Ever since Scarlett started riding with them regularly, the front passenger seat had shifted ownership without discussion.
It no longer belonged to Lillian.
She stood beside the car that morning, fingers lightly touching the handle, when Alexander’s voice sliced through the quiet air of the courtyard.
“Well?” he said sharply from behind the wheel. “Are you getting in or not? If you’re not coming, call a cab. We don’t have time to stand here.”
There was no trace of patience in his tone.
Lillian’s fingers loosened from the handle.
Slowly, she stepped back.
“You two go ahead,” she replied calmly. “I just remembered I left something inside.”
She didn’t wait for acknowledgment. Turning on her heel, she walked back toward the manor entrance, her posture straight despite the tightness spreading across her chest.
Behind her, the engine of the Audi A8 started with a low growl.
The sound lingered in the courtyard for a moment before fading as the car pulled away.
Only when the gates shut behind it did she stop.
The courtyard felt unusually hollow. A thin veil of dust hovered in the air where the car had been moments ago.
Two tears slipped down her face before she could catch them.
It was the first time since she joined the organization’s medical division that she would be late.
---
By the time she arrived at the clinic, the morning shift was already underway.
Several colleagues glanced up in surprise.
“Dr. Montgomery? How’s your ankle? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“Did Don Alexander insist you come back already? He could have given you more time.”
Their concern was genuine.
She offered them a gentle smile. “It’s improving. I didn’t want to fall behind on work.”
She answered politely, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
Alexander had already driven off with Scarlett. Whatever she chose to do now had nothing to do with him.
And in that moment, clarity settled over her with startling force.
She didn’t want temporary distance.
She wanted complete separation.
Without hesitation, she pivoted and walked straight toward the director’s office.
When she placed the document bearing Alexander’s signature on the desk—along with her formal application for the overseas deployment—the director reviewed it briefly.
With the Don’s authorization clearly written in ink, there was nothing to contest.
He signed the final approval without delay.
“Dr. Montgomery,” he said warmly, extending his hand, “congratulations. I hope your assignment brings you success—and that you return safely.”
Lillian inclined her head.
For the first time in months, something inside her felt unburdened.
---
After leaving the clinic, she didn’t return home immediately.
She went straight to the airline office and purchased a one-way ticket.
Only afterward did she head back to the estate.
Packing took less time than she expected.
Three years in the De Luca manor had left surprisingly little that truly belonged to her. Most of the rooms were filled with Alexander’s possessions—or memories she no longer wished to carry.
Her suitcase was modest.
A handful of clothes. Essential documents. Personal items.
Nothing sentimental.
When she placed the suitcase near the door, voices drifted from outside.
The front door opened.
Alexander stepped inside, Scarlett beside him, her arms filled with glossy shopping bags—new purchases from high-end boutiques.
Lillian didn’t need to ask who had paid for them.
“Lillian!” Scarlett exclaimed brightly. “I didn’t know you’d be home this early. I would’ve picked something up for you too.”
Alexander cleared his throat, sounding faintly awkward.
“The weather’s changing,” he said casually. “We’ll go out tomorrow and buy you some new clothes.”
Tomorrow.
The word echoed strangely.
“I won’t need them,” Lillian replied evenly. “As long as you’re both satisfied, that’s enough.”
Her calm indifference seemed to grate on him.
A faint scoff escaped his lips as his expression darkened.
Fine.
If she wanted to act distant, he could respond in kind.
He decided then that he wouldn’t initiate another conversation.
He would wait for her to come to him.
What he didn’t realize was that silence suited her perfectly.
---
The following day, Lillian did not report to the clinic.
By early afternoon, Dr. Brooks approached Alexander at the estate.
“Don Carter,” he began cautiously, “have you heard from Dr. Montgomery? She hasn’t come in today.”
Alexander had been on a call with Scarlett when he was interrupted. The disruption clearly irritated him.
He waved dismissively.
“She’s capable of managing her own affairs,” he said coolly. “If she wants space, that’s her choice. She doesn’t like me interfering.”
There was a sharp edge in his tone whenever he spoke of her lately.
His jaw tightened slightly.
The night before, she hadn’t spoken to him at all.
Not a single word.
“Even so,” Dr. Brooks ventured carefully, “shouldn’t you at least try calling her? Just to confirm she’s alright?”
