Chapter 2

"Victoria, are you sure you want the divorce? After everything you went through for this child..."

Hearing my mother's choked voice, guilt overwhelmed me.

Ever since she learned I was pregnant, my mother had been the happiest person in the world.

She knew what I had sacrificed for this child.

I drank countless bitter witch potions for a full year. I endured nine injections. It wasn't until the tenth attempt that I finally conceived.

The moment the test results came back positive, my mother nearly wept with joy.

She thought that with a child, Damien would finally love me.

But today I realized how terribly wrong both my mother and I had been.

The phone rang urgently. I answered numbly, and Damien's cold, harsh voice immediately came through. "Victoria, how much longer are you going to drag this out?"

"Even if you're pregnant and I can't break the mate bond with you, once the child is born, I can break it immediately."

"Victoria, raising a child costs money. Since we got married, you've been living in my house, eating my food, drinking what I provide. All you do every day is some housework and nothing else."

"No one wants a woman who just gave birth and is stuck with a burden. You have no income. When that time comes, you won't be able to keep either the child or me."

His tone dripped with mockery. Hearing him belittle everything I'd contributed to our home over the past two years, calling my child a "burden"—it felt like a blade slicing through my heart all over again.

"Damien." I spoke his name softly. He immediately fell silent. "I agree to the divorce."

He paused, then said joyfully, "Really? Good! Then we'll go through with it in five days."

After a moment, his voice softened, as if trying to comfort me. "Victoria, don't worry. I just want to take care of Tara and her child. I won't cross any lines."

"You focus on your pregnancy and give birth to our child. After that, I'll come see you and the baby once a month."

"I've already bought so many clothes for the baby. I've even picked out a name..."

His voice was cheerful, but my thoughts drifted.

In that moment, I knew I had truly let him go.