I Divorced the Vampire Who Never Loved Me — Now He’s on His Knees Begging

I married the most powerful vampire in existence — Lucien Blackthorne. And I was just a human. Four years ago, my parents gave their lives to save his during an assassination attempt. So he married me. As compensation. Lucien paid for my education, gave me access to resources most humans could only dream of, and treated me with impeccable courtesy. But he never once mentioned turning me. Then one day, his childhood sweetheart — a female vampire, freshly divorced — came looking for him. It was the first time I ever saw Lucien smile. That was the moment I understood. Lucien had never seen me as his wife. There had always been someone else. So I handed him the divorce papers. He barely hesitated before signing his name. "Elena, why would you do this? You know you can't survive without me. You'll regret it." He tossed me a check across the desk, looking down at me, and told me to go home and think it over. But this time, I wasn't going back. I left him carrying his child, determined to find myself again — done begging for his love. And yet, after I vanished, he came chasing after me, sobbing, pleading with me not to go. Chapter 1 Elena's POV From the day I walked into the Blackthorne mansion in my wedding dress, I knew one thing. I didn't belong here. The servants bowed with their eyes lowered, never meeting my gaze. The nights held no warmth, no light — only endless darkness. And I was the only one who needed the sun. Fragile, lost, clinging to my vampire husband. Four years of marriage, and I had poured everything I had into fitting in — hand-picking Lucien's suits and ties, managing every mundane detail of his life. And Lucien, to his credit, had never treated me badly. He was gentle. Considerate. Always the perfect gentleman. "If you want to continue at the medical school, I'll arrange it." His tone was calm, the same as always. That day, I stood in the doorway of his study, certain he would refuse. But he simply glanced up from the mountain of paperwork on his desk — just for a second. "Your life doesn't have to be defined by this marriage. Whatever you want to do, you're free to do it." His expression was the same as it had always been — cool, controlled. But I told myself that the way he looked at me meant something. That it was respect born of love. I could have gone on lying to myself forever, pretending that was enough. Until three months ago, when she came back. Seraphina Crowe. Lucien's childhood sweetheart. A pureblood vampire — elegant, aristocratic, and freshly divorced. I had heard her name whispered among the servants countless times inside the castle. Apparently, if Seraphina hadn't chosen someone else first, she would have been Lucien's fiancée. That was always the arrangement between their families. On our wedding anniversary, I waited at home with a gift for hours. Lucien was always punctual. But that night, he was late. That night was also the first time I laid eyes on the infamous "Miss Crowe." She wore a red gown, her arm looped through Lucien's with casual ownership. The look she gave me was the kind you'd give a cheap plate of leftovers. "This is Seraphina Crowe. An old friend. She'll be staying with us for a while." When Lucien spoke to me, his gaze landed on my face for only one second. He didn't notice the gift box I'd already hidden under the sofa. He certainly didn't notice how tightly I was clenching my fists, fighting to hide my awkward, disappointed expression. "Okay." I had no right to refuse. And honestly, I don't think he was asking. "Lucien, your taste is still terrible." Seraphina swept her eyes around the castle, appraising the furniture, before letting her gaze drift — almost carelessly — to me. I kept my head down, doing my best to ignore the venom and hold myself together. And then — I heard Lucien laugh. "Still that sharp tongue? You've been like this since we were kids. No wonder your marriage didn't last." I looked up, and I saw everything. His eyes had never been that bright. A faint smile spread from the corners of his eyes to his lips, making him look — for the first time — almost human. In four years, I had never seen him smile. I'd thought Lucien simply didn't know how. Turns out, he just didn't do it around me. Seraphina caught the flash of shock and pain on my face. She gave Lucien's arm a playful punch and leaned into him, teasing. "My divorce? That's only because you begged me to come back and help run your business." "Enough. Stop teasing." He turned to me, his voice dropping into that familiar, measured gentleness. "Elena, it's getting late. You don't need to wait up for me in the sitting room anymore. It's cold out here." Lucien patted the top of my head — the same as always — and told me to get some rest. Then