Chapter 411

I had prepared for this moment weeks ago. Yes, I changed my phone's password recently, and I did mention it to you. But you were too obsessed with those old photos on my computer. You accused me of still holding onto Olivia, yet you didn't listen to a single word I said.

His voice remained steady as steel. "Those pictures are fragments of my past - memories of me, my sister, and Olivia. Not a single one shows just Olivia and me alone."

Olivia, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. "It's true. She never liked taking photos. If it weren't for Natalie's insistence, she wouldn't have appeared in any of them."

Victoria's face contorted, her forced smile dissolving into ugly tears. "No! That's impossible! Are you telling me I've been battling a phantom - an imaginary rival all this time? I refuse to believe you're completely over Olivia! Unless you swear it, put it in writing, make it legally binding. Then maybe I can pretend none of this ever happened."

Victoria's voice cracked with desperation, edged with hysteria. Daniel's expression turned to stone, his patience exhausted. "I'm done explaining," Daniel declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Believe what you will. My decision stands."

He produced a folded document from his jacket pocket and tossed it at Victoria's feet. Her eyes bulged when she read "Divorce Agreement," feeling the ground give way beneath her.

"Never!" she shrieked, stumbling forward. She clutched at Daniel's sleeve. "We can't divorce! Our marriage has been flawless. Your family adores me, mine worships yours. This can't be how it ends!"

"When we married, all of Crestwood celebrated. You can't be this cruel, Daniel! What will society say about me if we divorce?"

Victoria's entire body trembled with panic, but Daniel's face remained impassive. Seeing her grip slipping, Victoria played what she believed was her trump card.

"If your family finds out, they'll never allow this. Your parents made it clear - only the man married to me can inherit the Bennett fortune. Without my support, you'll be completely disinherited, Daniel."

Victoria expected this threat to shake him, but instead, Daniel's gaze turned arctic. He wrenched his arm free, his voice rising with finality. "Let me make this perfectly clear, Victoria. I have zero interest in the Bennett legacy. If you think you can manipulate me with that, you're sorely mistaken. Even if I'm cast out of my family, this divorce will happen. Let's end this with some dignity. Don't make it uglier than it needs to be."

He paused, his tone resolute. "And don't waste energy worrying about Olivia. I'm leaving Eldermere tomorrow, and my destination is no longer your concern."

"No!" Victoria screamed, lunging for Daniel as he turned away. Blind panic surged through her as she tried to physically restrain him, but Olivia intervened, signaling for others to hold Victoria back.

Victoria's anguished wails echoed through the room as Daniel disappeared from view. Her strength spent, she collapsed to the floor, utterly broken. Olivia stepped forward, her voice like shards of ice. "How does it feel, Victoria?"

Victoria's tear-streaked face twisted with venom. "Happy now, Olivia? I knew it! There's something between you and Daniel. He's leaving me because of you!"

Olivia tsked, her words precise and cutting.

"Perhaps your marriage had cracks, but have you ever considered why it shattered? You blame everyone but yourself. Honestly, is this what you want - desperately clinging to a man who doesn't want you?"