For the eighth time at a parent-teacher conference, Vivienne watched her six-year-old son recite his essay
The reply came quickly: “You can really let go of Sebastian?” Vivienne gave a hollow, bitter twist of her lips. But tears fell in fat drops onto the screen, blurring the message. She typed a single word: “Yes.” His heart had long been divided in two. What was the point of fighting for half of it? The irony was almost funny. Sebastian — the man who swore, over and over, that even if she had truly sold herself, he would never mind. And yet, just like everyone else — he found her dirty. Seven years ago, she and Sebastian had fallen in love, only to face fierce opposition from the Caldwell family. The night she gave birth to their child — unmarried — they made their plan to elope. But the Caldwells sent men to abduct her in secret, sold her overseas, and told Sebastian she had taken their money and abandoned him and the baby. She spent five years in a living hell abroad — but guarded her innocence with her life. Sebastian, though he had married his arranged match, never stopped looking for her. Finally, when Jasper was six, Sebastian followed a thread of evidence to the overseas compound and broke her out. He didn’t need a single word of explanation from her. He divorced Diana on the spot and married Vivienne immediately. But five years apart had left the child distant from her, and photographs taken of her under duress had somehow leaked. Everyone assumed she had sold herself willingly, that she had become a kept woman for money. No matter how thoroughly the world condemned her, Sebastian had never let it change him — not for a moment. He, who always doted on the child, even scolded Jasper sternly on more than one occasion: be good to Mom. But Jasper was never her child at all. Through those five years of torment, the greatest thing keeping her alive had been Sebastian and their baby. Now there was nothing left. Sebastian came out of the bathroom looking thoroughly satisfied, the scent of desire still clinging to him, and settled back into bed. The moment his fingers touched her tear-wet cheek, he pulled her close with an almost instinctive reflex. “What’s wrong, Viv? Another nightmare? It’s okay — I’m here. I’m right here.” He kissed her tears away with tender, careful lips. Those five years had left Vivienne with severe trauma. In the early days after their reunion, she woke screaming from nightmares every single night. No matter how important the next day was, Sebastian sat up with her through every hour of darkness. Just so she’d know, when she opened her eyes, that he was there. To help her heal, he had sought out every renowned therapist he could find, and pushed himself to become something like a therapist himself. But the way his kiss instinctively veered away from her lips — just barely, unconsciously — still betrayed him. Vivienne wept quietly, then suddenly smiled. “Sebastian, there’s a document I need you to sign tomorrow.” She wanted to leave without any ties to Sebastian or his family. Divorce was the necessary first step of her plan. A drowsy Sebastian didn’t question it. “Sure — after we visit the cemetery tomorrow, hand it to me.” The next day was Vivienne’s late mother’s memorial. Sebastian had promised to go with her. He still rose early to make her breakfast, as always. The distinguished man, wrapped in an apron, stood at the stove carefully stirring a pot of porridge — the picture of a devoted husband to any outside eye. But this time, Vivienne noticed: he had made two servings. Just as he finished ladling the second bowl, Jasper appeared in the kitchen doorway and tugged at Sebastian’s sleeve. “Daddy, Mom’s asking where breakfast is! Don’t forget — she gets stomach cramps if she skips!” Sebastian immediately quickened his movements, packed the second breakfast to go, and swept out the door with Jasper’s hand in his, calling back out of habit: “Viv, I’m dropping Jasper off at school — back soon to take you to the cemetery. Let the porridge cool a bit before you drink it, okay? Don’t burn yourself.” The warmth of those words had barely faded before father and son disappeared. Vivienne stood alone in the kitchen until the porridge went completely cold. Then she swallowed it in silence. The housekeeper found her and gasped. “Madam! Why are you drinking it cold? If Mr. Caldwell sees this, he’ll be heartbroken!” Her stomach was already ice. But Vivienne felt nothing — only a dry, self-mocking smile. Would he really be heartbroken? His eyes seemed to have stopped seeing her a long time ago. She waited from breakfast until dinnertime. Sebastian never came. The driver lingered awkwardly. “Mr. Caldwell may have gotten tied up — would you like me to take you to the office to wait?” Vivienne caught a glimpse of Jasper’s social media page. “Daddy and Mommy came to cheer for me at the track meet — Jasper is the luckiest kid in the world!” The photo showed Sebastian and Diana, both leaning in to kiss Jasper’s cheeks. She hadn’t even known there was a track meet today. That picture of their perfect little family made her feel like a shadow — a dark, intrusive thing lurking at the edges of a life she had no right to. Vivienne tucked the signed divorce papers into her bag. “We won’t wait for Sebastian. Take me to see my mother.” One last visit to her mother’s grave — and then she would leave this city forever. But she never expected what awaited her at the cemetery. She had barely passed through the gate when her mother’s headstone cracked apart with a thundering crash and toppled at her feet. And standing before the grave — was Diana.