he turned and walked upstairs with Seraphina. I watched them go, laughing and talking all the way up, until I heard the study door close behind them. I sat frozen on the sofa. Night was falling. For vampires, life was just beginning. And I — the human — had no place in any of it. Chapter 2 Elena's POV After that, everything happened too fast. Once Seraphina was back, they were inseparable. Handling affairs together, going in and out of meetings side by side. Even the job of picking out Lucien's clothes each morning — which had always been mine — fell to her. "Lucien told me you're a medical student? You must be exhausted from studying every day. Humans have limited stamina — leave these little things to me." That day, I was turned away at the study door. The tie I'd already chosen was tossed aside by Seraphina. At home, I saw them everywhere — walking shoulder to shoulder. Seraphina would lean close. And Lucien didn't pull away. I told myself it was normal. They were vampires. They had grown up together. Of course they were close. It meant nothing. But sitting alone in that house, I felt, for the first time in a long while, that old familiar feeling — like I didn't belong. I thought I'd learned to walk on eggshells well enough. I'd even stopped expecting my husband to truly love me. But watching Lucien laugh and joke so easily with Seraphina, while all I ever got was silence — "Fine." "Got it." "Whatever you want." — the ache in my chest was impossible to ignore. The anniversary gift was still hidden in the closet. The first three years, Lucien had always found my gifts quickly, and he'd wear whatever I gave him the very next day. But this time, the quartz watch I'd picked out had been sitting so long that the hands had stopped. Maybe he just forgot. After all, anniversaries were a human thing — he'd never cared about dates like that only humans commemorated. I kept looking at my gift, over and over. I rewrote the card and threw it away more times than I could count. Every word I wrote felt wrong, and I kept revising, terrified of boring him. Lucien had always kept me at arm's length. I didn't want to admit it, but I could feel it — his feelings for me were paper-thin. Guilt was the only thing holding us together. Before Seraphina, I could still lie to myself. But after seeing what Lucien's happiness actually looked like, I couldn't pretend anymore. I'd spent years walking on eggshells, and that careful, gentlemanly courtesy of his — it had no place between husband and wife. Maybe I should never have accepted this arrangement in the first place. I'd been greedy, and it had cost me everything. Chapter 3 Elena's POV Seraphina was there at dinner that evening. She sat beside Lucien — relaxed, elegant, as if that seat had always been hers. I barely touched my steak before making an excuse to leave. I'd been spending all my time in the medical lab lately. I smelled like disinfectant and had no appetite. I was done watching the two of them chat like I wasn't there, building a world I could never enter. But Lucien noticed something was off. He stopped me. "Elena, you've been emotionally unstable lately." I froze, then forced myself to sit back down. "Have I?" He glanced at me, then told the maid to cut my steak into smaller pieces. His voice was as level and cool as ever. "You've been avoiding me since our anniversary. Haven't you?" I stared at the sliced meat on my plate, and for a moment, a wave of nausea hit me so hard I couldn't eat. "If you're upset because I overlooked our anniversary, I apologize." He watched me with that flawless composure — every word, every gesture, completely beyond reproach. So he hadn't forgotten the anniversary after all. He remembered. He just hadn't wanted to spend it with me. He'd already apologized. What more could I possibly say? What right did I have to be angry? It hit me then — for four years, I had spent every single day tiptoeing around these questions, over and over. Since the anniversary, he hadn't slept in the master bedroom. Of course he hadn't found the gift. The dynamic between us had always been fixed. After my parents died, he was the only family I had left. He was the one who helped me through the grief. I depended on him, and somewhere along the way, I'd fallen in love with him — in the role of his wife. I was always looking up, reaching out, waiting for him to come to me — to love me, to pay my tuition, to give me a reason to stay. And every now and then, he'd glance down, offer a scrap of attention or a rare night of closeness, and then withdraw whenever he pleased. I couldn't even raise my voice at him. I hesitated, about to speak. Then Seraphina pulled a face behind his back. She mimicked his stoic expression, dropped her voice to a deadpan: "Lucien, you've been emotionally unstable