When Elena returned home, the first thing she did was call a lawyer. The call was connected after a few rings.

"I want a divorce from my husband," she said grimly.

"Reason?" the man asked calmly.

"He lied to me and deceived me." Elena’s tone went cold. "He already has a family. But he hid it from me and tricked me into marrying him."

As she spoke, the photograph of Elias sitting closely with that woman flashed in the back of her mind, making her angrier.

"I want to end this relationship as soon as possible."

"Hm," the lawyer hummed thoughtfully.

"If what you are saying is true, this would constitute marriage fraud. He could face criminal charges. I can also ensure that you receive substantial compensation. We can demand a division of his assets and—"

"I don’t care what happens to him," Elena cut him off sharply. "And I certainly don’t need anything from him. All I want is to end this marriage."

"I understand," the man said. "I’ll prepare the divorce papers and send them to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

The call ended.

Elena tossed her phone onto the bed and walked into the bathroom.

She turned on the shower.

Water cascaded down from above, soaking her hair and clothes within seconds.

For several moments, she simply stood there, motionless. Then her legs gave out. She collapsed onto the cold, wet floor.

The water continued pouring over her. Tears mixed with the streams running down her cheeks.

She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face against them. The sobs she had been holding back finally escaped.

"Why? Why is life so unfair to me?" Her voice cracked. "Why does everyone leave me?"

More tears slipped down her face. Her shoulders shook.

"First Mom and then Dad..."

The old wounds reopened.

She had only been five years old when her mother abandoned her and left with another man. She had never come back, never called her, and never checked on her. It was as if Elena had never existed, as if she had never mattered.

Then her father had died. The memory shattered what little composure she had left.

"I am sorry, papa..." She sobbed even harder. "It’s because of me."

Even now, she blamed herself for what had happened to her father back then.

If she hadn’t asked for the cake, if she hadn’t insisted, maybe he would still be alive.

The guilt had haunted her for years.

"Life is punishing me now." A fresh wave of tears rolled down her already wet cheeks. "The man I loved broke my heart mercilessly. And the man I thought I could rely on lied to me. I feel so lonely."

The bathroom echoed with her sobs.

"I don’t want to be here anymore."

She wanted to disappear. She wanted to leave this city and everything behind.

Consumed by her grief, she never heard her phone ringing.

Elias frowned when the call went unanswered for the second time. He tried once again.

Still nothing.

Unease settled in his chest.

"Why isn’t she answering?" His brows furrowed as he glanced at the screen. "Is she in trouble?"

The thought put him on edge. He was afraid Noah might have done something to her.

Anxious, he quickly called Owen.

"Mr. Rowan," came Owen’s voice from the other end as soon as the call connected.

"Check on Elena." Elias’s tone was firm. "I want to know where she is and what she has been doing today."

"Yes, sir. I’ll look into it immediately."

The call ended.

But Elias’s uneasiness remained. In fact, it only grew stronger.

Something felt wrong.

"I need to go home." He stood up. "I need to see her."

He hurried out of his room.

In the hall, Leo was playing.

"Leo..."

The boy looked up.

"Go pack your things. Tell your mother to get ready. We’re leaving immediately."

~~~~~~~~~~~

On the way to the airport, Elias received a call from Owen.

"What is the update?" he asked impatiently.

"I’ve checked. Madam went shopping this afternoon. There she ran into Tessa Morgan."

Elias’s expression shifted altogether.

"She returned home afterward and never left her room."

"Tessa Morgan," Elias muttered the name through his clenched teeth.

He had a feeling Tessa had done or said something that upset Elena.

"The audacity," he muttered coldly. "Find out everything she has been doing lately."

"Sure."

~~~~~~~~~~~

The journey took the whole night. By the time the jet landed, the dawn was approaching. Darkness still lingered over the city.

After dropping Evelyn and Leo at the Rowan estate, Elias headed straight to his apartment. He went into the bedroom.

The moment he saw her sleeping peacefully, he let out a deep sigh of relief. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

’She is safe, unharmed.’

Slowly, he approached the bed and sat beside her. His fingers gently brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead.

The sternness in his expression melted away. Tenderness was what remained in his heart.

"Good morning, my beautiful wife," he whispered.

He then watched her quietly for a moment. "Today is Grandpa’s birthday. And I have a surprise for you."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Elena stirred and slowly opened her eyes. The moment she saw him, her entire body stiffened.

"You?"

She tried to move away instinctively. But Elias wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Don’t move," he said hoarsely. "It’s still early."

He pulled her closer. "Sleep a little longer."

He lay down beside her and drew her against his chest. His chin rested lightly on her head. Breathing in the familiar floral scent of her hair, he finally relaxed.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

But Elena felt nothing except anger. The image from the photograph flashed through her mind.

’He hid his other family from me.’

Her insides burned with indignation.

’Why are you pretending to be a loving husband? Shouldn’t you be with them? Why are you with me here?’

She wanted to confront him and demand answers. But the words refused to come out.

She pushed lightly against his chest. "I need to go to the office early today."

Instead of releasing her, he drew her closer to his chest.

"It’s only five in the morning." His fingers stroked her hair. "You can sleep for a couple of hours."

"I’m not sleepy." She tried to break free.

His hold tightened. He glanced down at her.

"Are you upset with me?"

Elena met his gaze. A storm of emotion surged up.

She wanted to scream, to ask him why he had lied. But the concern in his eyes looked so genuine that it made her hesitate.

She looked away.

"No."

"Don’t lie to me." He held her chin and forced her to meet his eyes.

"You are upset, aren’t you?" he asked, searching her face.

Elena stared at him. "Tell me something. Why do you think I’m upset?"

Her voice was calm. She cocked her head. "Did you do something that I should be angry about?"