Laurie let out a startled scream.

"Elyse, what's gotten into you?" Trevor's voice rang out as he stepped in, immediately taking in the chaos before him.

The moment Laurie saw him, she immediately said, "Trevor, look at your wife! She actually raised her hand against me!"

Elyse stood there, her gaze distant and emotionless as she looked at the mother and son. The accusation in Trevor's eyes told her everything she needed to know. There would be no point in explaining. Without another word, she turned toward the exit.

Near the doorway, Trevor caught up to Elyse and grabbed her wrist—his grip landing right on her fresh burn. Her skin was already inflamed from the burn, yet he didn't notice at all.

A tightness rose in Elyse's throat, and her vision blurred as tears threatened to spill. She bit down hard on her lip, forcing the tears back. Lifting her chin, she met his gaze with quiet defiance.

Trevor looked at her as though she were a stranger. The Elyse he remembered had always been obedient, always showering him with affection regardless of how distant he was. "Elyse..."

Before he could continue, Elyse interrupted, her voice cutting through the air. "Shouldn't you be accompanying Joanna to her prenatal appointment today?"

That single question was enough to reveal that she knew about Joanna, and she had seen the message.

Trevor's expression tightened. A hint of unease flashed across his eyes. He instinctively tried to hold onto her, but she wrenched her hand free without hesitation.

It hit Trevor then—this wasn't a fleeting outburst. Elyse truly meant to leave him.

"I can explain. It's not what you're imagining," Trevor said, panic creeping into his voice.

Elyse stepped back, putting distance between them. Her tone turned icy. "Trevor, whatever she is to you doesn't concern me. What matters is that she's pregnant with your child. I won't accept betrayal. Let's end this marriage. Don't push me to despise you completely."

Laurie came out just in time to catch Elyse's words, her expression instantly brightening with excitement. "Trevor, is that true? Who's having your baby? That's fantastic news! Since Elyse is asking for a divorce, you should agree right away!"

A hollow smile tugged at Elyse's lips. She had expected this—his mother had been waiting for the day they ended things.

"Mom, can you stop picking on Elyse all the time? She wouldn't have reacted like this unless you crossed the line. And for the record, I have no intention of divorcing her," Trevor said firmly.

Elyse stared at Trevor with her reddened eyes. A dull ache spread through her chest, as if something inside was being carved away piece by piece. So he had always known what she endured, yet chose not to intervene. Perhaps to him, the peaceful facade was what mattered the most, even if it meant she suffered from mistreatment.

At this point, whatever fragile hope Elyse had left for Trevor was completely gone. Without hesitation, she turned and walked away.

Trevor moved to follow, but Laurie blocked his way. She held Trevor's arm and launched into a tirade. "The entire family opposed your marriage to Elyse. But you ignored us and married her behind our backs. What could she even bring to the table? She is all looks and no substance!"

Trevor tuned out her words and pulled his arm free from her grip before rushing after Elyse.

The moment Trevor was gone, Laurie wasted no time making a call for an investigation. If there really was another woman carrying his child, she intended to bring the woman into the Blake household without delay, no matter her background. Trevor's grandmother had long been waiting for a great-grandchild and would never allow a Blake descendant to remain outside the family. Once that woman entered Blake Manor, Elyse would be more than determined to leave Trevor.

The second Elyse settled into the car, Anthony's eyes dropped to her hand, and worry crept into his voice. "What happened to your hand?"

Brushing it off, Elyse barely looked at it. "It's nothing serious. Just a small burn."

Concern deepened in Anthony's expression as he studied it more closely. "It's already swollen. We're going to the hospital so you can get ointment. You've got a shoot tomorrow that focuses on your hands, and this can't be ignored."

Exhaustion weighed on Elyse as she shut her eyes. Anthony always took charge of her schedule, and she didn't need to worry about a thing. What stung was that Anthony had noticed her injury right away, while Trevor had remained unaware and even gripped that exact spot, adding to her discomfort.

Once they reached the hospital, Anthony handled everything from registration to picking up the medicine, leaving Elyse seated alone while she scrolled through her phone without interest.

Out of nowhere, a soft and pleasant voice drifted down to her. "Excuse me, miss, could you help me pick up this report?"

Only then did Elyse notice a medical report resting near her feet. Her gaze shifted to the woman who had spoken. She looked fragile and graceful, the kind of beauty that naturally drew protection from others. The gentle curve of her stomach hinted she was about five months pregnant.

