I Let Her Go, Now She's Unattainable

"We're ending this marriage."

A stack of divorce papers landed on the table with a careless flick, stopping right in front of Elliana Reed.

"Thirty million is more than what a top-tier maid earns, so that should be enough for you."

Elliana held a plain envelope tightly, and she kept her head lowered while the heavy text on those papers made her vision burn.

After a shaky breath, she raised her face and tried to steady herself as she took in the man whose sharp features were frozen in a cold, distant stare.

When she finally spoke, her voice stayed soft.

"Dominic, it's our third anniversary. Let's sit down and eat together. After dinner, there's something important I want to tell you."

Dominic Stanley never gave her the chance.

His impatience surfaced with a stiff frown as he interrupted. "Elliana, what's the point of dragging this out? I haven't so much as touched you in three years. What you claim happened back then is only your own version of the story. Renee is back now. She managed to get an invitation to the banquet at Vista Cay, and she actually knows Caduceus. She told me she can convince Caduceus to treat my mother during the event. You could never give me anything like that."

Each word hit Elliana with a cold force, and she felt her chest tighten.

It always came back to Renee Fowler.

The moment Dominic said her name, a fleeting gentleness crossed his otherwise distant eyes.

Softness replaced the tight line of his lips, and a gentler look surfaced.

Elliana realized, not for the first time, that she had never been on the receiving end of that expression.

A bitter smile tugged at her lips, though she tried to hide it.

Three years ago, Renee vanished the moment Dominic lost the use of his legs.

Elliana, on the other hand, stayed by his side, night after night, administering secret treatments to help heal what was broken. Even so, her devotion was outweighed by the promise of a banquet invitation and a handful of empty words.

There was something almost laughable about it all.

"Did Laurie agree to all of this?"

"Of course she did. Renee and my mother have always gotten along. Just today, she was at the house, chatting and helping with my mother's medication, and somehow my mother's health already seemed to improve. Honestly, Renee is the only person my mother ever thought of as her daughter-in-law."

He sounded almost proud as he said it, but his eyes were sharp with disdain.

A sharp ache spread through Elliana's chest, like invisible needles.

Years of cold shoulders and cutting remarks from Laurie Stanley had taught her that nothing in this family would ever change.

No matter how hard she worked or how much she sacrificed, she would never be enough for Dominic or his mother.

Maybe it was time to let everything go.

Without a word, she slid the envelope into her pocket, hiding away the single, gold-trimmed invitation to a banquet.

"All right. I'll sign the divorce papers."

Three years had passed, and that was more than enough. Staying asleep in a fading dream would not help her any longer.

Deep down, she knew she should have accepted the truth ages ago. The man who once saved her disappeared after his memory loss three years ago. Whatever piece of Dominic had once belonged to her was long gone.

For a split second, Dominic's eyes widened. He was clearly not expecting her to give in so easily.

He did not let that show for long, though. He quickly masked his surprise with a cold, weary tone.

"That's settled, then. Renee is moving in tonight, so you need to sign the documents and be gone before she arrives."

Elliana could not believe how heartless he sounded. She was left speechless.

Evening was closing in, but he would not give her even one more night.

Her silent stare made him falter for a moment. He almost looked uneasy, as if he finally realized how harsh it was to kick her out so quickly. Still, he would not soften.

"You can stay at Azure Villa in the suburbs until the divorce is finalized. I'll make sure the deed is signed over to you once everything is finalized."

A house and thirty million.

Dominic must have thought that someone like her-a woman with no family or money-would see it all as a windfall she could never turn down.

However, Elliana did not flinch. She only returned his gaze, calm and unblinking.

"You really can't wait to be rid of me, can you?"

Her calm defiance made Dominic's expression sour.

"That room never belonged to you. It was always Renee's from the start. You've just been taking up space these past three years. Did you think you could stay forever?"

His accusation almost made her laugh.

She wondered how he could twist things so easily.

It never mattered to her if she owned a villa or had stacks of money. Those things could be earned or lost and it would make no difference.

What really stung was how all those years she gave him her loyalty and care were being tossed aside without a second thought.

It was time to let go.

A part of her even felt curious about how he would react when he realized at the banquet that Renee was not the person he imagined-and that the woman he had dismissed as an outsider was the only one who could truly help his family.

A faint, mocking smile played on her lips, and that was enough to trigger Dominic's temper.

Dominic started tapping his fingers on the table, clearly trying to assert control as he glared down at her.

"Elliana, I'm warning you. If you try anything underhanded, you'll be left with nothing. Thirty million is the last ounce of respect you'll get from me. Refuse to sign, and my lawyers will handle the rest."

Elliana pushed down the turmoil inside and reached out her hand.

"Hand me the pen."

A sharp chill entered her gaze, causing Dominic to falter for a split second.