lately, too." He let out a low laugh. A real one, tinged with exasperation. "Cut it out." In that moment, watching the soft warmth on his face, I went cold all over. It suddenly felt like the last four years had been a joke. I had broken myself trying to learn his rules, to fit into his world. And in the end, I still couldn't reach him. I was still on the outside, looking in. If that was the case, then I might as well leave on my own terms. I wanted a divorce. I was done begging him to love me. Chapter 4 Elena's POV That night, I didn't cry. I sat at the vanity, opened the drawer, and pulled out the documents I'd prepared weeks ago. They were short. Just a few lines. [Elena Blackthorne voluntarily terminates this marriage. No claim to marital assets.] My parents' deaths were a wound that could never heal. But I was done staying here, to be a wife who was nothing more than an afterthought. If we were settling accounts — the tuition he'd paid, the connections and mentors I'd gained through him — then we were even. I read through every word, from beginning to end, under the dim light. On the last page, I signed my name. Elena Vale. I folded the papers neatly and placed them on top of a thick stack of files — everything I'd organized over the past few months. Medical school involved high-risk experiments. Consent forms that required a family member's signature. Every single document needed a next of kin. And Lucien had always been the default. I had no idea how he'd react to me asking for a divorce point-blank. Maybe he'd be angry. Maybe he'd take it as an insult to his generosity. Or maybe he'd dismiss it, the way he always did — assume I was being dramatic, and not take me seriously. The workload at school had been brutal. For a while, I was practically living in the lab. Between the all-nighters, the low blood sugar, and a low-grade fever, I'd collapsed in the hallway. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. Lucien was sitting beside me, his expression dark. His voice wasn't harsh, but it carried an unmistakable weight. He told me I was going to get myself killed, and that I needed to take better care of myself. I was still so weak, but my heart raced. I thought he was worried about me. I was secretly happy about it for days. I understand now. He just didn't want me dead. Because if I died, his "compensation" would lose its purpose. He had never intended to be part of my life. He would never bear any of the consequences. … I gathered the papers and held them to my chest. I walked down the long hallway toward his study. The night was so quiet it felt like a dream. Seraphina was still beside him, her crimson eyes flicking over me once before she looked away. She sat next to Lucien, completely at ease — clearly aware that her position was untouchable. At first, she'd regarded me with some hostility. But after watching me absorb everything in silence, never fighting back, she'd lost interest. From the very beginning, I knew I had no standing to confront Lucien. Even if I did, it wouldn't change a thing. The distance between us was too vast. No matter how far I reached, I could never catch him. And he would never turn around to take my hand. I'd given up a long time ago. Lucien sat behind his desk, the overhead light carving his features into something cold and sharp. He looked up. "Still awake this late?" I walked over and set the documents in front of him. "I have some papers that need your signature." He didn't ask questions. He simply reached for them — and stopped when he saw the title on the first page. Divorce agreement. "Oh, Lucien. Looks like your wife is upset." Seraphina had caught a glimpse of the papers. Her voice dripped with artificial sweetness. "I told you — spending all this time with me, she was bound to get jealous." She offered me a halfhearted apology, trying to wave the whole thing away. "Come on, Lucien, spend tonight with her. I'd hate to be the reason you two have problems." She made a show of getting up to leave while watching Lucien's reaction from the corner of her eye. When I saw him actually set the divorce papers down — following her cue — I closed my eyes and let out a cold laugh. "Don't bother. There was never much feeling here to begin with. There's nothing left to damage." I stepped forward and placed the pen in his hand. "I'll walk away with nothing. Just sign." "Everything you've given me — I don't want any of it." The air seemed to freeze. Lucien's sharp gaze cut through the composure I was barely holding together. But I just stood there, spine straight, and looked back at him. "This is because you're jealous. Isn't it?" I hated that look on his face — so certain, so in control, as if he had the whole situation figured out. Even now, he thought this was about Seraphina. It wasn't just about