Chapter 4
Arlene's POV
These past few days, I've been handling my daughter all on my own.
Honestly, it's way more exhausting than I expected.
Feeding her, changing diapers, rocking her to sleep—every little thing has me scrambling.
But every time I look at her tiny face, it all feels worth it.
That afternoon, my phone buzzed.
It was Helen.
For the last two years, her health had been rough, so she'd been recovering abroad.
In that whole family, she was the only one who'd ever been kind to me.
In my past life, it was her who ordered Caspian to bring me back from the hospital after I gave birth.
"Grandma..." My voice caught, thick with emotion.
"Arlene, I'm back," the old woman said warmly. "I heard you had the baby—a girl? I want to see you both."
"Grandma, I..."
"Come to the estate tomorrow," she said. "There's some things I need to tell you."
I paused for a second.
Go back to the estate?
That place had Caspian, his parents, and... Serafina.
I never wanted to set foot there again.
But Helen's the only Valcour who truly cares about me. She's getting up there in years, and every visit could be our last—after the divorce, I might never see her again.
"Okay," I said. "I'll bring her to see you tomorrow."
The next evening, I pulled up to the Valcour estate with my daughter in my arms.
Standing at the massive front door, I took a deep breath.
In my past life, I'd stood here countless times, begging for scraps of Caspian's attention like some pathetic doormat.
Now, I was just here to see Grandma—and then get the hell out.
The butler let me in.
"Arlene," Caspian said, striding over with a smirk dripping sarcasm. "I knew you'd come crawling back."
He thought I'd had a change of heart?
"I'm here to see Grandma," I said icily. "This has nothing to do with you."
His smile froze for a beat.
"Arlene," Serafina chimed in, stepping forward with fake concern. "It's been ages."
I ignored her. "Where's Grandma? I'm here for her."
"I'm right here."
An elderly voice echoed from the top of the stairs.
Helen came down slowly, leaning on her cane and a maid's arm.
"Arlene, let me see the little one."
I walked over and gently handed my daughter to her.
Helen cradled her carefully, a soft smile lighting up her face.
"She's beautiful... looks just like you."
My nose stung with unshed tears.
"Grandma, I need to talk to you."
"Perfect," she said, looking up at me. "I have things to say too. Let's go to my room."
Helen's room was on the second floor.
I helped her settle into a chair, and my daughter lay quietly in the portable crib.
"Grandma, I..."
"Hold on." She cut me off, pulling a card from her nightstand drawer. "Take this first."
I stared at it, confused.
"What's this?"
"Twenty million dollars," she said, pressing it into my hand. "It's yours."
"Grandma—"
"Arlene," she said, squeezing my hand with a serious look. "I know how they've treated you in this house. I've seen it all—Caspian and the rest."
"I'm getting old, and my health's failing. I'm scared that when I'm gone, no one will look out for you."
"So, I want you to leave."
I froze.
"Grandma... you support me divorcing him?"
"Yes." She nodded firmly. "You're still young. Don't waste your life here. If Caspian can't appreciate you, walk away."
"This twenty million is from my personal savings. And when I'm gone, everything I have goes to you and the baby."
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
"Grandma..."
"No crying." She patted my hand gently. "Just be strong and raise her right."
I nodded, swallowing hard to hold back the sobs.
Dinner time rolled around.
Helen insisted I stay and eat.
I wanted to say no, but the hopeful look in her eyes made me cave.
Five of us sat at the table—Helen, Rowena, Aldrich, Caspian, and Serafina.
The vibe was straight-up awkward.
Rowena and Aldrich barely acknowledged me, Serafina kept shooting me side-eye, and Caspian sulked the whole time.
Only Helen showed any warmth.
"Arlene, eat up. Taking care of a newborn's no joke."
"Thanks, Grandma."
Serafina took a sip of her drink.
"Helen, I've been studying violin abroad these past two years. I have a recital next month—you've gotta come."
Helen just nodded, not saying much.
I kept my head down, focusing on my food and steering clear of any chit-chat.
Then—
"Ahh—"
Serafina clutched her stomach and slumped off her chair.
"Serafina!" Caspian yelled, rushing over to catch her. "What's wrong?"
"My stomach... it hurts so bad..." Her face was pale, sweat beading on her forehead. "The baby..."
Baby?
I blinked, stunned.
She was pregnant?
"Call an ambulance—now!" Aldrich barked.
Chaos erupted, and soon Serafina was being loaded onto a stretcher.
As they wheeled her out, she pointed weakly at me, gasping, "It was her... Arlene... she put something in my drink..."
Every eye in the room snapped to me.
"Arlene!" Caspian lunged, grabbing my throat, his eyes wild with rage. "What the hell did you do?!"
I gasped, struggling for air as my face turned red.
"I didn't..."
"You didn't? I saw you go into the kitchen! It had to be you!" His grip tightened. "You're a mom yourself—how could you be this vicious?"
Looking at his twisted face, I suddenly laughed, even as spots danced in my vision.
"Caspian Valcour," I forced out, word by word, "are you... out of... your damn mind? I went to the kitchen to make formula for Molly!"
I swung my hand up and slapped him hard across the face.
He staggered back, shocked. Everyone froze.
"You done choking me?" I rubbed my neck, glaring at him. "You didn't even ask for my side—just went straight to violence?"
"I'll say it again: I didn't touch her drink."
"Don't believe me? Fine, check the security cams."
"And another thing," I stepped back, meeting his eyes dead-on. "With all these drinks on the table and many people touching them, how does she instantly know it was me—and that it ended up in her glass? If you're gonna frame someone, at least make it believable."
Caspian's face twisted through a dozen emotions.
"You—"
"Caspian," I cut him off. "You just called me vicious. So what about you? Choking me without a shred of proof—that's not vicious?"
I turned to Helen.
"Grandma, I'm sorry, but I can't stay for the rest of dinner."
I scooped up Molly and walked out, not looking back.
"Arlene!" Caspian shouted after me. "Get back here!"
I didn't stop.
At the door, I glanced over my shoulder.
"Caspian, we're divorced," I said calmly. "From now on, you and I? We're done. No ties, nothing."