The carved epitaph shattered into pieces. The black-and-white portrait of her mother was smeared with filth. A crew of workers huddled around it, shovels already raised toward the burial mound. Vivienne’s mind went blank. She lunged forward, staring at Diana in disbelief. “What are you doing?” Diana smiled pleasantly. “Why, Mrs. Caldwell — I’m digging up your mother’s grave.” Vivienne’s whole body shook with fury as she planted herself in front of the excavator. “This is my mother’s resting place. The land belongs to the Caldwells — how dare you?” Diana swept her hair back, contempt glinting in her eyes. “I called you ‘Mrs. Caldwell’ out of pity. You signed a registry — that doesn’t make you Sebastian’s wife. Caldwell land does what I say.” “What are you waiting for — get to work!” At her command, the workers moved toward the excavator controls. In desperation, Vivienne clambered into the driver’s seat and wrenched the steering wheel hard. The machine lurched — straight toward Diana’s head. Diana went white. Only her bodyguard’s swift intervention saved her from taking the blow. Shaking, she stared at Vivienne’s white-knuckled grip on the wheel. “You’re just some woman my husband slept with for years, and you dare raise a hand against me?” The driver lunged in, kicking Vivienne hard in the stomach — once, twice, again and again. She bit down on the pain and refused to let go. “Sebastian would rather put a ring on a kept woman than ever give you a name!” Diana’s eyes flooded with venom. “Throw her under the excavator — grind her into the dirt!” The bodyguards surged forward to drag Vivienne away. But the moment they reached for her, a black Maybach rolled through the cemetery gates. Sebastian was out of the car in three strides. He knocked the bodyguards aside and crushed Vivienne against him. “Diana! How many times have I warned you — don’t touch my wife!” He searched Vivienne carefully, and when he saw the bruises blooming across her stomach, the anguish in his eyes was almost unbearable. “Viv, I’m sorry I came late…” His gaze cut to Diana, cold as a blade. “How many times have I said it — you lost the right to interfere in my life when we divorced. Push me further, and I’ll turn the Harrington name to ash.” Yet Diana, rather than flinching at the threat, only tilted her head with a faint smile. And Vivienne had already noticed — on both Sebastian’s and Diana’s wrists were the matching parent-child bracelets the school had given out. The heat of Sebastian’s body against hers, the fierceness with which he was shielding her — it overlapped with the memory of the man who had broken into that compound to save her. And it moved her not at all. Vivienne stepped out of his arms and addressed Diana coldly. “What exactly do you want?” Diana didn’t answer. She just gave Sebastian a look. Sebastian rushed to explain. “Viv, this land was sold to the Harrington family for a development project. All the remains were relocated — your mother is fine. I had her moved to a better place, and the headstone was remade. Things have been hectic — I forgot to tell you.” The workers uncovered the burial mound. It was empty, just as he said. Vivienne exhaled with relief. And then came the absurdity of it. He had been thinking about accompanying her to visit her mother just this morning — yet he had forgotten to mention that the grave had been moved. She pressed her hand over her bruised stomach and pushed aside his reaching hand. “Take me to see my mother. And after that, I’ll give you that document to sign.” Sebastian walked her toward the car. Diana got there first. “Mr. Caldwell, there are some business matters we still need to discuss.” As she passed Sebastian, her fingers trailed lightly across his arm. Sebastian’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly. “Viv, wait just a moment — let me speak with Ms. Harrington first…” The two of them slipped into the car. Almost immediately, sounds began to filter through the doors. Sebastian trusted the Maybach’s soundproofing far too much. He had forgotten that Vivienne also had the key to disable it. She pressed the switch on her phone in a kind of self-inflicted cruelty, dropping the noise barrier to its lowest setting. From inside the car came a muffled gasp. “Diana — in the car — Viv is right outside…” Diana’s voice came out soft and breathless. “Isn’t that what makes it exciting? Every time she had one of her episodes and passed out, we were at her bedside. Three hours minimum — and she always thought she’d just had another nightmare.” Vivienne went pale. Every time her trauma surfaced and she lost consciousness, she would wake to terrible, sickening dreams. And Sebastian would always be at her side, tender and steady, swearing he hadn’t left for even a second. She still remembered the journey back from the compound — how he had cried the entire way, his whole body covered in wounds, his voice barely a rasp as he promised: From now on, he would never leave her side. He hadn’t lied about that. He truly hadn’t left. He’d just been at her bedside with Diana while she slept. A wave of nausea surged up Vivienne’s throat. She gripped the back of the car, retching helplessly. Inside the car, the movement suddenly stopped. Diana’s voice came out annoyed. “Vivienne’s bag is poking me.” “Just move it.” Sebastian’s voice cut off abruptly. “The document in her bag — what is it?”