her. It was the years of emotional neglect. The indifference. The half-hearted affection. It was the fact that he'd never put a single genuine feeling into this marriage. That was why I wanted out. And he still didn't get it. "Do you actually love me, Lucien?" I held my breath, tears burning behind my eyes. He looked away. He didn't answer. Behind me, I heard Seraphina's muffled laughter. The humiliation crawled from the top of my skull to the tips of my toes. "Just sign. Please. Let me go." I closed my eyes, voice hollowed out by despair. Lucien's brow furrowed. He seemed about to say something — but his pride wouldn't let him. So after the briefest pause, he signed his name. "Elena, why would you do this? You know you can't survive without me. You'll regret it." I held my breath until he slid the papers back to me. Only then did my shoulders finally drop. "Elena, if you want to move out and think things through, fine. But take this." He sat there, looking down at me, and held out a check. He was so sure I'd come crawling back. He thought this was nothing more than an irrational outburst. But what he didn't understand was that real love was never something you could measure with reason. What I had wanted — what I had always wanted — was never his money. It was his love. The one thing he could never give me. "Anything else?" He saw me still standing there and looked mildly puzzled. In that moment, time seemed to stretch. I looked at him. At the man I had loved for four years. At those cool, distant eyes. At the gaze that had never once lingered on me. And suddenly — the crushing weight I'd been carrying just… lifted. The truth that my parents had died for him — that had haunted me for four years, too. Whatever happened from here, I was done letting him "compensate" me with mutual suffering. I smiled. A real one, light with relief. I held the folder tight, and quietly dropped the check into the wastebasket by his desk. "No." I said. There really was nothing left. Chapter 5 Elena's POV Two days later, I moved out of Lucien's castle. I didn't have much luggage, so I managed with just a dorm room on campus. My life no longer revolved around Lucien. Everything seemed to return to the way it used to be. After I signed the papers in his study that night, I didn't see Lucien again. But when I walked out the front door with my bags, I could have sworn I felt eyes on my back the whole way down the drive. My transfer application to the European research institute came through quickly. Once my internship at Central Hospital was finished, I could board a plane and leave this city behind. This was something I had always wanted to do. My advisor had pushed the recommendation through the moment she heard what happened, and the whole process was wrapped up inside a week. I stayed busy, the same as before — only now, I didn't have to rush through my work to get home early. The pace actually felt easier. I threw myself into my research. Without the weight of a failing marriage, everything seemed to move more smoothly, more quietly. Until one day, in the middle of an experiment, I collapsed without warning. I assumed it was exhaustion. But in the instant before I hit the ground, I felt a sharp stab of pain in my abdomen. I tried to remember when I'd last had my period, and my blood ran cold. Before the world went black, I heard my classmates shouting. "Quick! Elena's down! Call an ambulance — who's her emergency contact?" Oh no. I'd been so busy. I'd forgotten — my emergency contact was still Lucien. Chapter 6 Elena's POV When I opened my eyes, I was staring at a white hospital ceiling. My advisor had rushed over the moment she got the call. Apart from her, the room was empty. She watched me scan the room and just shook her head, letting out a quiet sigh. "You're pregnant, Elena." She handed me the ultrasound printout. I stared at the tiny image, trying to imagine how small the life inside me was, and managed a tired smile. This baby had terrible timing. Legally speaking, by now, I was already divorced from the child's father. "And you're smiling! Your vampire husband's phone was working just fine — they told him you'd collapsed and were in the hospital. And where is he? Not a soul in sight! What are you going to do?" I pressed the papers flat against my palm and sighed. Part of me was relieved Lucien hadn't shown up. If he found out I was carrying his child, divorced or not, he'd never let me leave. But another part of me ached. So he really was that cold. That indifferent. He'd been told I was in the hospital — alone, with no one to lean on — and he couldn't even be bothered to check on me. "I'm keeping the baby. And I don't want my ex-husband to know." This was a life. Even if the relationship with the father was beyond repair, I couldn't be the one to end