Chapter 1 Divorce

"Put your signature on these divorce papers and get out of the Mitchell family's house right now!" Rodger Mitchell shouted, fixing his wife, Emilia Harris, with a cold stare, his eyes sharp enough to cut through her.

"I swear I didn't push Violet. Why won't you believe me?" Emilia's voice trembled. Her reddened eyes spilled with unshed tears, while her chest ached with unbearable sorrow. "She leapt into the pool on her own-she framed me..."

"I've heard enough!" Rodger's patience snapped. His hand shot out, fingers tightening around her neck with cruel force.

Panic crashed into her, leaving her gasping for breath. Despite the suffocating pressure, she stared back at him, refusing to look away.

One lone tear slid down and landed on his knuckles, burning him enough that he jerked his hand back.

Gasping, Emilia tried to breathe, but a different kind of ache gripped her chest. Three years she had given him everything-only for it to end like this.

Was this what her life had become? She had become nothing more than the butt of everyone's jokes. To them, she was nothing more than a pitiful fool to laugh at.

"If you sign the papers right now, you'll still walk away with thirty million, the beach house, and a new sports car. Drag this out, and you'll get nothing at all," Rodger threatened with cold indifference.

Emilia let out a brittle, sarcastic laugh. "You think that offer is generous?"

Fury lit his eyes, and for a moment he looked ready to strangle her again, but the raw despair in her gaze stopped him short.

Something twisted deep in his chest, though he shoved it down. Maybe it was the sight of Emilia, battered and broken, that made something inside him hesitate for the first time.

"Don't let your greed ruin what little you have left, Emilia. You nearly took Violet's life, and I haven't even started making you pay for that," Rodger said, his tone as cold as a winter storm.

"I never touched her! Whatever happened by that pool isn't on me!" yelled Emilia, frustration boiling over in her voice.

She could have shouted the truth until her lungs gave out, but not a soul here was willing to listen. Nobody in the Mitchell family gave her the benefit of the doubt.

"You're pushing me to my limits! If you hadn't been so heartless, she wouldn't have had an attack so suddenly! You knew exactly how little time she had left, and you still treated her like that!" Rodger's glare burned with accusation.

"You really want to talk about heartlessness?" Emilia shot back, her tone sharp as ice. "When you had the car accident and became a vegetable, she, then still your girlfriend, abandoned you and went abroad. If her time is running out now, maybe that's just fate giving her what she deserves."

"Don't you dare speak ill of her!" Rodger barked, his hand shooting up, ready to strike.

Emilia moved faster this time, grabbing his wrist before he could touch her. Her gaze met his, eyes fierce and blazing with resolve.

Rodger had never seen this side of her before, and the sight stopped him cold.

She had always seemed weak and forgettable. When did she sharpen into someone who could stand like this?

"You! Who gave you the nerve-" Before Rodger could finish his sentence, her palm cracked across his face with stunning force, painting his cheek with a bright red mark. The slap rang out, echoing in the room.

"No one can ever make me do anything! From this moment on, I owe the Mitchell family nothing," Emilia said, tearing her hand from his grasp.

Just then, his phone buzzed loudly. He answered, the scowl on his face deepening as he listened. "What do you mean Violet's condition has worsened? Still nothing from Asclepius? Pay whatever it takes-get him here! We're running out of time for Violet!"

He ended the call, turning on Emilia with a glare that could have cut glass.

"If anything happens to Violet, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life paying for it!" With a sneer, he tossed out his threat and stormed off down the hallway.

Tears shimmered in Emilia's eyes, turning them a deep red. As she watched his retreating back, a hollow laugh slipped from her lips.

If not for everything she'd done, Rodger would still be trapped in a hospital bed, lost in a world of darkness.

All she ever gave was loyalty. Still, her dedication meant nothing next to the admiration he reserved for another woman-Violet Morgan

A memory flickered through Emilia's mind-Violet's voice still echoed, moments before she plunged into the water.

"You might have taken him from me, but getting him back would take nothing but a whisper."

Emilia could never forget that look of victory in Violet's eyes or the sly smile that curled on her lips.

A harsh, bitter laugh escaped as tears slipped down Emilia's cheeks. Under her breath, she muttered, "Violet, you may have won this time. But your fate is in my hands."

The truth was, the real power had always rested with her. Behind the name everyone whispered in desperation-Asclepius-stood Emilia herself, the one healer who could work miracles.

A steely resolve flashed in her eyes. Picking up the pen, she scrawled her signature across the divorce papers, not pausing for a second.

It was all over. Everything was over. The marriage that had consumed three years of her life had ended in ruin.

Her gaze shifted to the portrait of Arthur Mitchell, Rodger's late grandfather.

"Arthur," she murmured, "you gave me another chance at life. Today, that debt is settled. I walk away owing nothing to your family."

She gathered her things without fuss. Head held high, Emilia stepped out of the Mitchell home, never glancing back.