Without thinking, he reached into his jacket, retrieved a pen, and passed it over as if he had no choice in the matter.

Elliana took it, wrote her signature in bold strokes, closed the file, and slid it across the table with finality.

"That's it, Dominic. We're finished. I'll see you at the courthouse on Monday morning at eight."

Elliana gathered her things with quiet efficiency and stepped out of the villa district, waving down a taxi without a single look back.

Tears threatened to fall as she looked at a sturdy metal box nestled deep in her suitcase.

Inside, a collection of medals lay scattered, some worn and scratched, others gleaming like new.

Every one of them was a reminder of her days as a top agent and one of the founders of Silver Shadow.

Those small tokens were proof of her countless brushes with death, each one representing a chapter in a secret life she had tried so hard to bury.

She had hoped to share her true story with Dominic one day, but only if they ever built something real together.

Now she knew he would never deserve the truth.

A sudden vibration from her phone snapped her back to the present.

Wiping away any trace of tears, she answered the call.

Leah Payne's voice filled the line before Elliana could say a word.

"Boss, I did exactly as you said. Every company tied to the Stanley Group is pulling out. Did something happen? Is everything all right..."

"I'm going to divorce Dominic, Leah. Get things ready. We're about to launch bigger than ever."

There was a stunned pause, followed by a burst of celebration on the other end.

"Are you serious? That's amazing! I told you a hundred times, Dominic never deserved you!"

Leah's enthusiasm was almost palpable through the phone. "Now that you're back, the entire industry's going to lose their minds. Do you know how many clients I've had to turn away since you left Sanctorum? Each one of them was begging for a chance to meet with Caduceus. We lost a fortune while you were gone..."

Hearing Leah's familiar obsession with business made Elliana's lips curve into a small smile.

"Is that so?"

"Of course! Oh, that reminds me-you mentioned before about running a banquet at Vista Cay and offering a healing slot to help Dominic's mother, all while keeping your identity a secret. Now that you are getting a divorce, what's the plan for the banquet?"

"We proceed as originally planned. The banquet goes forward."

With that, Elliana ended the call.

The taxi rolled through city lights while she leaned back, her smile growing bolder with each passing block.

Everything that had been stolen from her-she meant to take it all back.

If Dominic's beloved Renee believed she could climb higher by pushing Elliana down, she had no idea what kind of fall awaited her.

She would like to see how deep Dominic's loyalty ran once Renee's secrets began to unravel.

The banquet was more than a simple event-it was the start of her comeback.

An hour passed.

Inside a cozy estate in Ipester, Leah, clad in playful pajamas, brought over a glass of whiskey with a cheerful grin and offered it to Elliana.

Ripples of deep red danced in the whiskey, swirling through the gold liquid like a blooming rose with every tilt of the glass.

"Boss, it's called Scarlet Rose. My latest creation. See what you think."

Elliana took the glass and glanced at the opposite wall, where four oversized LCD screens displayed live stock market activity in Ipester.

A sharp gleam flickered in her eyes. "You've already started working against the Stanley Group, haven't you?"

Leah's eyes, hiding behind her thick glasses, sparkled with fierce determination, giving her the look of a stubborn prodigy.

"Naturally, boss! If it weren't for you pulling the strings, the Stanley Group would never have gotten this far. Now that Dominic had the nerve to toss you aside, I'm not stopping until we see him suffer for it."

Elliana offered her a sideways look.

Leah was just nineteen, an orphan Elliana had rescued from a war-torn country overseas.

Despite her age, she could hack systems and play the stock market with an expertise that left most seasoned professionals in the dust.

Her only real weaknesses were her bad eyesight and her endless pursuit of cash.

"I'll deal with the Stanley Group myself. Are you sure the man we've been tracking is actually showing up at the banquet?"

Leah pushed her glasses up, her chin lifting with unmistakable pride.

"Definitely. He's been careful about his movements, but I managed to trace him. Right now, he's in Ipester and has already scored a spot at the banquet. Still, Boss, I have to ask-what's got you so focused on him? He's always been a thorn in our side. Some say he's devastatingly handsome. If you want, I can put in extra effort, maybe hijack his ride or slip something into his drink and bring him right here for you."

Elliana tapped Leah's head with a hint of exasperation.

"Don't fill your head with ridiculous ideas."

Her true interest in this man was much simpler-she was after a rare Pisces Jade.

It had surfaced in an illicit overseas auction and somehow ended up with him.

That jade pendant was the only clue she'd managed to uncover about her birth mother.

She needed to track him down, recover the jade, and finally learn who sold it.

Annoyance bubbled up just thinking about the search, and she tossed back a large gulp of Leah's drink.

A wild mix of flavors hit her tongue, and she nearly choked, coughing it back out at once.

"For the love of sanity, keep the experiments for someone else. Next time, just pour me a proper whiskey."

