Rose Harrison drifted awake as the sun began to bleed into the horizon.

The last rays of the day cast a sickly, orange glow across the room, fading into nothingness as quickly as they had arrived. Rose stared at them, her eyes glassy and unblinking.

*Maximus, can you really not see how much I love you? Am I truly not worth your affection? But I love you so much—more than I love myself.*

The room was deathly quiet. Rose remained still, watching the sunlight die, a hollow, gray numbness settling deep into her marrow.

*Fine. Let it go, Rose. I’ll let you go, and you let me go. Is that what you want?*

"Rose, you’re awake."

Caspian Hughes hurried to her bedside, his voice a soft, frantic hum. "Rose..."

"Caspian," she asked, her voice thin and brittle. "Was I wrong all along? Is it finally time to just… walk away?"

"Rose," Caspian murmured, gently stroking her hair. "Just follow your heart. I’m here. I’ve always been here to look after you."

Minutes later, Rose stood outside Delilah Kelly’s room. She didn’t need to enter to hear the laughter drifting through the door. It was crisp, melodic, and sharp as a razor blade—each sound slicing through her chest, leaving her heart to bleed out in the hallway.

*Just give up, Rose. Stop chasing a ghost. What was never yours to keep has to be returned to them eventually.*

Her hand hovered over the door handle. She gripped the cold metal until her knuckles turned white.

"Rose," Caspian’s warm hand covered hers, steadying her. "I’ll wait right here. I’ll be right outside when you’re done."

She pushed the door open. A surge of desperate resolve flooded her veins. *Do it. Hand the love back to him and walk away.*

The sound of the door opening silenced the room. The smiles on the two figures inside withered instantly.

Maximus Anderson stood up, physically shielding Delilah with his frame. His voice was a frost-covered blade. "Rose Harrison, what are you doing here?"

Watching him instinctively move to protect Delilah ripped a fresh wound into her. She stood there, drowning in her own pain, unnoticed and unloved, while Delilah—who had orchestrated this entire drama—was treated like a precious jewel.

He had never looked at her with such tenderness. Never. Only with disgust. It was always, and had only ever been, disgust.

"Rose, get out," Maximus barked.

"Max, it’s fine. Rose didn’t mean to intrude, don’t be too hard on her," Delilah cooed, her voice dripping with artificial sympathy. She tugged playfully at Maximus’s sleeve, leaning into him. "Max, I have you. That’s all I need."

"Rose," Maximus snapped, his eyes cold as granite. "Can’t you see you aren't wanted here?"

*Maximus, you love her so much. You guard her so fiercely. You... you really hate my presence that much?*

"Maximus," Rose whispered, her voice steadying as she dug her long fingernails into her palms, drawing blood. It was the only way to anchor herself against the urge to collapse. "I’ve decided to stop. I don’t love you anymore. Let’s… let’s get a divorce."

Maximus froze.

*A divorce?*

She was finally saying it. A flicker of triumph flared in his chest, but it was immediately smothered by a strange, cold plummeting sensation—the sharp, instinctual reaction of a businessman sensing a deal falling through.

He stared into Rose’s eyes, trying to strip away the mask to see the truth of her heart. He needed to know if this was just another performance. But to his utter shock, he couldn't see anything. Her clear, hollow eyes were filled with nothing but agony and a terrifying finality. He felt a sudden, sharp jolt of panic, as if something vital had just slipped through his fingers. A dull ache bloomed in his chest, unbidden and agonizing.

Behind him, Delilah’s face lit up with unchecked delight. *Rose is finally giving up! Does this mean I’ll finally be the legitimate Mrs. Anderson?* In that moment, she conveniently forgot the men she’d played with in the shadows, or the promises she’d broken to others. She only knew one thing: her days of scraping by were over. She was finally going to be the mistress of a high-society empire.