The next instant, the car window rolled down. Diana flung Vivienne’s clutch bag straight out. “It’s just in the way,” Diana drawled. “What could a housewife possibly have that matters?” Sebastian’s voice was light. “You’re probably right.” The sounds from inside the car resumed — each one landing on Vivienne like a fresh cut, draining another shade of color from her face. Trembling, she crouched down and picked up the divorce papers, now soaked through by a puddle. From dusk until dark, Sebastian finally pushed open the car door. A flush lingered on his face — one he himself seemed unaware of. He walked over to take her hand as if nothing had happened. Vivienne glanced at the still-damp upholstery on the seat. “No, thank you. I find it disgusting too.” She climbed into the assistant’s car on her own. Sebastian, assuming she was upset over the earlier confrontation and had gotten dirt on her clothes, frowned and followed her in. His long fingers reached for a wet cloth and gently wiped at her brow. “A little dust, that’s all. Our Viv is never dirty — always the most beautiful girl in the room, no matter what.” He smiled, the softness in his eyes deep enough to drown any woman who looked too long. Vivienne met his gaze directly. She wanted to smile back, the way he did — as if nothing had happened. But the corners of her eyes reddened instead, and two tears fell straight down. “Sebastian. You forgot to sign the document.” She held out the papers, red-eyed. Sebastian, thrown into a panic at the sight of her crying, didn’t even glance at them before scrawling his signature and frantically saying, “Whatever you hand me, I’ll sign. You could sell Caldwell Corp and I’d sign for it.” What if it were divorce papers? Vivienne swallowed the question before it reached her lips. Sebastian spent the entire drive home making promises — he would deal with Diana, and there would be a surprise waiting for her tonight. They arrived at the new cemetery. It was immaculate, just as he said. Sebastian knelt solemnly before the headstone and pressed his forehead to the ground three times. “Ma’am, I’m taking good care of Vivienne. I’ll protect her peace for the rest of my life.” Looking at his tall frame bowing before her mother’s grave, Vivienne felt something shift, just for a moment. When the Caldwell family had stood against them, Sebastian had knelt before the ancestral altar in the clan hall and knocked his head against the ground until his face was raw and bleeding — and he had said only one thing: “Sebastian Caldwell will marry no one but Vivienne Hartley. I beg my ancestors to allow it.” He had never broken that vow. He had married her. It was just that love and a divided heart were not mutually exclusive. Marriage and faithfulness were two entirely different things. Sebastian rose and reached into his coat, producing a photograph. Vivienne’s eyes lit up. It was her family portrait from childhood. After the Hartley family fell from fortune in her early years, the house was auctioned off and everything inside disappeared, including every photograph they’d ever had. “Tracked it down across the globe — found it in the hands of a collector. I knew you’d be happy to have it back.” Sebastian’s eyes were bright with the look of a man presenting a treasure — almost boyish in his excitement. Vivienne accepted the photograph. Something stirred in her deadened heart. But then a sharp, acrid stench struck her without warning. Diana appeared from nowhere, hugging a basin of chicken blood — and hurled it directly at her mother’s headstone. The pristine marble was drenched in filth. Vivienne’s pupils contracted. She stepped forward and shoved Diana aside. “Diana! Come after me if you want — what kind of person desecrates a dead woman’s grave?” The repeated violation of her mother’s resting place ignited something raw and uncontrolled in Vivienne’s chest. But mindful that Diana was still Jasper’s birth mother, she had held back. Diana, however, reacted as though she had been struck by a battering ram — letting out a shriek and crashing dramatically to the ground. Sebastian’s eyes snapped to her in an instant. He crossed the distance in three steps and caught Diana in his arms. “Diana — are you all right? Are you hurt?” “How could you do this to her–” The words that rose instinctively to Sebastian’s lips — instinct born of his panic over Diana — died the moment he looked up and saw Vivienne’s ashen face. The emptiness in her eyes was frightening. And she was staring directly at his arms, wrapped tight around Diana. For one fractured second, Sebastian’s gaze faltered. But then Diana began to cry. And he could no longer spare a thought for anything else. He lifted Diana into his arms and strode away. “Viv, Diana is a critical business partner for Caldwell Corp. She can’t afford to be injured. I’m taking her to the doctor — I’ll come back for you soon.” He carried Diana out at a near-run, urgency overtaking him. He didn’t look back once — not at the headstone soaked in blood, and not at the dead, hollow look in Vivienne’s eyes. She crouched there, using her own clothes to scrub the filth from the stone. The tears that finally came dropped one by one onto her mother’s photograph. Mom — that man who just knelt and swore he’d protect me forever — I don’t believe him anymore. He’s the best liar in the world. Don’t believe him either, okay? The blood and grime smeared into one another. Vivienne’s heart felt like it was being carved open. And then a crew of workers came crashing through, shouting and laughing — and when they spotted Vivienne, a few of them exchanged a look and grinned. “Mr. Caldwell’s orders — everything at the site gets cleared into the ground.” Strong hands grabbed her and threw her into an open grave that had yet to be filled.
