The video kept playing.

I watched, torturing myself, as Serena clung to Damon’s arm, making no secret of their intimacy.

"It's a birthday present from Damon," Serena cooed into a microphone. "He said this crown was made for me."

The vampires in attendance applauded their perfect union.

Then the ball began, vampires in timeless, elegant attire sweeping across the dance floor. Damon and Serena were at the center of it all, her body pressed against his. They performed the traditional rites of vampire nobility—cheeks touching, foreheads pressed together, fangs ghosting over the side of the neck.

It was a courtship signal.

I thought of just a few hours ago, when Damon was in my bed, whispering sweet nothings in my ear.

Now he was holding another woman in the exact same way.

The worst part? The Blood Moon Ceremony was an exclusive event for pureblood vampires and their chosen mates.

As a human, I couldn't even get through the door.

I ended the video, and the world went silent.

Chloe was still talking. "...Elena, listen to me, that bastard is stringing you along while he's planning to marry some other vampire. He's not worth it—"

"You're right," I cut in, my voice surprisingly steady. "I get it now."

"Get what?"

"Loving someone who doesn't even see you as an equal… it's a sick joke."

Chloe heard the break in my voice. She sighed. "Elena, do you remember your old dream?"

I froze.

"You said you wanted to go Oxford, to become the best art restorer," Chloe said softly. "But you gave it up for him. You chose a school in New Orleans just to be near Damon."

I closed my eyes.

"You're more than his blood servant, Elena," Chloe said, each word hitting home. "You are a person first and foremost."

Her words were like a lightning strike, shattering the fog that had clouded my mind for a decade.

Not a blood bag. Not a substitute. Not an accessory for some high-and-mighty vampire.

I am Elena. A person.

"Thank you, Chloe," I said, wiping my tears, my voice now firm. "I don't want immortality anymore. I want to be human again."

After we hung up, I immediately opened my email and found the acceptance letter from Oxford, sent two months ago. I’d never been able to bring myself to delete it.

I clicked 'Reply,' my fingers hovering over the keyboard.

Ten years. What had I given up for Damon?

A life in the sun, a circle of warm-hearted friends, the school of my dreams. I'd trapped myself in this cold castle, thinking obedience would earn me his love. All I got were lies and whatever scraps he felt like throwing my way.

I took a deep breath and started typing. [Dear Admissions Office, I would like to formally accept your offer of admission…]

The moment I hit 'send,' I felt something snap inside my chest. A chain breaking.

Outside, clouds swallowed the moon, plunging the castle into deeper darkness.

But for the first time, I felt like the dawn was coming.

I withdrew my application to the University of New Orleans and deleted every file I had on Damon. Ten years of memories, tossed in the trash. It was as easy for me as it had been for him.

Finally, I looked out at the night sky and whispered, "Damon, you chose your own kind. So I'm going back to the light."

That night, I didn't get a single message from Damon.

For years, he had been incredibly possessive. He demanded we say goodnight to each other before I went to sleep, without fail.

Tonight, I wasn't going to play along.

The next morning, a chill woke me from my sleep.

I opened my eyes. Damon was standing by my bed, looking down at me. He was still in his black tux from the night before, and he smelled faintly of a cold, unfamiliar perfume. Serena's.

"Morning, beautiful," he said, leaning in to hold me.

I instinctively flinched away.

Damon frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I pulled the covers tighter around me and sat up. "Shouldn't you be busy?"

"Never too busy for you." He sat on the edge of the bed, his icy fingers tracing the side of my neck. "Looks like the marks healed perfectly."

I went completely stiff.

His fingertips lingered there, as if searching for a new place to bite.

"I'm tired," I said, pushing his hand away. "Maybe some other time."

Damon froze.

He stared at me for a few seconds, then let out a cold laugh. "Are you angry? Because I didn't say goodnight?"

I said nothing.

"Such a child." He pulled a velvet box from his suit pocket. "Here. To make up for it."

Inside was a ruby necklace that glittered like blood in the morning light.

"You told me you loved rubies because they're the color of my eyes," he said, his tone full of confident affection. "Put it on. Stop sulking."

I stared at the necklace and thought of the tiara on Serena’s head.

"Maybe Serena would like this more," I said, pushing the box away. "You two are the same kind, after all."

Clatter.

The box fell to the floor. The ruby popped out, a crack running through its center.

Damon’s face darkened instantly. "Who gave you the right to defy me?"

His voice was ice, and a dangerous light flashed in his red eyes. It was the look of a predator, a stark reminder that he was, at his core, a monster.

I had never seen him so furious. All the pain from the last few days came rushing back, and I started to tremble uncontrollably as tears fell, one after another.

"I…"

"Alright, stop crying." Damon's expression softened, and he sighed. "You know I can't stay angry with you."

