After leaving City Hall, Titus drove me back to the home I had once shared with Andrius.
As I stepped out of the car, he leaned over to unfasten my seatbelt. I froze, my pulse spiking with fear.
A soft laugh escaped him, his warm breath brushing against my ear. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”
I nodded frantically, my legs trembling, almost ready to flee.
Holding Andrius's divorce certificate in my hand, I had expected relief or at least lingering heartbreak. But this unexpected marriage certificate had scattered all that, leaving me with a strange, unsettled feeling.
I stood at the doorway, taking a deep breath, calming myself.
The door swung open. The servant looked at me awkwardly. “Miss, you’re finally back. Sir wants to see you.”
I stepped inside and saw Andrius on the sofa, his expression cold and unpleasant. Beside him was the suitcase I had packed the night before. On the coffee table lay several of the memories I had discarded, strewn before him like a silent accusation.
Andrius raised his chin slightly, frowning as his gaze pinned me. “Explain this. What does it mean?”
“While packing yesterday, I cleared out the things I didn’t want. Didn’t I ask the servant to throw them away?”
His expression sank, and he repeated my words in disbelief. “Didn’t want? Throw away?”
I nodded. “The cups hadn’t been used in years; they were already worn. I had no intention of keeping them. And the grape fragrance… It’s over five years old and has long expired. There was no reason to keep it.”
Andrius’s throat tightened, and he stepped forward, gripping my shoulders. “It’s my fault. I had planned to use the cups with you after you woke… and the grape fragrance… I could make another, just with you.”
“The grape trellis is gone. What could we even use to make it?”
His expression darkened instantly, and there was a flicker of madness in his eyes. “So… you want to leave me?”
I met his gaze briefly, then looked at the suitcase, my tone soft but final. “I was planning to leave.”
His grip on my shoulders tightened, sending a sharp ache through me.
I was forced to calm down. “You want me to take care of Trisha… I can’t. That’s why I planned to leave for a while, to clear my head.”
Slowly, the pressure eased. His hands slid down to my wrists, his thumb brushing the vein there with a gentleness that only deepened the ache in my chest. “You just woke up. How could I let you go alone? I know you’re upset, so tonight I prepared a banquet to celebrate your discharge.”
“As for the trip, wait for me a month, no, just a week. Once I finish company matters, I’ll go with you.”
I shook my head. “No need. Forget the banquet, forget the trip… You don’t need to come. Trisha can’t be without you now, right?”
His face darkened with worry. “I can find the best team to care for her. Maxine, you are the most important person to me.”
His words made my heart jolt, but before I could respond, Trisha’s sudden scream rang out from upstairs.
Andrius’s face darkened at once. Without hesitation, he rushed up, leaving the air heavy with tension.
I let out a bitter laugh and turned to leave, but the butler stepped in my way.
“It’s time to change for the banquet.”
“I won’t go.”
The butler’s tone stayed respectful, yet carried quiet insistence. “Sir prepared this especially for you. Please be sure to attend.”
