Scarlett POV

 

The second Jaxen left, Delaney rushed back in.

 

I was still sitting on the edge of the bed, eyes stinging, staring blankly at the door he had just slammed.

 

“What did that asshole say to you this time?” Delaney hurried over, voice full of heartache and anger.

 

I took a deep breath and tried to sound calm. “Delaney, help me with the discharge papers.”

 

“You just woke up, and you want to leave? The doctor said, You need more observation!”

 

“I would rather not stay here.” I cut her off and looked her in the eyes. “Can I stay at your place for a while?”

 

Delaney was stunned. “Discharge… and go straight to my place? You’re…”

 

“I want to live separately from Jaxen before the divorce,” I explained quietly. “I don’t have my place right now, and I would rather not look for one immediately. Staying with you… At least I’ll have you there. It’ll make me feel a little better.”

 

She looked at me with complicated emotions.

 

****

 

Three days later, the doctor finally said I was okay to leave.

 

Delaney helped me with the paperwork. She casually glanced at the bill: $521,230. She thought little of it, but when I took out my card and paid with a heavy heart, her expression changed completely.

 

“It’s only five hundred thousand. Why do you look like it hurts so much?”

 

I nodded. “Of course it hurts. This time I’m using my money.”

 

Delaney frowned. “You’re still Luna, still Mrs. Hale. Why are you saving money for that jerk? Just spend his money.”

 

I pressed my lips together and didn’t answer. I had decided on a divorce. I couldn’t keep spending his money anymore. That feeling of depending on him felt like a thorn in my side.

 

On the drive back to Delaney’s place, I leaned back in the passenger seat, staring out the window. The car was quiet. I rested my chin on my hand, thoughts drifting.

 

“I want to go back to the company tomorrow,” I blurted.

 

Delaney almost swerved the car. “You’re still going back to his company? Scarlett, are you serious about divorcing?”

 

“Of course I am,” I smiled bitterly. “But I still need to go through the proper resignation process and get my salary and quarterly bonus. That’s my hard-earned money. I would rather not give him a single cent.”

 

Delaney tilted her head and studied me as if I were a stranger. “You’ve been acting really weird lately… The old you was such a lovesick fool; everything revolved around Jaxen. Now you’re suddenly so clear-headed; I’m not used to it.”

 

I looked out the window, voice soft. “I don’t know if I’m clear-headed. I just know that even if I decide to divorce, I can’t erase Jaxen from my heart overnight. I need to do it step by step… First get out of his life, then slowly get used to a world without him.”

 

Back at Delaney’s cozy apartment, she showed me to the guest room, looking a bit embarrassed. “My place is small. It might not be comfortable for you.”

 

“It’s not bad at all.” I smiled and put my suitcase down. “I’ll have to get used to living in places like this, anyway.”

 

Delaney’s eyes widened. “What the hell? Jaxen makes billions a year. You’ve been married for three years. Even splitting in half, you get tens of billions, right?”

 

I shook my head, my voice calm but bitter. “I won’t get any. We signed a prenup. I’ll walk away with nothing.”

 

Delaney’s mouth twitched. She couldn’t help cursing. “I knew it! His mom liked you so much back then, and that’s how you got to marry him, but they had already set the trap. So ruthless.”

 

I didn’t reply. Jaxen’s mom really treated me like a daughter once, but this time, when I was kidnapped and hospitalized, she and Regina were on vacation overseas. I didn’t tell them. I didn’t want them to know about the divorce yet—I’d explain myself when the time was right.

 

That night, I lay in the guest room bed, staring at the ceiling.

 

My finger felt empty without that diamond ring. I suddenly realized that from now on, I really had to rely on myself.

 

The freedom of moving out should have relaxed me, but the moment I closed my eyes, exhaustion dragged me into an intense dream.

 

Jaxen stood in the center of the main bedroom. His amber eyes glowed in the dim light. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and old scars were visible on his broad chest. His voice was low and husky, carrying Alpha command mixed with a gentleness I had never heard: “Scarlett, you think moving out means you can escape?”

 

I stood there in nothing but a thin nightgown. He stepped closer, his tall frame swallowing me. His palm was burning as he grabbed my waist and pulled me hard into his arms. His lips crashed down fiercely, his tongue forcing my teeth apart, sucking on my tongue as if he wanted to claim every bit of restraint he had held back during our three years of marriage. His scent—strong cedarwood mixed with dominant golden wolf male pheromones—drowned me. My body responded wildly. I was instantly wet.

 

“Jaxen… we’re getting divorced…” I gasped in protest in the dream, but my hands climbed his shoulders, nails digging into the hard muscles of his back. He chuckled, the sound vibrating in his chest. “Divorce ? Impossible. I want you like this every night.” His hand roughly tore open my nightgown. The sound of fabric ripping was clear in the dream. Cool air hit my skin as my boobs were exposed to his burning gaze. He lowered his head, took one nipple into his mouth, and gently bit the sensitive tip while his tongue flicked fast. His other hand slid between my legs, fingers parting my wet folds, finding my swollen little nub, and rubbing it quickly.

 

I arched my back, moaning, legs going weak. He picked me up and threw me onto the bed, his enormous body pressing down immediately. He took off his pants. His thick, long, burning cock sprang out, the tip already wet, veins bulging. It was so big that I was both scared and desperate. He spread my legs, rubbed the head at my entrance a few times to coat it with my juices, then thrust in hard.

 

“Ah!” I screamed and hugged his neck tightly. The feeling of being filled made tears run down my face. He started pounding me fiercely, hitting the deepest spot every time, slamming against my cervix with wet, loud smacks. His knot swelled at the base, a hot bulb locking us together so we couldn’t separate. “Scarlett… my Luna… I’m going to mark you.” He bit down on my neck, teeth breaking the skin. I cried and met his thrusts, legs wrapped around his waist, hips lifting to take every brutal slam. His sweat dripped onto my chest as our bodies slid together. His hands gripped my waist, pace getting faster, like he was releasing years of pent-up desire. When the orgasm hit, my whole body spasmed, inner walls contracting wildly as I squirted. His knot locked completely. Hot cum shot deep inside me in thick streams, as if he wanted to fill all the regrets.

 

In the dream, I trembled at the peak, crying his name: “Jaxen… I love you… don’t push me away again…” He growled and held me tight. A golden wolf’s shadow appeared behind him, gently licking my mark.

 

When I woke up, my entire body was burning. My pajama pants were soaked, sticking to my thighs.

 

I sat up, fingers unconsciously touching the side of my neck—where he had bitten me in the dream.

 

The skin was smooth.

 

Of course it was.

 

But there was still a faint warmth left, as if his lips had really been there.

 

I hated myself.

 

I had spent the entire day pulling myself out of his life, step by step. I paid the hospital bill, moved out of the manor, and told everyone to call me Miss Ravencroft.

 

And then I had that dream.

 

I got up, pushed off the blanket, went to the bathroom, turned on the light, and looked at myself in the mirror.

 

I whispered to the girl in the mirror, “Scarlett, you traitor…”

 

I leaned closer. Below my collarbone, there was actually a faint red mark.

 

I stared at myself in the mirror and said in the calmest voice:

 

“Congratulations, Scarlett. You’re free now.”

 

“Stop dreaming about him.”

 

I took a deep breath, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on my face.