Judith remained by the grave through the night. Vincent did not arrive until the following day.

At the sight of Judith’s deathly pale face and the small headstone, he seemed unable to believe it. “Judith… you…”

He rushed forward and pulled her into a tight embrace, his voice thick with concern. “We can have another child, but you’re still recovering. This night air is damp and cold—what if you fall ill?”

Judith let out a bitter laugh. “Another child? Vincent, do you have any idea how much I struggled to conceive this one? The physician said I might never carry another child again!”

Vincent’s expression darkened. He lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Judith.”

“Why didn’t you come when I called for you?” She pointed at the headstone, her voice ragged. “I waited for you. Where were you?!”

“I’m sorry. There was some official business at the time, so…”

Judith sneered. “Was it really official business? Or was it that little maid of yours who didn’t want you to come?”

With a dull thud, Vincent knelt before their child’s grave, his tone pleading. “Judith, it’s all my fault. I failed you and our child. I’m so sorry…”

Watching the man who seemed consumed by grief, Judith suddenly laughed until tears streamed down her face.

She should have seen it sooner—the nights he never came home, the bouquets sent to her by mistake, the dresses that never quite fit. Everything had been a sign his heart had already wandered.

Yet she had believed his lies.

“You don’t need to apologize. Just send her away, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened.”

“No.” Vincent refused instantly. “Leah is just a poor, lonely girl. She has no one to rely on. How could she survive on her own?”

“Fine,” Judith said, her smile cold.

No longer holding back, she instructed the steward waiting by the carriage to go to the private residence and pack up all of Leah’s belongings. “Throw her out.”

“Have you lost your mind?!”

Vincent panicked. Leaning out, he quickly whispered a few instructions to the steward. “She just refused to give you her blood. You’re the rightful wife—why must you be so cruel?”

“It was *her* blood. She had the right to choose!”

A sharp pain pierced Judith’s heart.

That wasn’t what he’d said back then.

“If you insist on being this ruthless, don’t blame me for what happens to your sister,” Vincent said, his voice low and threatening. “You wouldn’t want to see the book hall she’s worked so hard to build shut down for good, would you?”

He was threatening her with Ariana’s future—all for Leah’s sake.

In that moment, the man before her felt like a complete stranger.

“Stop this, Judith. You need to rest.” He tried to guide her back to the carriage, but Judith opened a document and held it out for him to sign.

“What’s this?”

Judith took a deep breath. “It’s our…”

“It’s fine. I’ll sign anything if it helps you calm down.”

He didn’t even glance at it, simply signing his name on the divorce agreement.

Looking at the familiar, flowing script, Judith remembered the ninety-nine love letters he had written her a decade ago.

Her eyes stung.

“By the way, I picked out some gifts for you. See if there’s anything you like.”

He handed her a thick inventory list—jewels, silks, everything one could imagine. Judith felt nothing.

At the very bottom, she noticed several sets of baby clothes and bedding. Clearly, they weren’t for her.

Just as she was about to speak, a final page slipped from the inventory: a prescription for stabilizing a pregnancy.

The patient’s name, written clearly, was Leah.

Her heart felt ripped out, shredded, then drenched in salt.

Battling a nausea born of heartbreak, Judith stared at the paper expressionlessly for a long moment. Then, she smiled.

What a perfect gift.

“Vincent, is this what you’ve given me?”

She held up the prenatal tonic prescription from the list. Vincent clearly hadn’t expected to be caught; his expression turned awkward.

“Judith, calm down. Don’t take it out on her.”

“That night… we just got carried away.” Seeing her face grow even paler, he sighed helplessly. “I wanted her to end it, but the stubborn girl refused. Absolutely refused.”

“Losing our child pains me too. But look at the bright side—once this baby is born, you’ll be its mother. The Vincent family needs an heir, Judith. Be the bigger person. Do this for me. Please?”

“Vincent, our child is dead. He was so small… only seven months. How could you…”

Tears blurred her vision. Even the air in the carriage felt thick, suffocating.

The rest of the words stuck in her throat, too vile to speak.

“The child is already buried. What’s the point of dwelling on it now?” Vincent snapped, impatient. “Are you going to live in misery forever? I haven’t even taken a second wife—you should be grateful for that!”

Listening to him, Judith felt her heart slowly extinguish, like a candle burned down to its wick.

He was right. What was the point?

The carriage soon returned to the estate. Preoccupied, they entered the house one after the other.

Vincent noticed Leah’s absence as soon as he stepped inside. Odd, he thought.

Since Judith became pregnant, they had slept separately.

She reached her chamber door and opened it—only to find Leah inside, polishing a folding screen.

The girl looked as if she’d been working for hours, sweat beading on her forehead, her face flushed.

Seeing Judith return, she quickly put on an obsequious, fawning expression. “Madam, your room is all cleaned up.”

The sight pierced Vincent’s heart. He pushed past Judith and pulled Leah into his arms. “You’re pregnant! You shouldn’t be doing heavy work like this. Why won’t you listen?”

He turned a furious glare on Judith. “What is the meaning of this?”

Judith shook her head in panic. “I never ordered her to work! I’ve barely even seen her!”

