Chapter 2Love Ends in Old Dreams

Asher’s daughter had her one-month celebration party.

Most of his family was there.

I saw the photo of their perfect little family of four in the family group chat. Asher’s own parents had posted it.

After three years, everyone understood that Asher and I were finished. A divorce was inevitable, so no one bothered to consider my feelings anymore.

[Two kids in three years, a boy and a girl! Asher is so blessed!]

[Little Ash Jr. is the spitting image of his dad as a boy. He's going to be a real handful for his grandparents at the estate!]

[It would be so much easier if Seraphina would just sign the papers. Then they could all move back here instead of all this hassle!]

The house Asher and I had shared was in the same gated community as his parents’ estate, just a three-minute walk away.

They were blaming me.

Why couldn't I just be gracious, step aside, and let Asher’s perfect family have their happily ever after?

If this had been the old me, that thought would have been unthinkable. I would have dug my heels in deeper, ready to drag us all down into the abyss with me.

But something inside me had shifted.

That burning knot of spite I’d been holding in my chest for years suddenly unraveled.

For the first time, I genuinely considered it. What if I did divorce him? How much could I ask for in the settlement? It would have to be a fortune. I wouldn't settle for less.

As I was lost in thought, the front door swung open.

Asher stood there, reeking of alcohol, his eyes locked on me. They held an emotion I couldn't decipher.

“Does it hurt, Seraphina?” he slurred. “Watching me play house with another woman, building a family. Does it tear you apart?”

I hadn't expected him to come here. The only time he ever sought me out was after I'd made a scene with him and Nicole, and he'd come home to retaliate on her behalf. Other than that, he hadn't willingly set foot in this house for a very long time.

When I didn't answer, he dropped the half-smoked cigarette from his fingers and pressed on, his voice raw.

“Does it hurt?”

A little, maybe. But not as much as he probably hoped.

Three years is a long time.

Long enough to get used to sleeping alone. Long enough to forget what it even feels like to have a husband.

I shook my head, my voice surprisingly steady.

“No, Asher. I don’t think I love you as much as I thought I did.”

A flicker of genuine pain crossed his face. He looked down, and after a moment, a low, humorless laugh escaped his lips.

“You’re lying.” He looked back up, his eyes dark. “You brought this on yourself, Seraphina. Because I once felt the same agony you’re supposed to be feeling right now.”