spent two weeks sequestered in a safe house owned by Dr. Aris, an old family physician who owed my father a life debt.

In that silence, my bruises faded. My heart hardened.

I wasn't Kelsey Calloway anymore. I was just Kelsey.

But in our world, you can't just disappear. You have to make an appearance. You have to show face.

The annual Foundation Gala. Attendance was mandatory for all families.

I wore a dress of midnight blue. High neck. Long sleeves. No skin. No vulnerability. It wasn't just fabric; it was armor.

I walked into the ballroom, and the atmosphere shifted. The music stopped for a beat. All eyes turned to me.

Bennett was there. He was sitting at the head table, Alya on his lap.

She was wearing my diamonds.

Bennett saw me. He stiffened, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his glass. He watched me walk in, his eyes narrowing. He was waiting for the scene. He was waiting for the crying, the screaming, the jealous ex-wife routine.

I didn't even look at him.

I walked straight to the bar and ordered a sparkling water.

Mrs. Genovese and her circle of dowagers surrounded me like vultures sensing fresh meat.

"Kelsey, dear," one whispered. "You look... thin. Does it hurt to see them?"

"Bennett and I are past tense," I said. My voice was cool water. "I wish them the best."

"But surely... fifteen years..."

"Things change," I said, smoothly cutting her off. "I accept reality. I'm looking forward to my future."

I saw Bennett watching me from across the room. He looked baffled. He was frowning, searching my face for a crack in the mask.

Why wasn't I breaking? Why wasn't I throwing a drink?

My indifference was an insult he hadn't prepared for.

He stood up abruptly and started walking toward me.

Alya grabbed his arm. She whispered something, pulling him back. He hesitated, then stopped. She controlled him. It was pathetic.

Then came the game. The "Heritage Hunt."

The host announced that hidden items represented the families' glory.

"And the final item," the host announced, "Is the Heart of the Family."

Alya stood up. She walked to the center of the room and held up a golden rattle.

"I found it!" she chirped. Then she turned to me, her smile sharp as a blade. "Oh, Kelsey. I guess you wouldn't know where to look for this, would you? Since you're... obsolete."

The room gasped. It was a direct, public execution of my character.

I felt the humiliation burn my cheeks. But I didn't let it reach my eyes.

Bennett was watching me closely. He was testing me. He wanted to see me crack. He needed to know he still had the power to hurt me.

I picked up a microphone from the podium near the bar.

"Congratulations, Alya," I said. My voice didn't waver. "The family needs fresh blood. I have no emotional ties to this lineage anymore. My worth is no longer defined by Mr. Calloway."

Bennett's face darkened to a furious shade of purple.

I had just publicly declared that he didn't matter.

He marched over to Alya. He grabbed her face and kissed her. Hard. Brutal. It wasn't love. It was a weapon aimed at me.

He broke the kiss and glared at me.

"You're right," he sneered, his voice loud enough for the front tables to hear. "You are nothing. You were just a pretty vase, Kelsey. And now you're just a broken pot."

The silence was deafening.

I looked at him. I smiled. A small, pitying smile.

"Goodbye, Bennett," I said softly.

I turned my back on him and walked toward the exit.

"Don't you walk away from me!" he shouted.

I didn't stop. I didn't flinch.

His words were stones thrown into an abyss. They couldn't hit the bottom because there was no bottom left to hit.