Leah swayed weakly in the man’s embrace, her voice frail. “Vincent, don’t ask… I’m fine…”

“Silly girl, you’re carrying my child. If anyone’s bullied you, I’ll make it right.”

She didn’t speak, just buried her face in his chest and wept—a picture of pitiful, tear-streaked misery.

“Judith, didn’t I tell you not to mistreat her?!” he roared. “She’s pregnant too. How can you be so cruel?”

Judith had no defense. Even through her disappointment, the injustice brought fresh tears. “What are you saying? You don’t believe me?”

“Leah is pregnant. She wouldn’t risk a joke like this.” Then, softening his voice, he murmured to the girl in his arms, “Don’t cry, sweetheart. Whatever you want, I’ll get it for you.”

“Sister Judith has… a protective charm. It’s very pretty. I’d like one for our baby, too…”

Vincent’s gaze hardened as he looked back at Judith. “Consider it an apology to Leah. Go and get that charm yourself.”

Judith stood rooted to the spot, Vincent’s voice seeming to come from somewhere far away.

Seeing her unmoved, the man’s expression darkened. “If you won’t apologize, then Ariana’s academy won’t be opening its doors again.”

The memory of her sister’s smile forced Judith’s surrender. “I’ll go.”

She hadn’t missed Leah’s triumphant smirk. She was just… tired.

Two thousand steps. Judith climbed them one by one in the pouring rain, her postpartum weakness turning the ordeal into pure agony.

Finally, she obtained the so-called protective charm. Soaked to the bone, she presented it to Leah, who took one glance and tossed it aside. “Vincent, it looks dirty. I don’t want it anymore.”

The last words Judith heard before darkness claimed her were Vincent’s, gentle and dismissive:

“Then don’t have it, my darling. As long as you stop crying.”

In the dead of night, Judith jolted awake, her skin burning with a sudden, scorching fever.

She tried to call out, but her throat was too raw to make a sound.

Vincent’s room was right next door. Yet he hadn’t come to check on her—not once, his entire focus pinned on Leah.

“Judith, what’s wrong?”

It was a long time before he finally pushed the door open. Seeing her flushed face, his voice softened with concern. “You’re burning up. I’ll send for a doctor right away.”

She opened her mouth to speak when a pained cry echoed from the other room.

“Vincent, my stomach… it hurts so much…”

The moment he heard it, the hands reaching to lift her fell away.

Judith mustered every last ounce of strength to clutch the hem of his robe, her eyes full of silent pleading.

After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled free.

“I’m sorry, Judith. Leah… she’s carrying my child. I can’t let anything happen to her. Wait here—someone else will check on you soon.”

Without another glance, he turned and left.

Burning up and utterly alone, Judith wept until she had no tears left. Summoning her final strength, she reached for the bell by the door and rang it before darkness swallowed her whole.

…

“You’re awake?”

When she opened her eyes, Vincent’s sharply defined face hovered above her. The worry in his eyes seemed genuine, yet it only made her want to laugh.

Judith turned away, unwilling to see him, but the dam in her chest had already broken.

“I’m sorry, Judith. I panicked. I was just so worried—”

“Get out. I don’t want to see you.”

“I’m sorry.” Vincent sighed. “Mother insisted I take good care of Leah and the child. I had no choice. Please, just bear with it a little longer. Once Leah gives birth, I’ll send her away. But for now… please. Do this for the family.”

“Vincent, I just want to ask you one thing.” She turned back, heartache plain in her eyes. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

Vincent fell silent, then turned his face away. “Let the past stay in the past.”

*Let the past stay in the past.*

Judith had her answer. A bitter, self-mocking smile touched her lips.

Later, when she finally rose and made her slow way to the kitchen, she found the man who had never lifted a finger for domestic chores clumsily preparing a meal for Leah.

Even during the deepest love they had once shared, he had rarely done this for her. He’d said he valued cleanliness, disliked the smell of smoke and cooking—so for years, she had indulged him, never asking him into the kitchen.

The love just hadn’t been enough.

“You’re back.” He handed her the ingredients beside him as if it were the most natural thing. “Leah wants some chicken broth. I don’t know how to make it. Yours is always good. Make it for her. Just this once.”

“No.” Her voice was cold. “My fever just broke, and you want me to cook for another woman?”

Once again, Vincent’s expression darkened for Leah’s sake.

After all these years together, Judith knew exactly what that look meant. For Ariana’s sake, and for the divorce papers to take effect, she had to endure it. For now.

In silence, she took the ingredients and began to prepare the soup, serving them like a maid.

The irony was bitter. Here she was, the lawful wife, making soup for the other woman.

As she cooked, a splash of scalding broth landed on the back of her hand. She flinched and glanced over, hoping for some reaction. Instead, she saw Vincent feeding a peeled grape to Leah’s waiting lips.

She suddenly remembered he used to do the same for her.

*“What have I done to deserve being served by you, my lord?”*

He had laughed then, his hands never stopping. *“If it pleases you, Judith, I’d serve you for a lifetime.”*

And now…

A tear fell, unexpected, into the simmering soup. She wondered if it would make the broth taste salty.

Quietly, she wiped her eyes, lifted a bowl of soup, and walked out.