it. "Professor — please. I need you to keep this between us." She looked like she wanted to argue, but then her gaze traveled over my thin arms and my pale, exhausted frame in the hospital bed, and her voice softened. "The professors there respect your work. I'll arrange for an extended stay — you can settle in, take it easy, do some light research while you carry the baby. It'll be fine." I nodded gratefully and tried to sit up to take her hand, but she gently pushed me back under the covers and tucked me in tight. "But you're not quitting medicine. After the baby's born, you owe me a few publications in top-tier journals. Consider it repayment." She grinned. "And when you win an award, don't you dare forget to thank your beloved mentor." After she left, I felt well enough to check myself out that afternoon. Most of the interns and residents at Central Hospital were classmates of mine. While I was processing the paperwork, a few of them had a moment free and came over to chat. "Elena, did you hear about that vampire aristocrat? Blackthorne, or something?" My pen stopped mid-signature. A bad feeling settled in my stomach. "He came in today with his wife for a checkup. She'd barely nicked her hand — you'd think it was a state emergency, the fuss they made. Vampires heal before they even get through the door." In four years of marriage, Lucien had never publicly acknowledged me. To avoid complications, only my advisor at school knew who my husband was. The "wife" they were talking about had to be Seraphina. So he had been at the hospital today. Just not for me. I managed a stiff smile, but my classmate was too excited to notice. "But I guess it was a good thing they came in — turns out Mrs. Blackthorne is two months pregnant! They've already booked the top-floor suite, moving in next week for prenatal care." She nudged me with her elbow, eyes wide with envy. "Elena, how many lifetimes would it take for us to live like that? It's not fair." Two months ago. That was the exact day Seraphina came back to find Lucien. I let out a bitter laugh. Somehow, I wasn't even surprised. If they wanted to be together, fine. Let them. Vampire affairs were no business of a human like me. All I wanted now was to get as far away as possible — and vanish from Lucien's world for good. Chapter 7 Elena's POV Fate has a way of finding the worst possible moment to twist the knife. At the elevator, I ran straight into the two people I never wanted to see again. Seraphina was nestled against Lucien's chest, glowing, with an ultrasound report in her hand. Lucien saw me and went rigid. For a split second, he seemed to push Seraphina away — but stopped halfway. He wanted to explain. I could see it on his face. But I just stared at the floor numbers ticking by on the display, giving him nothing. They had pressed the button for the upper floors. Probably going to preview the birthing suite. "Elena! What a coincidence, running into you here." Seraphina bounced over, bright and cheery, her smile radiant. "I know the doctor already checked, but I'm still a little worried. Would you mind taking a look?" She held out the ultrasound report. Lucien clearly knew this was out of line. His expression darkened, and he opened his mouth to stop her. But I took the report. Calmly. Read every word. The estimated date of implantation was circled on the page. It was the day I first met Seraphina. Our wedding anniversary. The day I sat alone on that sofa, waiting for hours. "Congratulations. The baby looks perfectly healthy." I said it with a faint smile. But instead of handing the report back to Seraphina, I gave it to Lucien. My expression, my posture, my composure — all of it borrowed from four years of watching him. His coldness and restraint had taught me, in the end, how to hold myself together when everything was falling apart. We were divorced now. If he wanted to have a child with another woman, it was none of my business. And I certainly had no right to feel hurt about it. For four years, my eyes had followed him everywhere. Only now did I realize — if you can't even manage a smile when you look at someone, how could you ever call it love? My detachment irritated Lucien. He watched my indifference, and his voice dropped. "Elena. Let me explain." There it was again — that commanding tone that had no place between two people who were supposed to be equals. "We're divorced. There's nothing to explain." I was done listening. The down elevator arrived. I stepped inside, smiled at him. "I wish you both a lifetime of happiness. Goodbye." Lucien stared at the expression on my face — an expression he'd never seen before — and for once, he had nothing to say. He stood frozen, utterly at a loss. The cold steel doors closed between us. I thought that would be the last time I'd ever see him.