He bent down, as if to hug me.

Just then, his phone rang.

The screen flashed a name: Serena.

Damon glanced at it, and his face grew serious.

He stood up, looking down at me. "Get a hold of yourself. You know my patience has its limits."

And then he was gone, as if he'd never been there at all.

The only things left in the room were me and the shattered ruby on the floor.

Sunlight streamed through a crack in the curtains, illuminating the fracture in the stone.

I stared at it and, suddenly, I laughed.

"That's the last tear I'll ever cry for you," I whispered.

A few moments later, a notification popped up on my phone. A new post from Serena.

The picture was of a room blanketed in jewels—rubies, sapphires, emeralds, piled up like small mountains.

The caption read: 【Just said I was in a bad mood, and he sent all this. So dramatic! Good morning, my Prince of the Night. 】

The comments were a flood of envious praise.

I put my phone down. I couldn't produce a single tear.

Maybe I'd run out. Or maybe my heart was just dead.

I remembered Damon pointing to a ruby one night and saying, "This color is yours alone, Elena. I will only ever give you rubies."

Just another lie to trap his prey.

I forced myself to get up and start packing. I was leaving.

I boxed up every gift Damon had ever given me. I threw out every piece of clothing that carried his scent.

It only took a day to erase ten years of memories.

Finally, I took a small vial from a drawer.

It was the special elixir Chloe had gotten for me, the one that could erase a blood servant's bond mark—Damon's mark of ownership.

"It'll hurt like hell," Chloe had warned me. "Like tearing your soul from your body."

I tilted my head back and drank it.

The moment the liquid hit my throat, a fire tore through my body. I collapsed to my knees, the back of my neck burning as if branded by a hot iron. The pain was so intense I almost passed out.

But I gritted my teeth and endured it.

In the mirror, I watched as the intricate, blood-red mark slowly faded, until finally, it was gone.

I was free.

After the potion wore off, I was completely drained.

Chloe video-called me. "Did it work?"

"Yeah," I said, using the wall to pull myself up. "It's gone."

"I booked you a flight to Santorini," Chloe said. "Sun, sand, amazing food… basically, a vampire-free zone. Perfect for healing."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Thank your own courage," she said, then paused. "So, when are you going to tell Damon you switched schools?"

"I'm not," I said calmly. "To him, I'm just a blood bag he can replace at any time."

After we hung up, I blocked Damon on everything.

Ten years of entanglement, ending with a simple tap of a screen.

On my way out, I ran into Damon's friend, Felix.

"Elena!" Felix greeted me warmly. "Are you heading off to Paris with Damon for vacation?"

I froze. "Paris?"

"Yeah, he booked the Royal Suite. Said he needed to blow off some steam," Felix said with a suggestive wink. "Have a great trip, you two."

I didn't bother correcting him. I just smiled. "Thanks."

The smile vanished the second I turned away.

I had asked Damon to take me to Paris so many times. He always said he was too busy with clan affairs.

This trip, obviously, wasn't for me.

Turns out it wasn't that he didn't have time. He just didn't have time for me.

I dragged my suitcase out of the castle. The sunlight felt warm on my skin. After a decade as Damon's servant, I was used to living in the dark. Even though a vampire prince like Damon wasn't harmed by the sun, the species had an instinctual hatred for the day. And I had forced myself to adapt to his world.

The airport was bustling with the vibrant energy of human life.

I was checking in when I heard a commotion behind me.

"It's Mr. Damon and Miss Serena!"

"Oh my god, he's even hotter in person!"

I stiffened and slowly turned my head.

A short distance away, Damon was shielding Serena from the paparazzi's flashing cameras. He looked protective and gentle, a knight guarding his princess.

I'd never seen him act like that.

I hid in the crowd, watching them walk toward the first-class security line. Damon kept glancing at his phone, looking agitated, as if he were waiting for a message.

Just then, my phone rang. An unknown number.

I answered. It was Damon. "You blocked my number?"

His voice was laced with fury. "Elena, what is this little tantrum all about? Have you forgotten we're supposed to be starting at the same university?"

I watched his back, his shoulders tense as he spoke into his own phone.

"I'm going on a trip for a while," I said calmly, ignoring his question.

"Where?"

"Santorini."

There was a dead silence on his end. Santorini, with its intense, ever-present sun, was the kind of place vampires despised.

"Is this your way of rebelling?" Damon's voice turned to ice. "I forbid it."

"You don't have the right," I said, and hung up. I blocked that number, too.

Across the terminal, I saw Damon slam his phone down in fury. People around him scattered. Serena grabbed his arm, trying to soothe him.

I turned and walked toward my gate.

I could faintly hear his enraged voice behind me, but this time, it didn't scare me at all.