Chapter 2

“Thalia, you...” Her eyes traveled over my clothes, and her expression immediately changed. “Why are you dressed like this? Are you deliberately copying me?!”

I looked at her for a moment, then laughed softly. “I'd copy you? I've been dressing like this long before you showed up, Valerie. If anyone's copying anyone, sweetheart, it's you.”

I didn't wait for her answer. I walked past her and sat on the sofa, then looked at her calmly. “Another question. Why did you walk out of my bedroom without asking me?”

Her face tightened.

Before she could answer, Ricci finally came out.

His expression changed the moment he saw me.

For one second, his eyes lingered on me... there was surprise there. Maybe even admiration.

Then it disappeared.

“What the fuck are you trying to pull now?” he asked coldly. “Trying to dress up like this just to get my attention?”

I crossed my legs. “Would it matter if I was?”

He scoffed. “Don't start your stupid games, Thalia. Valerie's right. This doesn't suit you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You're trying too hard.”

I looked at him quietly.

How could the man who once kissed my forehead every night look at me like I was a stranger?

Ricci glanced at Valerie, and his voice immediately softened. “The heating system in her unit broke, so she's staying here for a few days. Don't make a fucking scene about it.”

Then he grabbed a coat and gently placed it around Valerie's shoulders. “You're injured, so don't push yourself. I already approved your rest, remember. I'm your boss.”

Valerie smiled. “I know, but I'm joining the Underworld's annual Blood Crown Trials. I heard Naples's new successor is participating too. She's called Huntress, and apparently she's terrifying.”

Ricci smiled. “You're the youngest model assassin in the country, especially under my care. A Huntress doesn't scare you. You've got nothing to prove to anyone.”

Then he glanced at me. “Unlike Thalia, you actually have the skills to survive in our world. She can carry a heavy box, but that's about fucking all she's good for.”

Something inside me went completely still.

So that's what he thought of me.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the divorce papers, tossing them onto his chest.

Ricci caught them, frowning. “What the hell is this?”

I stood up. “My divorce papers.”

Ricci stared at the divorce papers, completely stunned for a few seconds. Then his sneer slowly returned.

“What the hell are you talking about? Divorce? Are you seriously joking right now?” He looked me up and down. “Or did changing your clothes suddenly make you think you’re somebody important? You think you can walk away from me and live just fine without me?”

Valerie gave a soft laugh beside him.

“Thalia, you can copy my clothes if you want, but you can’t copy what makes me who I am,” she said, “I’ve worked for everything I have. I went to a prestigious university, trained with BlackSword, and learned to survive with my own hands. That’s not something a sheltered housewife can learn overnight.”

My eyes dropped to her other hand resting around Ricci’s neck.

How ridiculous.

Ricci pulled her a little closer. “If you’re doing this because you suspect me and Valerie, then stop it. She’s one of my own, one of BlackSword’s best assassins, and someone I trust with my life. Don’t drag some filthy idea into something you don’t understand!”

I didn’t answer.

There wasn’t anything left to say.

A few minutes later, perhaps because I’d gone completely quiet, Ricci finally went into the kitchen and served the soup he made himself. He filled a large bowl for Valerie first, then carefully blew on it before handing it to her.

“Careful. It’s hot. Don’t burn yourself.”

Valerie smiled sweetly. “Thanks, Ricci. You’re always taking care of me. I love it.”

“I’m supposed to. You’re injured, remember?”

Then, surprisingly, he brought another bowl and placed it in front of me. “Eat.”

I stared at the soup.

Five years ago, this would’ve made me happy. I would’ve thought, He still cares about me.

Now I only felt tired.

I looked at the man sitting across from me. This was the same man who used to remember exactly how I liked my food, who would pull a blanket over me when I fell asleep on the couch, who once held my hand and promised we’d grow old together.

When did that man disappear?

Or maybe he’d never existed at all.

I pushed the bowl away.

“Ricci, you’re such a good pretender.”

His expression changed. “What did you just say?”

I picked up the divorce papers and placed them in front of him again. “I said we’re getting divorced.”

He opened his mouth, but before he could answer, a sharp gunshot suddenly cracked through the building.

Bang!

Another shot followed, then another, and the windows shattered as BlackSword’s guards rushed toward the doors.

“Security breach!” someone screamed from the hallway.

Everything happened at once. More gunshots echoed through the building as guards drew their weapons and moved into position.

Valerie’s expression changed immediately. The softness vanished from her face.

“I’ll handle the eastern corridor.”

Ricci caught her around the waist and pulled her back against his chest. “No. Stay here. Let me handle it.”

Valerie frowned and tried to pull herself free. “Ricci, I’m your best assassin. You know I can handle this.”

“I know exactly what you can handle,” he replied, tightening his hold on her. “That’s why I’m telling you to stay.”

“Then why are you treating me like I’m helpless? I’m not your wife who does nothing at all and sits around waiting for someone to protect her.”

The words struck me harder than they should have.

Ricci didn’t even glance in my direction.

Instead, he looked down at Valerie with an expression I hadn’t seen directed at me in a very long time.

“You’re the most important person to me. So when I tell you to stay, you stay.”

I stood only a few steps away, watching them.

five years ago, at this exact table, we’d toasted our marriage. We’d bowed to heaven and earth, promised to stand beside each other through everything.

Now there were bullets flying around us, and he’d chosen someone else without even thinking.

It hurt.

God, it hurt.

But my heart was already too tired to break properly.

I calmly walked to the storage cabinet and pulled out the emergency canvas bag I’d prepared weeks ago. Ricci finally noticed as I opened it and checked the contents: medical supplies, weapons, communication devices, and backup ammunition.

Everything was exactly where I’d left it.

“Thalia, what the hell are you doing?” he asked.

The gunshots didn’t stop. Then came another explosion.

BOOM!