I Reclaimed My Birthright, Humiliating Them Both

Chapter 3

"What the hell? There's just some woman in here?!"

"Where the hell is Cassian?!"

Right after the crash, the men jumped out of their car to inspect the wreckage. But when they realized Cassian wasn't inside, disappointment twisted across their faces. They quickly turned around and sped off.

A bone-chilling dread swept over Elara as consciousness began slipping away. Her trembling fingers struggled to hit the emergency contact on her phone, Cassian.

But the moment the call connected, she didn't hear his voice. Instead, Vivienne answered, her voice bright and smug.

"Hello? Cassian's busy with me right now. If it's nothing urgent, I'm hanging up."

In the background, Elara could hear Cassian's low, gentle voice as he soothed Vivienne.

Elara's heart, which she'd thought had long since turned to ice, twisted violently in her chest. The pain was worse than every injury throbbing across her body.

When she opened her eyes again, she was lying in a sterile hospital room.

Cassian sat on the edge of her bed, dark circles beneath his eyes.

The instant he saw her eyelids flutter open, he let out a relieved breath.

He nodded toward the designer shopping bags overflowing with jewelry on her nightstand, his voice soft and familiar.

"Elara, the people who hit your car yesterday were from one of Vale Enterprises' rival companies. They were targeting me, and you got caught in the crossfire. That's on me. Everything over there is compensation for what you went through."

Elara's throat felt dry and raw.

She swallowed the bitter lump lodged in her throat, stayed silent for a moment, then pulled out the divorce agreement she'd already had prepared and slid it across the bed toward him.

"If you really want to make it up to me, sign these."

Cassian raised an eyebrow and picked up the papers without bothering to read them. He assumed she'd added another demand to the compensation.

His pen moved across the signature line in one swift stroke. He spoke absent-mindedly, "Elara, about yesterday..."

Before he could finish, the door flew open and a doctor hurried inside.

"Mr. Vale, Miss Whitmore is throwing another fit. She refuses to eat anything..."

The calm vanished from Cassian's face.

Panic flashed across his features, and he immediately rushed out of the room. He moved so quickly that his long strides seemed to swallow the distance between each step.

Bang! The heavy door slammed shut behind him.

The echo lingered in the quiet room, making Elara's chest ache.

A shrill ringtone sliced through the silence.

Elara glanced at the name flashing across her screen and rubbed her temples, utterly exhausted.

"You useless little b***h! What took you so damn long to answer? Where's the money you owe me this month?!"

"Gideon, Cassian and I are getting divorced soon. I don't have any money for you. And don't bother me again."

"You worthless piece of trash! You can't even keep your own husband! I should've sold you off when you were younger. At least I would've gotten some money back for raising you. Pfft..."

Gideon's venomous curse continued, but Elara didn't bother listening. She hung up immediately.

Then she stared blankly at the freshly signed divorce agreement, lost in thought.

Cassian didn't come back for the next two days.

Knowing Vivienne, she was probably throwing another tantrum.

It wasn't like this was the first time.

Elara had long since grown used to it.

Then, without warning, a group of bodyguards stormed into her hospital room and dragged her back to the villa.

The moment she saw Cassian's thunderous expression, a cold premonition settled in the pit of her stomach.

The next second, he looked up at her, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Elara, your father really is something, isn't he?"

He hurled his phone straight at her. The device struck her face with a sharp sting.

She barely registered the pain before scrambling to pick it up.

But the moment she saw what was playing on the screen, her heart jolted violently in her chest.