Marked By My Ex-Husband's Rival

Pity

ARIA POV



The divorce papers lay neatly on the wooden table in the hall, the ink of Caleb’s signature already dried. Across from me, he sat with an unreadable expression, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on me as if waiting for my reaction.

I reached for the papers, my fingers steady as I flipped through them. Every word, every clause was final—our bond as husband and wife severed in writing. My eyes trailed over his signature before I pressed the pen to the paper, signing my name beside his.

It was done.

I placed the papers back on the table with a quiet exhale, my expression calm. I had already accepted this. I had already decided to let go.

No… I wasn’t naïve enough to think I could truly let go. Feelings like these didn’t just disappear overnight. But I would live with them, carry them silently, and wait until time numbed the pain. I had no choice but to get used to it.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Caleb’s jaw tighten. His fingers curled into fists on his lap.

For a moment, silence stretched between us.

Then, his voice cut through the air—rougher than usual.

“They’ve found a way to remove the mark,” he said abruptly. “It doesn’t require us to sleep together.”

I looked up at him, startled by his tone. His expression was unreadable, but something in his eyes flickered—something beyond anger, beyond irritation.

“Selene and the chief will take care of it,” he continued, his voice still edged with something sharp. “And I’ve already arranged a place for you to stay.”

I remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.

“You’ll live in your parents’ house.”

My breath hitched.

The house at the edge of the third village. The place my mother and father built together. The only thing I had left of them.

I had avoided staying there all these years, keeping it as a remembrance, a piece of them frozen in time. But now…

Caleb leaned back in his seat, his tone indifferent. “Your father was from this village, but your mother was from the third village. You sold the house here for their funeral expenses, but the other house is still yours. You can live there from now on.”

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

So that was it. That was my future now. A house filled with memories and silence.

I nodded slowly. “I understand.”

Caleb’s brows furrowed slightly, his lips pressing into a thin line. I didn’t understand why, but he looked… displeased.

Had he expected me to beg him to stay? To cry and fight for something he had already decided to abandon?

I had already lost enough dignity.

I wouldn’t lose any more.

I walked to the guest room in silence, my legs feeling weak beneath me. The weight of everything that had happened pressed heavily on my chest, but I had no tears left to shed. The papers were signed. My fate had been sealed.

Just as I sat down on the bed, a knock echoed through the room. I turned, my heart sinking when I heard a familiar voice.

“Aria,” Selena called softly. “It’s time.”

For a moment, I didn’t move. My fingers unconsciously drifted to my hip, where Caleb’s mark was burned into my skin—the symbol of a bond I had once thought unbreakable. It had been created through magic, a sign of his claim on me, something that could only be undone through an irreversible process.

I let out a slow breath, pushing down the last remnants of hesitation. There was no point in clinging to something that no longer existed.

“I’ll freshen up,” I said quietly.

After washing my face with cold water, as if trying to wake myself from this cruel reality, I followed her. She led me through the darkened village, straight to the chief’s house. My steps felt heavier with each passing moment, but I steeled myself. I wanted this to be over as soon as possible.

Inside, the chief stood waiting, his face unreadable. There was a circular marking on the ground, etched with ancient symbols.

“Stand here,” he instructed.

I did as I was told, my only goal being to end this nightmare.

But then—something changed.

Without warning, four men stepped forward. Two seized my wrists, pulling them outward, while the other two grabbed my legs, keeping me still.

“What—?” My voice caught in my throat as panic surged through me.

A sizzling sound filled the air.

I turned my head just in time to see Selena pouring water over a long, heated iron rod. Steam hissed upon contact, proof of its unbearable heat.

A chill ran down my spine. My breathing turned ragged.

“What’s happening?” My voice trembled, raw with fear.

The chief met my eyes, his expression eerily calm. “This is the only method to remove the mark permanently. And it must be done while you are conscious, or the effect won’t take hold.”

I felt my stomach drop.

No.

This couldn’t be happening.

I struggled against their hold, but their grip only tightened. “Does Caleb know about this?” My voice was laced with desperation.

The chief nodded without hesitation. “It was his proposal.”

His words cut deeper than any blade.

The man who had once sworn to protect me, the man I had loved for years, had chosen this for me.

My gaze flickered to Selena, who stood frozen in place. And in her eyes, I saw it—pity.

True, undeniable pity.

But she didn’t stop them.

My breath came in short gasps as realization crashed down on me. I wasn’t just being unmarked—I was being punished.

The men ripped away my clothes, stripping me bare in front of them. Shame burned through my veins, but I couldn’t fight. I couldn’t even scream.

“Selena, leave,” the chief ordered. “This is not something for you to witness.”

Selena hesitated.