Chapter 2

The person on the other end of the line seemed a little surprised.

After a moment, Charles Windsor's low, smooth voice came through, unhurried.

"That's fine. But Ms. Davis, my grandmother is getting on in years, so I'm afraid I can't give you much time..."

He paused.

"Half a month at most. I'd like you to leave the Percy family by then. That includes divorcing your husband."

His tone was gentle, but there was no room for argument in his words.

Cecilia didn't refuse. She ran her fingers over the wedding ring on her hand and slowly agreed.

"Alright."

Five years.

After what happened to Julia, Edward had grown to hate Cecilia — and then married her anyway.

She had accepted it willingly, trapped inside the Percy family for five years.

Now, it was time to go.

She composed herself, once again becoming that radiant, graceful Mrs. Percy, and walked out of the lounge.

When she returned to the bedroom, Edward wasn't there.

Cecilia packed her things without a second thought. A little while later, her phone buzzed.

A message from Jessica.

It was a photo.

In the photo lay a watch, shattered to pieces.

She recognized it immediately. It was the watch she had bought with her very first earnings, years ago.

When she was young, she had loved wholeheartedly, holding nothing back.

She had hoped it would keep the person she loved most safe.

When Edward found out, he was deeply moved. He held her close, his voice low and rough.

"Cecilia, I'm so lucky to have a girlfriend like you."

Now, that watch was broken beyond recognition.

Jessica sent a voice message.

"Cecilia, I'm so sorry — Edward gave me this watch to keep me safe. I accidentally broke it."

"But you won't mind, right? Edward also said it's just a watch, no big deal if it breaks. It wasn't anything important anyway."

Cecilia looked down at the photo.

That watch, and the five years it represented, were both in the past now.

She typed back: "It was just a cheap secondhand watch I picked up at a street stall. If you liked it, consider it a gift."

She meant it. It really didn't matter to her anymore.

She touched the wedding ring on her finger and lowered her eyes.

This broken, hollow marriage should have ended long ago.

Edward didn't come home that night.

Soon after, Cecilia received a divorce agreement from a lawyer.

The lawyer had been arranged by Charles at her request — one of the best in the business, who had drawn up the terms based on her needs.

"Ms. Davis, you and Mr. Percy signed a prenuptial agreement, so the assets you're entitled to are limited. However, I'll do my best to secure the apartment in Willowbrook Heights for you."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

Cecilia looked down at the divorce papers in her hands.

The Willowbrook Heights apartment was the only thing she had asked for.

It had originally belonged to the Davis family. After the family fell apart, the place was gutted by a fire. She and Edward had bought it and renovated it together.

To her, it held the last of her childhood memories.

Cecilia put away the divorce papers along with her wedding ring.

Her eyes drifted to a drawer, where old photos of her and Edward sat.

In the photos, Edward's eyes were soft and warm, his smile like a gentle breeze whenever he looked at her, the light around them glowing and golden.

Now, their marriage was in pieces — nothing like what it once was.

The next day, it was time to return to the Percy Mansion. Edward came to pick her up.

"Get in."

His voice was cold.

Cecilia opened the car door, and her eyes landed on something on the dashboard. She stopped.

It was new.

A small ornament, with Jessica's name engraved on the base.

It belonged to Jessica.

The spot had once held a little ceramic figurine — something she and Edward had made together.

It stung to look at.

Edward curled his lips into a mocking smile, watching her. "Jessica likes it. It's just a little ornament. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all."

Cecilia looked over at him, her tone light and unbothered.

"If she wants it, she can have the title of Mrs. Percy too."

"Oh, you'd give that up?" Edward let out a short, scornful laugh. "Don't think I don't know — where else would you go, Cecilia? Without the Percy family, you have nothing."

He wasn't wrong.

Where else would she go?

What Edward didn't know was that she had stopped caring about any of it a long time ago.

The tension between them hung heavy for the entire drive, only easing slightly once the car pulled up to the Percy Mansion.

The scandal with the photos had caused quite a stir, even shaking the Percy family — though it had eventually been buried. Perhaps because Edward had grown so cold toward her, his father had been quietly trying to bring them back together.

At dinner, Owen brought up business.

"There's a business dinner tomorrow night. I hear Mr. Windsor will be there — why don't you take Cecilia along? If you can get on his good side, the Westside District development will go a lot more smoothly..."

Cecilia paused.

What a coincidence.

The Mr. Windsor Owen was talking about was the very man she was about to marry.

Calling it a second marriage felt strange — she had only met Charles once.

His face flashed through her mind: strikingly handsome, cool to the point of being almost otherworldly. Even his silhouette through the car window had been effortlessly elegant.

And now, it turned out he would be at tomorrow night's dinner.

Edward frowned slightly, then replied in his usual flat tone, "Got it."

Charles Windsor had a reputation for being difficult. Enormously powerful, with all kinds of rules and sensitivities. Quiet and understated. And yet, people still fell over themselves trying to get close to him.

Edward was no different.

Cecilia smiled and nodded. "Alright."

Honestly, she was curious to get another look at the man she was about to marry.

Dinner conversation turned, as it always did, to the topic of children.

The Percys were a traditional family, and Debra had brought up the subject more than once over the past five years.

Tonight was no different.

"Cecilia, I asked a friend to get me an herbal remedy that's supposed to help with fertility. Have some tonight, won't you?"

Debra smiled as she spoke.

Over the years, Debra had gone to great lengths to find remedies and treatments, hoping to help Cecilia get pregnant sooner.

But she and Edward were never going to have children.

Edward glanced over at her, his expression laced with contempt.

This time, Cecilia didn't do what she always had — smile quietly and go along with it.

She looked up, her red lips curving slowly.

"Mom, don't trouble yourself. The reason I haven't gotten pregnant isn't because anything's wrong with me. It's because of Edward."

"He hasn't touched me once in five years."