Elyse leaned down and picked the report up. Thanking Elyse with a warm smile, the woman did not take the report back. Instead, she asked gently, "Would it be alright if I sat beside you?"

Giving a small nod, Elyse answered, "Of course."

Once seated, the woman caressed her belly. Seeing that Elyse seemed approachable, she began making small talk.

Elyse asked, "Did you come here on your own?"

"Yes. I'm five months pregnant now. My husband is a criminal investigator and is always busy with work. I don't want to trouble him over every little thing."

Hearing that made Elyse's thoughts jump straight to Trevor, who was also a criminal investigator.

The woman seemed to love her husband deeply, as her face brightened whenever she mentioned him. "Still, he treats me so well. He knew I wasn't feeling great during the pregnancy and that my mood was off, so he handed over his whole paycheck to me. And he bought me this bracelet. Isn't it lovely?"

A sudden stillness took hold of Elyse. Just last month, Trevor had given her a bracelet for their wedding anniversary, and it looked exactly like this one—almost identical. Could that really be just a coincidence? Same job. Same bracelet. Something in her chest faltered.

Elyse lowered her gaze to the report still resting in her hand. The name "Joanna Kirk" stood out sharply, almost searing itself into her sight.

Concern touched Joanna's expression as she asked, "What's wrong? You don't find it looks nicely?"

Elyse let out a self-mocking laugh. "So, Ms. Kirk, you go after another woman's husband?"

Color rushed across Joanna's cheeks, though it was unclear if it came from humiliation or fury. Words seemed ready to spill out, but before she could speak, Elyse set the report on her lap and said in an even tone, "Goodbye, Ms. Kirk."

At that moment, Anthony came back with the ointment in hand. One glance at Elyse's expression made him tense. "What happened? Is the pain getting worse?"

"No," Elyse answered, giving a small shake of her head.

"That's a relief. I noticed you speaking with someone earlier. That wasn't a fan who recognized you, right?"

A scoff slipped from Elyse as she replied, "No. That was Trevor's mistress. She just came over to stake her claim."

The words set Anthony off at once. He turned sharply, already heading back. "Damn it. I'll go deal with her myself," he muttered under his breath.

Before he could take another step, Elyse reached out to stop him. "What are you planning to do? Start something with a pregnant woman? Just let it go. We're divorcing anyway. Before long, none of this will concern me."

Right after that, her phone started ringing. Trevor's name flashed on the screen. Since everything between them had not been legally settled, she chose to answer.

"Elyse, where are you? I'll come get you. Let's not end things, alright? I'll explain whatever you want to know. Please don't shut me down," Trevor pleaded through the line.

He had returned home, only to see that over half of Elyse's things were gone, along with her suitcases. That meant she had already moved out the very next day after bringing up the divorce, leaving him with no chance to explain.

Elyse's tone was flat. "Trevor, I ran into Joanna."

Trevor's breathing faltered. When he spoke again, his tone turned gentle, as if he were trying to calm her down, urging her not to act impulsively or make any harsh decisions.

A cold smile formed on Elyse's lips. So he was nervous she might do something to Joanna.

Hanging up, Elyse blocked his number without hesitation. She would mail him the divorce papers soon.

As it happened, she was about to enter a month-long closed shoot. That break would give her space to settle her emotions and keep things from turning into an ugly confrontation before the divorce was finalized.

Trevor spent the entire night looking for Elyse, dialing her number repeatedly, only to be met with the same result—her phone was switched off. By the time dawn broke, he gave up temporarily, returned home to clean up, and then went straight to the police station.

The moment he stepped into the office, his colleague, Clint Barton, looked at him with disbelief. "Captain Blake, did another department pull you into an operation once more? You look like you didn't sleep at all. Maybe you should head home and get some rest?"

Trevor simply tapped Clint on the shoulder, his voice quiet. "Bring me some coffee."

"Alright. Oh, by the way, a courier dropped something off for you this morning. It's an envelope. I placed it on your desk," Clint replied.

Trevor pinched the bridge of his nose and then gave a quiet nod. As he lowered himself into his chair, the envelope sat waiting at the center of his desk. He picked it up and tore it open.