She rose from the couch and pulled her damp top over her head.

Light caught on her smooth, elegant form, every line sculpted to perfection.

Black lingerie hugged her frame, drawing attention to a waist so delicate it could be wrapped in someone's hands and legs that stretched long and lean, not a trace of softness to be found.

Every gesture was smooth and mesmerizing, a subtle confidence in the way she moved-almost like a wildcat at rest.

Leah could hardly tear her eyes away, swallowing her drink a bit too quickly.

Old war wounds had robbed Leah of her sense of taste, but after years of Elliana's careful treatments, she could finally savor sweetness again.

To Leah, Elliana was her everything.

Her attention shifted back to the giant screens, eyes narrowing with a mischievous glint as she watched the Stanley Group's stock flicker down.

The game had only just begun.

Anyone foolish enough to cross Elliana would soon regret it.

If Renee wanted to play the devoted daughter-in-law and dazzle everyone by promising a miracle cure for her future mother-in-law, then so be it.

The banquet was the ideal stage for their next move.

Vista Cay did not belong to any restaurant. Instead, people flocked there to admire the beauty of an island that was entirely shaped by human hands.

Right at the center of this oasis stood the most coveted club in all of Ipester.

Nobody ever truly knew who ran the club, which only made people talk about it more.

If you managed to score an invitation to a banquet at Vista Cay, everyone in Ipester's upper crust took notice.

Getting invited was almost impossible, and that made it all the more coveted.

The following night, twilight painted the horizon as the broad bridge across the river burst into life, its lights shimmering in vibrant colors that gave the whole place an otherworldly glow.

Dressed in a soft lavender designer dress, Renee moved gracefully at Dominic's side.

Dominic swirled red wine in his glass, his expression triumphant and self-assured.

"Renee, it's only because of you that we're at this banquet. As soon as my mother's well again, I'll definitely marry you."

Renee answered with a teasing look, her smile polished and graceful, "Your mother has always treated me well, so helping her was only right. Before this night is over, I have a feeling we'll both be recognized as Caduceus's favored guests."

Dominic's face betrayed a flicker of doubt as he listened.

"Everyone here tonight is hoping Caduceus will notice them. Caduceus's famous for her obsession with antique jewels. Our present..."

Renee was brimming with confidence.

She had told Dominic that she had met Caduceus, though the truth was she had only glimpsed a woman from afar. Still, that tiny edge was more than enough to give her confidence.

None of the men in the hall could hope to outshine her choice of gift.

"Relax. I've got it covered."

Suddenly, noise erupted near the entrance.

Both of them turned to see what caused the stir.

Camera flashes caught Elliana as she swept into the hall, her crimson dress impossible to ignore. Waves of dark hair tumbled down her back, and the green gems at her neck made her skin glow with a new kind of beauty.

Her looks, stripped of their youthful simplicity, had become so striking they almost seemed unreal, though her presence was cool and regal as ever.

The crowd could not help but gasp in admiration.

Every pair of eyes seemed to follow Elliana's every move.

Dominic found himself caught off guard, unable to look away.

"Elliana?" he said, shock slipping through his voice.

Renee snapped out of her daze, irritation sharpening her features.

She couldn't understand how that girl from the countryside carried herself with such striking presence.

Her stare dropped to the diamond‑lined emerald necklace, a piece far grander than anything she owned, and she wondered where Elliana could have possibly gotten it.

Dominic certainly hadn't given it to her.

She opened her mouth to complain, then caught the dazed fascination on Dominic's face, which made her anger flare even hotter.

Digging her nails into her palm, she worked to soften her tone, adding a note of vulnerability.

"Dominic, I didn't realize Elliana would be here tonight. Maybe I should excuse myself. I wouldn't want to put the Stanley family in an uncomfortable position."

Her actions matched her words, as she took a step back, pretending to be considerate.

Dominic's focus returned to her immediately.

"Renee, I didn't invite her."

Renee blinked, as though the news stunned her.

"You didn't? Then how did she get inside? The banquet doesn't hand out invitations easily. Unless... she came in with another man?"

Disdain flickered in her eyes, sharpening her accusation.

She tried to twist the situation against Elliana.

"She still shows up at events tied to the Stanley family, even after everything that happened. That's just sad."

The tension grew between them, and Dominic's mood soured.

Elliana, meanwhile, swept her gaze over the room.

She had heard countless claims that Karson Bailey, her archnemesis, rarely appeared in public, and nobody knew what he looked like.

To draw him out, she had instructed Leah to spread rumors about Caduceus's fascination with antique jewels. The more ancient the better. That rumor was designed to point straight toward the Pisces Jade.

Anyone bold enough to bring that jade would almost certainly be Karson.

This evening, she hoped her plan would pay off.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice someone move directly in front of her until her view was blocked completely.