Dead at Heart

Ariel's chest tightened painfully, and her face turned even paler.

The air conditioning had kept the temperature constant all year round, but now, she felt as though she were standing in an ice cave.

Noticing her silence, Jayson finally shifted his gaze from her face after a few long seconds. "Nancy's mother's health is getting worse. Her only wish is to see Nancy taken care of. Nancy needs me by her side. Just stay in your place as Mrs. Larkin and don't cause trouble. I won't bother you."

The way he spoke about his affair was almost righteous.

He wouldn't bother her?

Ariel froze for a long moment, then suddenly laughed. Suppressing the ache in her chest, she said, "If she needs you, then you really shouldn't be here with me."

Without another word, she turned and climbed the stairs, slamming the door behind her without a second glance.

A few minutes later, the sound of a car engine roared from downstairs. Jayson was leaving—no doubt heading straight to Nancy.

Exhausted, Ariel dragged herself to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. The chill sharpened her senses.

She turned on her laptop and contacted Aaron Foster, a lawyer she had known three years ago. She asked him to help her draft a divorce agreement.

Aaron replied, "Ms. Walker, do you have any specific requests? For example, regarding the house, the car, or how to divide assets?"

Ariel paused, then calmly responded, "I don't want anything."

She didn't even want Jayson, so why would she want any of that stuff?

Besides, she had read online that if she didn't ask for anything, the process would be faster. She wouldn't have to drag her already weakening body through endless negotiations with him.

Aaron quickly sent her the completed agreement.

Ariel printed it out. She gripped a pen so tightly her knuckles turned white, but she didn't hesitate. Suppressing her trembling, she signed her name.

Then, she endured the pain and hurriedly packed her belongings.

As she stood at the door, she took one last, long look at the home she had cared for over the past three years.

Without another word, she walked away.

The next day, Ariel took a leave of absence from work and arranged for a same-day delivery service to drop off the printed divorce papers at Bluum Corp's front desk.

For something as small as a package, Jayson never bothered to do it himself, so she had filled in Colton as the recipient.

Since marrying Jayson, she had worked at Bluum Corp.

He refused to make their marriage public and forbade her from approaching him at the company, so she was relegated to the PR department. Her job was to manage the company's public image.

Over the years, Ariel had risen to the position of PR manager through sheer skill.

In all three years, she had never once taken a sick day or gone absent.

She was good at what she did not because she enjoyed it but because she had always aimed for perfection. It had nothing to do with her profession either.

Now that she had made up her mind to divorce, she had no intention of staying at Bluum Corp.

Once the courier had left, Ariel glanced at the clock. It was almost 10:00 am.

She clenched her fists. She had something more important to do.

…

Ariel arrived at Eastgate Prison in Eldoria.

Her palms were sweating as she gripped the steering wheel. It had been three years. The thought of facing Lucas Sanderson again made her nervous.

Today, he was finally being released.

She had made a reservation for a private room in a restaurant a month in advance to welcome him back.

Lucas was a child adopted by her father. They had grown up together. In the ruthless Sanderson family, Lucas had always been the one to treat her kindly.

For over a decade, he had protected her, never once speaking harshly to her. He had always vowed that while others might disappoint her, he never would.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was pale from illness, so she dabbed on a bit of blush to look healthier. To keep him from worrying, she took a painkiller and added sunglasses and a hat to her outfit.

The gates ahead slowly opened.

Without thinking, she got out of the car. Her limbs moved almost of their own accord.

A tall man in black, holding an old backpack, walked out with confident strides. His short hair was neatly trimmed. His calm, piercing gaze swept over the crowd as if looking at her.

Ariel's heart nearly stopped at that moment.

Her throat went dry, and her eyes burned. Before she realized it, she was already walking toward him. "Lucas…"