Chapter 1

The day Tamara Gerrem went into labor,her husband,Callum Blackwood,was busy helping his close female friend,Seraphina Wolan,move.

While she lay alone in the hospital,no one was deep there to sign the consent form for her emergency surgery.She came dangerously close to dying on the operating table—her and her unborn baby both.

And on the day of her mother’s funeral,Callum was nowhere to be found again.He was off on vacation with Seraphina.

The relatives gathered around Tamara were furious.

“He didn’t even come to his mother-in-law’s funeral?That’s completely unacceptable!”

“Call him!Tell him he has to come.”

But Tamara said nothing.

She simply knelt before the blazing funeral pyre,the firelight washing her already-pale face in a faint glow.Her fingers curled tightly against her knees as she stared into the flames.

After a long silence,she finally spoke,her voice so soft it was almost swallowed by the crackling fire.

“Forget it.I'm getting a divorce anyway.”

Her relatives stared at Tamara in disbelief.

They all knew how much she had sacrificed for Callum back then.She had been so determined to be with him that she was willing to cut ties with her own family.

She had turned down an offer from one of the most prestigious corporations overseas without a second thought.For the sake of her marriage,she had even given up the career she had built abroad,along with her entire social life,choosing instead to stay home and devote herself to her husband and child.

But now,she truly wanted out.

She had already prepared the divorce papers before the funeral even began.

This time,she would leave Callum,and take their child with her.She would disappear from his life completely,leaving nothing behind but her absence.

***

Her relatives looked at Tamara with worried expressions.

“Tamara,your father passed away years ago,and now your mother is gone too.You have a child to raise on your own.Are you really sure about this?”

“Raising a child alone as a single mother is going to be incredibly difficult.”

Tamara had barely opened her mouth when a deep,familiar voice came from the doorway.

“What do you mean,a single mother?What have you been talking Tamara into now?”

Callum had arrived.

But he wasn’t alone.

Seraphina was with him,the woman who had once been Tamara’s closest friend.

Back in high school,Seraphina had lost both of her parents.It was Tamara who brought her home and welcomed her into the family,eventually making her their adopted daughter.

For all these years,Tamara had loved Seraphina like a younger sister.She had protected her,cared for her,and given her all the love she could.

Worried that Seraphina might feel unloved,Tamara had gone out of her way to include her in everything.

Even when she went on dates with Callum,she brought Seraphina along.When she and Callum went away for their honeymoon,Seraphina came with them too.Even when they visited Callum’s family for dinner,Seraphina was always there.

Callum himself had once told her that she was far too good to Seraphina.

But all that love and sincerity had never been enough to earn the same in return.

The moment Seraphina finished her MBA and returned home,she ended up in bed with Tamara’s own husband.

The memories came rushing back like a thousand tiny needles,each one pricking at an old wound until Tamara’s nerves went numb.

Afraid her relatives might lose their temper and reveal the truth,Tamara spoke before they could say another word.

“They were just saying there are so many single mothers in the world,and that I should stay with you and make our marriage work.”

At that,the anger on Callum’s face eased slightly.

But then his eyes fell on Tamara,and he froze for a few seconds.

“Tamara…it’s only been a few days.How did you lose so much weight?”

Tamara let out a bitter laugh.

Lost weight?

She was lucky to still be alive.

A few days earlier,her daughter had been burning with a fever that refused to break.Tamara had carried her from one hospital to another,desperate to find someone who could help.

Every doctor gave her the same answer:her daughter’s condition was too serious.She needed to be transferred to a larger hospital immediately.

Tamara had called Callum countless times,but he never answered.

Then,by chance,she saw Seraphina’s post on social media:

“Someone who truly loves you will cross the world just to find you.”

The location tagged beneath it was a resort in the neighboring city.

Of course Callum hadn’t rushed to find her and their daughter.

The person he loved now wasn’t Tamara.

She spent the entire night keeping vigil at her daughter’s hospital bed.Just when she thought the worst was finally over,she received the devastating news that her mother had suffered a sudden stroke and died.

The grief hit so hard that Tamara could barely speak.

She called Callum,hoping that he would come home and help her through it just this once.

He answered.

But instead of asking if she was all right,his voice was cold and impatient.

“Tamara,you’re an adult.You need to learn how to handle your own problems.Stop calling me every time something happens.”

“I have to deal with things at work,and now I have to deal with everything at home too.I’m exhausted.”

It wasn’t that Callum didn’t have the time or energy.He simply gave all of it to Seraphina.

He would take her to concerts.He had even flown overseas in the middle of the night just to stand in line and get her a limited-edition designer bag.

But Callum was right.

Tamara was an adult.She should be capable of handling her own problems.

If the problems between them couldn’t be solved,then perhaps the person causing them should be…

Tamara raised her eyes,a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“It’s fine.I’m doing much better now.”

“Oh,and I’ve chosen a burial plot for my mother.It’s one of the properties owned by the Callum Group.Could you sign the paperwork for me?”

Callum took the papers without hesitation.

“Tamara,we’re husband and wife.You don’t have to ask me for help.There’s no need to be so formal with me.”

Callum was always a cautious man.Perhaps the guilt he carried had finally gotten to him,because this time,he signed the agreement without even reading it.

What he didn’t know was that hidden beneath the cemetery transfer agreement was their divorce agreement.

After signing,Callum took Seraphina with him to pay respects at Tamara’s mother’s memorial tablet,lighting some of incense.

Then he pulled out an elegantly wrapped gift box.

“Tamara,I’ve been swamped with work lately.Please take care of everything for Mom’s funeral.If you need more money,just tell the company’s finance department.Whatever you need,they’ll approve it.”

“I also brought you a little something from my trip.Consider it a small token of my love.”

The bag Callum had bought was exquisite,beautiful in every detail.

It was the first gift he had given Tamara in the entire year since Seraphina came back into their lives.

But Tamara recognized the bag immediately.

It was the exact same one Seraphina was carrying—the complimentary bag that had come with the purchase.

As if she were afraid Tamara might miss the resemblance,Seraphina deliberately nudged her bag forward,drawing attention to it.

“Look,Tamara.We have the same bag.Callum really is fair to both of us.He treats us exactly the same.”

Tamara lowered her gaze and let out a quiet,bitter laugh.

She knew exactly what Seraphina was doing:provoking her.She was deliberately rubbing salt into the wound.

Tamara’s voice remained cool.

“If you know he’s your brother-in-law,then you should know better than to get too close to him.Anyone who didn’t know better might start wondering if you two were the married couple.”

That single remark was enough to make Seraphina’s eyes redden.

She immediately reached for the hem of Callum’s sleeve,her voice turning soft and wounded.

“Callum…did I upset Tamara again?”

The trace of guilt Callum had felt toward Tamara moments earlier vanished from his face.

Callum immediately took Seraphina’s side and turned on Tamara.

“Tamara,there are so many people here today.You shouldn’t say something that could ruin someone’s reputation.”

“If you don’t want us here,then I’ll take Seraphina and leave.”

With that,Callum took Seraphina by the hand and walked away.

Several relatives moved to follow them,ready to demand an explanation and stand up for Tamara.

But Tamara stopped them.

“It’s fine.I already have the signed divorce papers.Let them go.”

She pulled out her phone and sent the signed divorce agreement to her lawyer.

The reply came almost instantly.

[Come back in ten days to collect your divorce certificate.]

For the first time in what felt like forever,a faint smile touched Tamara’s lips.

She had already booked her flight out of the capital for ten days later.

This time,she would take her daughter with her and disappear from Callum’s world for good.