The words "Divorce Agreement" leapt out at him, jarring enough to make his grip falter. The thin paper suddenly felt impossibly heavy, weighing down his hand.

Clint walked back in with the coffee and immediately noticed Trevor's darkened face. Following Trevor's line of sight, he caught sight of the document, and the bold title on it made him freeze in place. "Is your wife seriously trying to—"

Trevor shot him a chilling look that cut him off mid-sentence. Clint snapped his mouth shut, raising a hand to cover it.

Trevor then slipped the document out of sight.

Regaining some composure, Clint spoke more cautiously. "You wife is upset because of the raid that night? Did you not explain things clearly?"

"It's not like that," Trevor answered flatly.

Clint hesitated. "Then what—"

"Focus on your work. I'll deal with my personal issues myself," Trevor cut in.

Initially, Trevor believed he could resolve everything without much trouble. Elyse had always been easy to soothe. Even though she was asking for a divorce now, he assumed a sincere apology, a few gentle words, and a gift would be enough to win her back. What he hadn't anticipated was that he couldn't reach her at all after the agreement was delivered.

As someone who rarely paid attention to the entertainment industry, he now awkwardly searched online for any updates about Elyse. Throughout their marriage, he had shown little interest in her career. Now, his search turned up quite a few rumors about her supposed relationship with several male celebrities.

Anger surged within him. He couldn't help but suspect that her determination to leave him stemmed from the presence of another man. The instant that thought formed, unease gripped him.

...

A month later, headlines surfaced online reporting that Elyse had collapsed during filming.

As soon as Clint came across the news, he rushed to Trevor's office. Right as he knocked and stepped inside, Trevor's phone began to ring.

"Captain Blake, have you seen the news? Your wife—"

Before Clint could finish speaking, Trevor frowned and answered the call. "Which hospital? I'm coming now."

Clint assumed the call concerned Elyse, so he said nothing further and quietly stepped out.

As the door closed, Trevor's displeased voice echoed inside the office. "Joanna, I promised Shelton Graves I would take care of you until the baby is born. If you don't want to be a bother, then please take care of yourself."

After ending the call, Trevor left his office. Then, recalling Clint's earlier visit, he asked, "You were looking for me?"

Assuming Trevor was out for his wife, Clint shook his head lightly. "Send my regards to your wife."

Trevor paused briefly. It had already been a month since he last saw Elyse, and he wondered how she was doing.

Trevor hurried to the hospital. The moment he stepped out of his car, he spotted Elyse and Anthony in the parking area.

A surge of emotion filled Trevor—an entire month of suppressed longing burst out at once. He quickly walked over and pulled Elyse into his embrace. "Elyse... I've missed you so much!" he said, voice tight with emotions.

Elyse froze for a moment, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. Regaining her senses, she pushed him away firmly. "Trevor, let go! We're in a public place," she warned in a low tone.

Trevor loosened his grip, worry evident on his face. "Why are you here? Are you unwell? Why haven't you picked up my calls?"

The last question carried a subtle trace of complaint.

Elyse let out a bitter laugh at herself. For a brief moment, she actually thought he'd come after seeing the news about her. How naive. "Then what brings you here?" she asked flatly.

Trevor fell silent.

Her expression turned cold. She immediately understood—he was here for Joanna again.

At that moment, Anthony spoke with restraint. "Captain Blake, the news about Elyse collapsing on set is everywhere. It seems you're clueless about her fainting. Are you here for someone else? Do you have any idea that Elyse is already—"

"Anthony!" Elyse interrupted sharply.

Anthony's words struck Trevor hard. He genuinely didn't know about Elyse's collapse, and although he was here for Joanna, there was nothing inappropriate between them.

"Elyse..." Trevor reached for her hand, but she immediately avoided his touch.

"You got the divorce papers, didn't you?" Elyse said coolly. "Just sign them quickly so we can end this."

"I don't want a divorce. I swear there's nothing between Joanna and me. Please... trust me just this once," Trevor pleaded.

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Elyse almost wavered. But she couldn't ignore the contradictions. If there was nothing going on between them, why would he be helping Joanna shop for baby essentials and a maternity bag? And why had he looked so unsettled when she mentioned bumping into Joanna at the hospital? How was she supposed to trust him after all of this? His behavior clearly crossed lines, and Joanna's provocations were just as undeniable.

"Trevor, let's end this neatly," Elyse said, her tone flat.