Every witch awakened a gift when she came of age.

Mine was simple. I could siphon my husband's fortune.

On Christmas Eve, my husband spent 20,000,000 on a ring and proposed to his mistress as if he were buying a headline.

The trending page exploded. Everyone waited to see how quickly I would be thrown out. The pathetic wife was finally swept out the door.

When I stayed quiet, Jasper Prescott's tone turned playful, almost indulgent. "She's just a kid. She wanted the whole 'moment.' Your place isn't going anywhere."

Then he added, as if assigning me a chore, "She's young. She can't handle things. Pay more attention to the engagement party's details."

As though he feared I might cause trouble, he slid a black card across the table with casual ease.

"Babe, you know what I value most," he said. "You being sensible."

I pinched the cold card between my fingers, smiled, and nodded. No one knew the rule hidden inside our marriage.

After we married, every time Jasper betrayed me, I took a piece of his fortune, stripping it from him one point at a time and adding it to my own.

Once Christmas was over, I would take whatever he had left.

I came from a family of witches. When we came of age, every woman in our line awakened a gift.

I could siphon my husband's luck through marriage. The rule was simple. After we married, each time he betrayed me, the universe paid compensation. A portion of his fortune slipped away from him and into my hands.

Outside the window, bright fireworks filled the sky. They burst and stitched themselves into a name.

Kimberly Swan was his mistress.

When I did not explode the way people expected, Jasper Prescott grew even more entitled.

"Handle those trashy news articles," he said. "Kimmy's young. She can't read that kind of nasty stuff."

The way he said her name, Kimmy, was so soft and affectionate.

She had been at his side for three years. It was long enough for me to know what she liked.

I met his eyes. There was no guilt there.

I lowered my gaze and answered the way a "good wife" was supposed to. "Okay."

It took nearly everything I had to bury the scandal before midnight. By the time the clock struck twelve, the trending topics had been scrubbed clean and replaced with glossy congratulatory press, blessings, and applause.

[A century proposal, so romantic it hurts.]

My own social accounts, though, were a sewer.

[What is this? A wife who swallows this kind of humiliation?]

[For a little rich-family money, she has no dignity at all.]

I scrolled through the comments.

I felt nothing.

They were not wrong about one thing. I stayed because of money. More precisely, I stayed because my gift had limits. My fortune-siphoning gift only worked on my husband.

Across from me, Jasper carefully peeled shrimp and brought it to Kimberly's lips.

Kimberly tilted her head with a coy smile. "I want you to feed me with your mouth, mmm?"

Jasper froze for half a beat. Then his gaze darkened, heat sharpening the edges of his expression.

"What? Didn't I fill you up this morning?" he said quietly.

The housekeeper approached with another dish.

Before she could step any closer, I lifted a hand. "Do not interrupt Mr. Prescott and Miss Swan."

The housekeeper stared at me, thrown off.

I gave her a small smile.

At the beginning, I had not been like this.

The first time I had seen lipstick smeared on his collar, I had fallen apart, screaming until my throat burned. I had cried until my eyes swelled. I had hurled the jewelry he had bought me across the room and watched it scatter.

Jasper had stood in the middle of it, surrounded by the mess he had made, and looked at me with plain disgust.

"Look at you," he had said. "You're like a lunatic."

That was the moment I understood. Tears had no value in front of a man whose heart had already left. Love could not be begged back.

If he could not give me the love I wanted, then he could give something else: his fortune.

"Ah…"

A breathy little cry cut through my memory.

I blinked back to the present.

Jasper's breathing had grown rough. He scooped Kimberly into his arms and cradled her against his chest.

She tucked her face against him and acted tipsy and helpless.

He turned his head slightly toward me, though he did not quite face me.

"Kimmy's not used to staying up here," he said. "I'll take her back."

Then, he added, "Don't worry. When I'm done, I'll come back."

I did not answer. I watched their backs as they left.

My gift had already taken hold. Whether he came back or not, no longer mattered.

On Christmas morning, Jasper returned with Kimberly cradled in his arms.

Once they were inside, he called my name. His tone slowed.

"Roxanne, Kimmy is pregnant." He paused, then added, "I have to marry her."

I looked at him without blinking. "Marry her?"

Three years earlier, after my miscarriage, I had woken on a cold operating table. He had held my hand and spoken each word with the solemn weight of a vow. "Roxy, we will have children again. I will only ever choose you in this life."

Now he had gotten another woman pregnant, and he wanted to marry her.

Under the pressure of his stare, my expression did not change.

"You forgot," I said evenly. "It's Christmas today—"

Before I could finish, Kimberly suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me. She moved fast and positioned herself in front of Jasper.

She looked up at me. Her face was pale, and tears were spilling down in heavy drops.

"Roxanne, if you want to blame someone, blame me," she cried. "I was the one who couldn't control myself. Jas just… couldn't resist. Night after night, there wasn't even time to take precautions."

She swallowed, her voice trembling. "Roxanne, you have been pregnant before. You should understand."

Jasper rushed to pull her to her feet, his face tight with distress. He was about to scold me when I spoke first, calm and composed. "You misunderstood. I only wanted to remind you that it's Christmas. Government offices are closed."

I met their stunned expressions and continued in a polite tone, "You will have to wait until after the holiday to register the marriage."

Of course I could give them what they wanted. I only wondered whether Jasper could afford the price of betraying a witch who stole fortunes.

My words landed, and Jasper froze.

At that moment, Kimberly tugged timidly at his sleeve. "My uncle works at City Hall. He can come in and help us process it today."

