Chapter 3

The Vance estate was as opulent as Ethan remembered, sprawling lawns, manicured gardens, a monument to wealth and power.

Clara held his hand, her expression calm, though he knew she sensed the undercurrents. Lily, dressed in a simple sundress, looked around with wide-eyed wonder.

A uniformed attendant led them towards a secluded part of the garden.

Sera was waiting.

She looked... different. Thinner, a fragility about her that hadn't been there before, but still undeniably beautiful, dressed in a flowing white dress that made her look ethereal.

Her eyes, however, were fixed on Ethan, a complicated mix of emotions swirling within them.

"Ethan," she breathed, her voice a little shaky. "You came."

"Sera," he replied, his tone polite, neutral. He gestured to his family. "This is my wife, Clara, and our daughter, Lily."

Sera' s gaze flickered to Clara, a brief, dismissive glance, then to Lily, lingering for a moment before returning to Ethan.

"She's... lovely," Sera said, the compliment sounding hollow. "You always did have a type, didn't you? Simple, unassuming."

Clara' s grip tightened on Ethan' s hand, but her voice was steady when she spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Thorne."

Sera ignored her. "Ethan, we need to talk. Alone."

"Anything you have to say, you can say in front of my wife," Ethan stated, moving slightly to stand more in front of Clara.

Sera' s eyes flashed. "Still so protective. I remember that. But she wouldn't understand, Ethan. Our history... it's complicated."

"Our history is in the past, Sera," Ethan said firmly. "I'm here because you invited my family. If this is about dredging up old wounds, we'll leave."

"No, wait!" Sera stepped closer, her scent, a familiar jasmine, reaching him. "I... I made a mistake, Ethan. A terrible mistake. I've regretted it every day for five years." Her voice was laced with genuine pain. "Marcus... it wasn't what it seemed."

Ethan remained unmoved. "You made your choice, Sera. At the gala. Publicly."

"It was a ploy!" she insisted, her voice rising. "Marcus said... he said it would make you finally propose, stop being so... cautious."

"A ploy that involved humiliating me and destroying my career prospects in this city?" Ethan asked, his voice dangerously low.

Sera flinched. "My father overreacted. And Marcus... he twisted things." She looked at Clara again, this time with open disdain. "And then you found... her. Some country girl. Did she bewitch you with mountain herbs, Ethan?"

Before Ethan could speak, Clara stepped forward slightly. "Mrs. Thorne, my husband chose me. We built a life together, a happy one. I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult me or my background." Her voice was quiet, but held an undeniable strength.

Sera looked taken aback by Clara's directness.

Ethan put his arm around Clara. "Sera, my life is with Clara and Lily now. That's all that matters to me. I came today hoping for a civil conversation, perhaps an apology for the past, but not this. Please, respect my marriage."

They began to walk away.

"Ethan, wait!" Sera called out, her voice desperate. "Don't you feel anything? After all we were to each other?"

Ethan paused at the edge of the rose garden, but didn't turn around. "I feel a deep appreciation for the life I have now, Sera. And a wish that you find some peace in yours. Goodbye."

He took Clara' s hand, Lily skipping between them, and walked away from Seraphina Vance, leaving her standing alone amidst the perfect, sterile beauty of her family's garden.