After tidying up my room, I headed downstairs and found Gabriel in the backyard, painting alongside Amalia.

"Gabriel, is that me? It's gorgeous!" The woman in the Victorian gown was so lifelike, even from here, with golden light shimmering through the canvas.

Despite everything he struggled with, Gabriel had an astonishing eye for color. He'd been apprenticed to a master at three, and by ten, his name was already making rounds at international art shows. His work used to rake in insane amounts at auction.

I'd hoped he'd sketch even a simple portrait of me once, but he always refused. And now here he was, happily painting Amalia's profile, using that pricey lapis lazuli for the perfect shade.

As I bent down to feed the family dog, Buddy, Amalia called out, "Meredith, come check out the portrait Gabriel painted of me. It's incredible!"

I nodded. "Yes, it's really lovely."

But Gabriel snapped his brush in two and hurled it down, his face twisting with displeasure. "Meredith, are you doing this on purpose?"

I was stunned, completely lost by his sudden accusation. Amalia reached over and softly adjusted my collar, hiding the reddish-blue marks on my skin.

"Gabriel, if you care about someone, you should be gentler with them," she scolded.

A flicker of discomfort crossed his eyes before he turned away. "She's not someone I care about," he muttered, his words drifting to me on the cold breeze.

I hung my head, biting back tears as shame washed over me. Just as I turned to leave, Amalia reached out like she wanted to comfort me.

I didn't want to break down in front of everyone, so I pushed her away—maybe too hard. She stumbled, and the painting she was holding slipped right into the pond, the colors dissolving in the water before my eyes.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—" I started to reach for her when a sharp slap cut me off.

My right cheek stung so badly that I went numb, standing there completely frozen.

"Gabriel! How could you hit Meredith?" Amalia looked horrified, asking if I was okay, but I backed away.

"I'm fine. Maybe he just... didn't mean it," I croaked, trying to hold on to what little dignity I had left.

But Gabriel was stone cold. "It wasn't an accident. You bullied Amalia, and you deserve what you get."

A knife to the chest felt less painful. The cold wind rushed through the gap, pushing me to the edge with hurt and bitterness.

"Gabriel! I didn't bully Amalia. That was an accident—the wind blew that painting into the pond. And you have no right to punish me!"

I dug my nails into my palms, my face still stinging where he'd slapped me.

Gabriel kept yelling, "Meredith! Wrong is wrong! Stop making excuses!"

His eyes were bloodshot as he shouted, and Amalia wrapped her arms around him, trying to calm him down.

I had triggered one of Gabriel's meltdowns—the first in seven years.

In his frenzy, he started hurling anything within reach at me.

A heavy art board slammed into my forehead, splitting the skin open. I stood there in a daze, watching him yank at his own hair.

It was Danna—Gabriel's mother—who brought me back to reality with a harsh slap across the face. She'd always looked down on me, and now she was screaming at me to get out.

Head hung low, I slunk back to my grandmother's small quarters like some worthless, scorned creature.

That night, I found myself knocking on Aurelia's door again. Two hours later, I came out with my eyes swollen and red.

The next day, Aurelia summoned Gabriel into the living room and laid a document on the table.

"Gabriel, since you despise Meredith, let's settle this today. Sign this agreement and the two of you will go your separate ways."

"Alright, Grandmother," I said, quickly signing my name on the paper.

Even after five years of marriage to Gabriel, I'd never once called Aurelia 'Grandma' or Danna 'Mom.' We never even had a real wedding—that's why the staff felt so free to mock me behind my back.

Gabriel didn't even glance at the agreement before ripping it to shreds. "I'm not getting a divorce!" he declared.

I'd figured Gabriel would be itching to sign those divorce papers and make things official with Amalia. So his flat-out refusal threw me for a loop—especially since his preference for her was out in the open, plain as day to everyone in the Smith family.

Danna furrowed her brow. "Why, Gabriel? Just yesterday you were screaming at Meredith to get the hell out of this house!"

It was true—the day before, Gabriel had let loose a torrent of harsh words at me. But now, he just shook his head, stone silent.

Danna tried again. "I know you're sweet on Dr. Young. Don't worry, I like her too. If she's willing, I'd be more than happy to throw you two a wedding!"

It wasn't until Amalia settled next to him and gave his hand a gentle tap that he finally spoke. "I don't want Amalia to quit her job and end up stuck taking care of me. She deserves her independence—she deserves to shine."

Every hope I'd been clinging to evaporated in that moment. A bitter laugh slipped out as I stared at the man I'd given ten years of my life to.

"Gabriel, I'm not some hand-me-down servant to the Smith family, and I'm not bound by whatever twisted version of marriage you believe in. Love means chasing what you want—and when it's not there, you walk away. That's what rational people do."

The phrase "rational people" hit a nerve. Gabriel shot to his feet, staring down at me with pure disdain, and bit out, "Forget it."

I sank into the couch, completely drained, trying to wrap my head around why Gabriel had to be so cold-blooded toward me.

Late that night, a call from the nursing home jolted me out of my exhaustion. My grandmother's condition was taking a turn for the worse. The doctor explained that after her tumor removal, her health had gone downhill, and now she'd been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's. She was in critical condition.

I rushed to the hospital and breathed a sigh of relief when I got there—she was out of immediate danger.

On my way back, I passed Gabriel's art studio and caught faint voices drifting from inside.

"You've seriously never been to the Grand Canyon? Your painting of it looks so real!" Under the bright lights, a small smile tugged at Gabriel's lips, his dark eyes gleaming with longing.

"I want to go, but my family would never let me."

As an only child with autism, Gabriel was the center of the Smith family's universe. They'd do anything to protect him from any possible risk.

Amalia perched on the wooden table, swinging her legs like she didn't have a care in the world. "Would having a kid make them ease up?"

A stroke of dark ink slashed across the canvas as Gabriel answered excitedly. "Amalia, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that? If Meredith got pregnant, everything would change..."

"Exactly! Then you can come with us to see the world—go bungee jumping at the canyon, dive into the deep, fly through the skies..."

Their vivid description of an adventure-filled future filled the room, leaving a metallic taste in my mouth and making me feel like I was coming apart at the seams.

"Right. I'll do my best to get her pregnant."

I stumbled back to my room and collapsed over the sink, dry heaves wracking my body for what felt like forever. In the mirror, my reflection looked haggard and ghostly—like someone hovering on the edge of oblivion.

At five in the morning, I found myself pleading with Aurelia.

"My grandmother's condition has gotten worse. She's sacrificed everything for me. Please, let me go take care of her—even if it's just to sit by her side."

Aurelia let out a long sigh. "So be it. My grandson seems to have no luck after all."

She pulled a document from the drawer. It was our unfiled marriage license from years ago.

Back then, the paperwork had been handled by the Smiths' attorneys. I had signed where they told me to sign and trusted them to take care of the rest.

"I don't want any money, Mrs. Smith. You've already given me more than enough."

"Meredith, the marriage certificate you signed was never filed with the county clerk. I had the lawyers hold it back after concerns were raised about whether Gabriel could give legally valid consent without a formal competency review."

"What do you mean?"

"It means the marriage was never legally finalized. On paper, you were never his wife."