She lowered her eyes as her fingers tightened on his sleeve. "Jas, I don't want the baby to wait."

Jasper looked back at me. The last trace of hesitation in his eyes vanished. He spoke in a tone that sounded reasonable, almost righteous. "Roxanne, I was devastated when you lost your child back then."

He exhaled slowly. "I can't let another child carry the label of an illegitimate birth."

So they had planned even this.

I watched the way he instinctively shielded Kimberly, and I almost laughed.

"When I miscarried and nearly bled out, you were in bed with your secretary until morning," I said steadily. "When I had a high fever and passed out, the only thing you cared about was whether I could appear in public and issue a statement. The best three years of my life were spent cleaning up after you—"

Before I could finish, Kimberly broke in with a sob. She shook her head and stumbled backward, tears streaming down her face. "Forget it, Jas. Forget it."

Her voice cracked. "Who am I, really? I should have understood long ago…"

She turned suddenly and ran toward the open balcony.

"Kimmy!" Jasper's face drained of color.

She had already climbed onto the ledge. One leg hung outside as she sat on the narrow edge. She looked back at him, tears falling in heavy drops. "As long as I can be with you, I don't care if everyone calls me a whore. But I cannot bear to let our child be despised as a bastard…"

"Kimmy, don't do anything stupid!" Jasper shouted, panic tearing through his voice. "I'll divorce her right now!"

He spun toward me. The fear in his eyes hardened into something ugly, a mix of rage, accusation, and command. In the next instant, he lunged forward and seized my wrist.

"Come with me and get the paperwork done," he barked. "Right now. Stop provoking her."

He dragged me toward the stairs. His grip was brutal, his fingers digging in hard enough to grind bones.

I stumbled and fell hard, crashing onto the floor. Sharp pain flared through my knee.

I lowered my head. Blood had already begun to seep through the fabric.

Rage surged through me like a rising tide. I forced myself to breathe and pushed it back down. I still needed the conditions to be met.

Jasper glanced at me, irritation plain on his face. "Roxanne Lockwood, don't put on an act at a time like this. Get up. I don't have time for your pathetic tricks."

His grip never loosened, but his eyes remained fixed on Kimberly, who sobbed softly near the balcony.

At that moment, the sound of the front door opening cut through the room.

My mother-in-law, Bertha Green, stepped inside with grocery bags in hand. Her gaze swept over me on the floor, then shifted to Jasper's clenched grip and impatient expression.

Her brows knit at once. "What is all this nonsense?"

Bertha slapped Jasper's hand away and pulled me into her arms. "What's going on? Can't you talk this through properly?"

We came from similar backgrounds. After she learned that my mother had died young, she often sighed and said that seeing me was like seeing her younger self. She told me she would be my mother from then on.

The way she shielded me tightened my throat. "Mother, I…"

"Mom!" Kimberly's voice cut across mine as she hurried downstairs.

A second later, she walked straight over and slipped her arm through my mother-in-law's.

"This is all my fault," she said softly. "If I hadn't wanted to marry Jas, he wouldn't have taken it out on Roxanne."

She lowered her eyes. "I just don't want my child to be called illegitimate from birth. I never meant to hurt Roxanne…"

As she spoke, she rested her head against my mother-in-law's shoulder and acted spoiled.

I stood there, frozen, and watched Bertha's hand rise instinctively to pat her back.

"Mother?" My voice came out dry.

Only then did she turn to me. An awkward apology spread across her face.

"Roxy, Kimmy looks so much like my eldest daughter who passed away," she said carefully. "It hurts my heart. So I acknowledged her as my goddaughter."

She hesitated. "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would overthink it."

For a moment, something close to absurd laughter rose in my chest.

"Mom, why are you explaining this to her?" Jasper cut in impatiently.

He stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Kimberly's shoulders. Accusation sharpened his tone. "Kimmy almost jumped off the balcony for me just now. The priority is getting the divorce done."

"What?!" My mother-in-law's face changed instantly. She grabbed Kimberly's arms and scanned her in panic.

After a long moment, she seemed to remember that I was still in the room.

She turned toward me slowly. Guilt flickered in her eyes, and struggle followed close behind.

"Roxy, I don't want to force you, but…"

I looked at the three of them standing together. The last thread of hesitation inside me snapped.

It was a pity that my gift did not work on her. Taking her son's fortune would be more than enough to wound her.

I met her gaze, my voice level. "Even if we go now, there are approval procedures before they issue the certificate. What difference does one day earlier or later make?"

Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose. Irritation flashed across his face. "That's not the point. It's—"

I raised my voice and cut him off. "No matter what you say, I gave three years to this family. You really have to throw me out on Christmas?"

Kimberly's composure cracked. "If you don't want a divorce, just say it. Why drag this out?"

I turned to her. My tone was almost gentle. "If you're worried, we can sign a divorce agreement first. Date it for tomorrow."

I held Jasper's gaze. "I can even start preparing your wedding in advance. You can be his wife in-name first. This is my final concession."

Silence stretched.

After a moment, Jasper spoke.

"Roxanne, considering you have been obedient these past years, this won't happen again." Condescension edged his tone.

He looked at me as if he were granting mercy. "Don't use feelings to threaten me in the future. Otherwise, don't blame me for being heartless."

The decision settled over the room.

I saw the flicker of unwillingness in Kimberly's eyes, but she swallowed it. She pulled out her phone and aimed the camera at me.

"Roxanne, you promise," she said. "You will divorce him tomorrow. Right?"

Under the lens, I curved my lips into a small, certain smile. "Of course."

I just did not know whether, by tomorrow, he would still have the strength to walk into City Hall at all.