Chapter 4

It wasn't until Elene's surgery was over that Lorraine was wheeled into the operating room. When she woke up again, her back burned painfully from the wounds. "Ms. Reid, I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news…" The doctor hesitated. "Due to the delay in surgery, your burns on your back will leave permanent scars. "If you're worried your husband will mind, you could consider cosmetic reconstruction…" She tugged slightly at the corner of her mouth, the movement pulling at the injury on her face. "It's fine. My husband never touches me. He won't care about these scars." She paused, and her gaze became chillingly calm. "Besides, he won't be my husband much longer." The ward door suddenly swung open. "What do you mean by that?" Luca stood in the doorway with his brows furrowed. The doctor, sensing the tension, quietly left, closing the door softly behind him. Lorraine closed her eyes in exhaustion, unwilling to speak. Luca's gaze finally fell on her bandaged body, and his tone became unusually soft. "That day… I thought you'd gotten out of the mall safely." His Adam's apple bobbed as he said, "I didn't expect you'd be hurt so badly. I came as soon as I heard." She opened her eyes, looking at him calmly. "It's okay. I'm used to it." Her voice was flat, without a trace of emotion. "After all, in all these years, whenever I needed you the most, you were never there. So it makes no difference this time." His brow furrowed tighter. He was silent for a moment before pulling a black card from his suit pocket. "Consider this compensation." She didn't take the card and just looked straight at him. "I want 50 million dollars to be wired to my account now." He was momentarily taken aback, seemingly surprised by her demand, but he didn't question it further. With a cold response, he logged into the mobile banking app while asking in a detached voice, "What happened to you?" Just as she was about to answer, his phone rang. "Lene?" His voice softened instantly. "Okay, I'll be there right away." After finishing the transfer, he quickly put the phone away. "I'll come see you later." She watched his retreating back and whispered, "Consider this money part of the divorce settlement. Once the divorce is finalized, we'll be done with each other for good." Her voice was quiet but sharp. … The first thing Lorraine did after being discharged and returning home was sort through everything related to Luca. In the study, she opened the long-sealed storage cabinet, where she put all the gifts she had given him over the years. There were unopened limited-edition pens, perfectly packaged custom cufflinks, and cashmere scarves with the tags still on. "Take it all away," she told the maids softly. "Burn what's useless, and split the rest among yourselves." The maids were delighted to receive such valuable items and thanked her repeatedly. That evening, Luca returned home and happened to see the housekeeper carefully polishing the Montblanc pen he had never used. "What's going on here?" he asked, frowning. The housekeeper replied nervously, "It's a gift from Mrs. Frey for us." A flicker of unease crossed Luca's mind. He hurried upstairs, pushing open the bedroom door to find Lorraine organizing the wardrobe. "Why are you giving away my things?" he asked sternly. Lorraine didn't look up as she answered calmly, "You never used them anyway. They just collect dust when they're left here. It's better to give them to someone who needs them and put them to good use." He stared at her profile, sensing that something was different about her. But he couldn't pinpoint exactly what. Then, he returned to the study, only to realize the sandalwood box was gone. It held the sapphire cufflinks Elene had given him, which he had always treasured and kept deep in his drawer. "Lorraine, give me back my cufflinks!" He stormed into the bedroom with a terrifying expression. Lorraine raised her head with slightly furrowed brows. "Which cufflinks?" He swiped through his photo album angrily. "These. You'd better give them back within an hour. If not, there will be consequences." She studied the picture for three seconds and knew immediately that whatever drove him this out of control had to be linked to Elene. She didn't remember taking the box, but she began searching the villa, fearing she might have overlooked something. To her surprise, he was also searching. The man who was usually obsessed with cleanliness now had dust all over his suit, his expensive leather shoes buried in a heap of garbage as his long fingers rummaged through grimy plastic bags. She stood aside, suddenly feeling short of breath. After six years of being together, it was the first time she had seen him degrade himself like this over a single item. It turned out that the gift Elene gave him was worth this much.