She hit the bottom hard, soil raining down into her face, choking her nose and mouth. “What are you doing?! I’m a living person!” The workers only laughed harder. “Not for long.” As more earth poured in, the horror of being buried alive set Vivienne’s skin crawling. Her voice shook. “I’m Sebastian Caldwell’s wife — if you do this, he won’t let you walk away.” The shovels didn’t slow. Laughter echoed through the cemetery. “Give it a rest! The order to bury you came from Mr. Caldwell himself!” “Besides — everyone knows Mr. Caldwell’s wife is Diana Harrington. You’re not fooling anyone.” Vivienne’s voice cut through in desperation. “That’s impossible! Sebastian would never do this to me — you’ve made a mistake!” One of the workers paused. “Fine. If you really are Mrs. Caldwell, I’ll call him and ask who his wife is.” A flicker of hope. The worker dialed. “Mr. Caldwell — we’ve got a live one in the pit. That’s your order, correct?” Sebastian’s voice was perfectly calm. “Yes. She hurt Diana. Teach her a lesson.” Vivienne felt her heart plummet into darkness. The worker held up the phone and looked at her with a mocking grin. “Mr. Caldwell — is Diana Harrington your wife?” “Of course. Why are you asking something everyone already knows? Get it done — Diana is already on my case about this.” Sebastian hung up. The workers looked down at her, roaring with laughter. “Never seen someone delusional enough to claim she’s the boss’s wife!” “Ready to give up now?” Vivienne looked up one last time at her mother’s face on the headstone. Sebastian’s family portrait was still pressed to her chest. She closed her eyes. A boundless desolation filled her. As the earth closed over her, Vivienne’s mind drifted, hazy and dim. She remembered a night after she had first come back to Sebastian — a nightmare so bad she’d stopped breathing. Sebastian, eyes red, tears streaming down onto her face, had performed CPR over and over. When she finally came back, he held her like a child and sobbed without restraint. “For five years, the only thing keeping me alive was the belief that you were still out there.” “No matter how much it hurt — whether you left because you were threatened, or because you genuinely chose the money over me — as long as I knew you existed somewhere in the world, I could bear it.” “But Viv, how could I ever stand by and watch you disappear from this world entirely?” It was his tears, his voice, that had given her the will to fight back to life. And it was that same man who, for Diana’s sake, had ordered her buried alive without a second thought. So be it. At least she didn’t have to make some elaborate plan to disappear. But a frantic voice broke through the dark, pulling her back. Hands tore at the packed earth — and Vivienne opened her eyes. Sebastian was on his knees in the dirt, his always-immaculate hands scooping the earth away bare-handed. “Viv — I’m here. Viv, don’t you dare leave me!” She woke in a hospital bed. Sebastian gripped her hand, his voice raw. “Viv, you scared me to death. I thought I was losing you again.” But Vivienne only looked at him. That vacant stare sent an involuntary tremor through Sebastian’s pulse. “Viv, are you angry with me? I can explain.” He softened his voice in that familiar, coaxing way. “I cleaned up your mother’s grave with my own hands.” When she said nothing, he filled the silence himself. “Diana explained — the new cemetery requires a ritual cleansing before use. It’s superstition, but what can you do. I talked to her about it.” Vivienne looked at him making excuses for Diana, and her chest ached with a bitterness she could no longer name. “Afterward, Diana told me there was a man harassing her at the site, so I told her I’d handle it.” “I didn’t know you were still there. You got caught in the middle — this was all a misunderstanding.” Vivienne said, very quietly, “I heard it myself. A worker asked you — is Diana your wife — and you said yes. Was that a misunderstanding too?” Sebastian’s expression tightened. The careful tenderness in his eyes was gone, replaced by a shadow of impatience. “Viv, you’re aware of the rumors that follow you.” “Introducing Diana as my wife publicly — that was wrong of me. But it was also the situation I was in…” “If the outside world knew the Caldwell heir’s wife was someone like you — it would affect the stock price.” Sebastian loosened his tie with a touch of exhaustion. “Viv, I need you to be reasonable. Think about the bigger picture.” Think about the bigger picture? Vivienne lowered her eyes. She almost wanted to laugh. For the sake of the bigger picture, they’d had no wedding. For the sake of the family name, she never appeared in public. Every time Jasper publicly humiliated her, she had swallowed it without a word. She had been careful, obedient, invisible — and what had she gotten in return? A man who had been spinning her in circles while she played the fool. She thought of the divorce papers he had already signed. “I’ll be reasonable, Sebastian.” She met his eyes and smiled.
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