Meanwhile, Alicia

‎Since Alexander was with Lilian—and it was a Monday—he likely wouldn’t return anytime soon. Her laptop and iPad were still at the office, and without her phone, she couldn’t even contact her assistant.

‎After a moment of thought, she made a quiet decision.

‎She would visit her parents’ graves.

‎It had been a while... and with the divorce happening today, she wanted to seek their blessing for the life she was about to step into.

‎"Mrs. Blackwood, are you going out?" Maria’s voice broke her thoughts.

‎"Mm," Alicia replied softly, forcing a small smile. "I’m going to visit my parents’ graves."

‎Her grandparents had once been buried in the countryside, but over a decade ago, their graves were relocated to a cemetery on the outskirts of the city—alongside her parents.

‎She decided to visit them all.

‎On the way, she bought four bouquets of flowers.

‎Her grandfather had passed away when she was nine. Fourteen years had gone by, and his face had long blurred in her memory, leaving behind only faint traces of warmth.

‎At the cemetery, she placed the flowers carefully before each grave.

‎Then she sat in front of her father’s tombstone.

‎The cold stone stood silent before her.

‎As she closed her eyes, memories surfaced—unbidden.

‎The car accident.

‎Six years had passed, but she could never forget.

‎If her father hadn’t pushed her away at that moment... she would have died with him.

‎Time had dulled her memories of her mother and grandparents, but not him.

‎Never him.

‎He had been the greatest father she could have asked for.

‎After divorcing her mother, he never remarried.

‎When she was younger, she didn’t understand why. But as she grew older, she finally did.

‎*"People’s hearts are hard to see,"* he used to say. "I can’t be sure how a new wife would treat you. And besides, I’m too busy—I don’t have the energy for another marriage."

‎He had been a journalist, always traveling, always working. That was why she had grown up with her grandparents.

‎Back then, she hadn’t understood him.

‎But now... she did.

‎There were still old reports about him in newspapers, remnants of the life he had lived.

‎Alicia lowered her gaze, her voice soft.

‎"Dad... besides coming to see you... I also wanted to tell you something."

‎She paused.

‎"I’m getting a divorce."

"Dad... I know this must sound shocking to you. Just a few months ago, I was still telling you how good he was to me—how he was the perfect son-in-law in your eyes. And now... in such a short time, we’re parting ways."

‎A faint, bitter smile appeared on my lips.

‎"Do you think it’s ridiculous? Honestly... I think so too."

‎My voice trembled slightly.

‎"Ever since he brought up divorce, I’ve felt completely lost. I keep asking myself—how did we end up here? How did we reach the point where divorce became the only option?"

‎I lowered my head, my fingers tightening unconsciously.

‎"If someone had told me a few months ago that I’d be divorcing Alexander today... I would have never believed it."

‎A tear slipped down quietly.

‎"I loved him so much. How could I ever imagine leaving him? And yet... here we are."

‎I let out a shaky breath.

‎"It’s a long story, Dad... and I don’t even know where to begin."

‎I paused for a moment before whispering,

‎"I’m pregnant."

‎My hand moved instinctively to my stomach.

‎"You’re going to be a grandfather."

‎My voice softened, almost pleading.

‎"If you’re watching over me... please bless this child. Let the baby be born safely."

‎Another wave of emotion surged through me.

‎"I still love him. I’ve loved him for six years... and we’ve been married for two. How am I supposed to just forget him?"

‎I pressed a hand against my chest.

‎"It hurts so much... it really does."

‎My voice dropped to a whisper.

‎"Maybe... we were never meant to be."

‎I closed my eyes briefly before continuing.

‎"He’s always loved someone else. And no matter how hard I tried these past two years... I couldn’t warm his heart."

‎A quiet, resigned smile touched my lips.

‎"We can’t go on like this anymore. I have no choice but to let go."

‎My voice trembled again.

‎"Does that make me a failure?"

‎I let out a soft, broken laugh.

‎"If you were here, you’d probably tell me to let go... but I just can’t seem to do it."

‎Tears blurred my vision.

‎"I loved him for six years... and finally became his wife. These two years... they were so good. How could it all end so suddenly?"

‎Silence settled around me.

‎I sat there, alone in front of the cold gravestone, pouring out everything I had buried deep inside. Only by saying it out loud did the weight in my chest ease, even if just a little.

‎Now... everything was set.

‎There was no escaping it—we were getting a divorce.

‎Since it had come to this, I would accept it. Calmly.

‎I placed a hand over my stomach again.

‎"I have this child now."

‎My voice grew steadier.

‎"I’ll keep the baby. I’ll give them the Sinclair name... and raise them well."

‎Deep down, I already knew—

‎After Alexander, I would never be able to love anyone the same way again.

‎He was everything anyone could want—handsome, capable, from a powerful family...

‎And yet, he was also cold. Untouchable.

‎Through him, I had learned a painful lesson.

‎I stayed at the cemetery until the afternoon.

‎After talking about the divorce, I also shared my plans with my father.

‎Once I informed Grandma from the Blackwood family, I would leave the company. Whether Alexander agreed or not didn’t matter anymore.

‎I would find a new place to live... raise my child... and build a life of my own.

‎If possible, I would still visit Grandma from time to time—with the child.

‎I gently touched the gravestone.

‎"Dad... I’ll go now. I’ll come see you again at Christmas."

‎With that, I stood up, turned, and left the cemetery.

As I merged onto the highway, a black sedan suddenly accelerated and cut in between me and the car ahead.

‎I slammed on the brakes instinctively.

‎The sedan stayed in front of me, maintaining a strange distance—not too close, not too far.

‎Moments later, its brake lights flashed again.

‎I slowed down and glanced at the rearview mirror before switching lanes to overtake it.

‎But not long after, it caught up again—

‎and moved right back in front of me.

‎A few minutes passed.

‎The same thing happened again.

‎The car slowed down deliberately, blocking my path.

‎When I tried to change lanes, it followed—cutting me off once more.

‎A sense of unease crept into my chest.

‎Is this... intentional?

‎I frowned, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

‎I didn’t recognize the license plate.

‎And earlier, when the car had passed me...

‎the driver had even smiled at me through the window.

‎I didn’t recognize him either.

As I exited the highway, the black sedan followed closely behind.

‎It trailed me down the ramp, then suddenly sped ahead—only to slow down again, forcing me to reduce my speed.

‎When I slowed, it slowed even more.

‎At this rate, there was no way to get past it unless I stopped completely—but parking here was prohibited.

‎I tried changing lanes.

‎It followed.

‎Blocking me again.

‎Once.

‎Twice.

‎Again and again.

‎