Walking Away with Grace

My younger sister, Rosalind Thorne, stole nine boyfriends from me in a row. I was too terrified to ever fall in love again until Nikolai Volkov proposed to me. He doted on me as if I were a rare treasure. I truly believed I had finally found the one. I thought I was destined to become his Donna, living a life of peace and security by his side. On the eve of our wedding, Nikolai sent Rosalind abroad. Four years into our marriage, I crossed paths with Rosalind at a banquet. A guest smirked. “Nikolai sent you overseas to rot for four years. Don’t you hate him?” Rosalind offered a provocative smile. “He’s the father of my two children. Why would I hate him?” The room suddenly fell deathly silent. “My elder sister is so stupidly naive, believing Nikolai actually despises me!” She sneered, wearing a look of disdain. “The truth is I’ve borne his heirs, lived in his estate, driven his supercars, and spent his money.” As she finished, every single gaze in the room snapped toward me. As Nikolai Volkov’s lawful wife, I knew nothing about what she said. But, I didn’t cry and cause a scene. I simply tapped ‘send’ on the email I had drafted long ago. The reply came swiftly. [You are more than welcome to join my medical team. I’ve been waiting for you.] Staring at the reply, a genuine smile slowly returned to my lips. Nikolai Volkov, from this moment on, you no longer need to pretend to love me. Chapter 1 Upon returning home, I wiped all my social media posts related to Nikolai and stopped tracking his every move. It was as if I had forgotten my identity as his wife, pouring every ounce of my energy into my work. One day before I was set to leave Nikolai forever, he finally sensed something was off and came looking for me. “Vivienne!” He called me from the doorway, his voice aced with false tenderness. I didn’t turn around. My tone was light, almost detached. “What’s up?” I didn’t turn to greet him as I had before, or even glance at him. “Vivienne, what Rosalind said that day was just drunken nonsense. You know she has always been jealous of your academic achievements. This is why she stole your boyfriends one by one to retaliate against you. She wants to provoke you. You have to believe there is absolutely nothing between me and her. I’m simply helping her out of pity, she is penniless…” Not lifting my head, I replied coldly. “I don’t care.” Nikolai frowned slightly. “Vivienne, are you throwing a tantrum? We haven’t spoken in days!” All of a sudden, he clamped down hard on his rising anger. “Vivienne Thorne! I’m talking with you!” The moment the words left his lips, his phone rang. On the other end, Rosalind’s voice was thick with tears. “Nikolai, my birthday cake was accidentally knocked over today. Could you pick up a new one for me on your way over? Otherwise, my birthday won’t be complete…” Nikolai narrowed his eyes in slight annoyance, yet his body betrayed him as he immediately turned and walked toward the door. But just before stepping out, he paused. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t be so petty, Vivienne.” Before I could say something, the door clicked shut, and he was gone. The sound of his retreating footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, a stark reminder of how easily I had been replaced. He didn't even realize that his petty wife had already packed her heart away. In the corner of my studio, Audrey tried to speak up for me, her voice trembling with indignation. “How could Nikolai celebrate Rosalind’s birthday? You’re his wife!” “I don’t care.” I murmured, my voice remaining as light as ever. But, the draft on my desk was a mess, smeared with dried tear stains. Nikolai had fallen for Rosalind long ago, but he had been hiding it from me. They even had children together. I wiped my tears dry, making a silent vow. I would never shed another single tear for Nikolai. The woman who loved him died the moment she heard the truth. Chapter 2 I had returned home with the divorce agreement. As long as he signed it, we were even. When Nikolai finally came home, I saw the new post on Rosalind’s social media. It was a photo of her and Nikolai. In their arms was the baby Rosalind had borne for him. Since taking the reins, Nikolai who used to be stern and unyielding would make funny faces under Rosalind’s camera now and then, revealing his childish side I had never seen. Rosalind had claimed she was enjoying a supreme treatment. I have to admit that she hit the nail on the head. Witnessing Nikolai’s affection, I felt as if a knife were twisting violently inside my chest. I had stayed up until dawn before falling asleep, only to be forcibly yanked awake by Nikolai. His grip was incredibly tight, laced with fury. He pulled so hard that pain shot through my arm, and tears instantly spilled from my eyes. “Vivienne Thorne, did you spread baby’s photo and information? Do you have any idea how many business rivals I have? This could get the baby kidnapped and put his life in danger!” I attempted to clarify, but I couldn't even cut in. “If you’re throwing a tantrum, take it out on me! Why drag an innocent baby into this mess!” “I didn’t…” As much as I despised Rosalind, I would never stoop so low as to take my anger out on a baby. But Nikolai was utterly convinced of my guilt. “Rosalind said that only you would harbor such malice toward her baby, deliberately seeking revenge! Who else would do such a thing?” Nikolai had never once lost his composure. Yet for Rosalind’s sake, he had lost his reason and tacitly admitted the baby’s existence. It was the first time in his life he had ever acted on such impulse. I broke free from his grasp and let out a bitter laugh. “So you’re admitting that the baby in the photo is yours?” Nikolai froze for a second. He clearly didn’t want to expose the truth to me, but he seemed to have no other choice now. His tone softened, tinged with compromise and helplessness. “Rosalind hid it from me at first. By the time I found out, it was too late. But I swear there was only once.” He tried to talk me into raising the baby. “Vivienne, I will bring this baby back. We’ll treat him as your own, and you can raise him by your side.” My body went ice cold. I wanted to ask why, but I fell silent once again at the thought that I would be leaving him soon. After a long pause, I wiped tears on my face and spoke calmly. “Fine. But you need to sign this contract for my compensation.” The divorce agreement was crumpled from being clutched in my hand all night. I concealed the key terms, my hand trembling slightly as I handed him the document. Nikolai took the pen and signed without even glancing at it. Then, he pulled me into his arms. “Buy whatever you want. Vivienne, I’m sorry. You’ve had a hard time.” His hug was saturated with Rosalind’s scent, the very fragrance I loathed the most. I closed my eyes, forcing myself not to think about it. The ink on the agreement was still fresh, a binding seal on our broken marriage. As his arms tightened around me, I felt only a suffocating nausea. I stood rigid in his embrace, counting the seconds until he would let go. This wasn't a reconciliation but my final, silent goodbye. With his signature secured, the man who had once been my entire world was now nothing more than a stranger I would soon forget. Chapter 3 I barely returned home in the following days, and Nikolai had no interest in checking on me. On the day of my departure, I had planned to leave directly. But remembering that I had left some design drafts in the study, I decided to pack them up before leaving. Stepping into the study, however, I was met with utter devastation. Bending down to pick up the fragments, I realized they were the design drafts I had meticulously crafted over the years. Rosalind’s baby, Teddy, was right there in the study. He had precisely dug out my belongings and was tearing them to shreds, piece by piece. My mind went completely blank for a split second. “What are you doing? Who allowed you to come in?” Before I could even react‌, his deafening wails echoed through the entire villa. “What did you do to my son?!” Rosalind rushed over, flanked by a group of bodyguards who were ordered by Nikolai to protect them. Seeing his mother there to back him up, Teddy grew even bolder. He grabbed the framed photo of Nikolai and me and began destroying it with even more ferocity. The frame crashed to the floor, the glass shattering and slicing into my arm. The piles of my design drafts teetered precariously. “You whore! It's all because of you that my daddy and mommy can't stay together‌! You shouldn’t be here!” I tried to stop him, but the bodyguards pinned me down tightly. “How dare you restrain me instead of stop him?” “Sorry, Madam. Nikolai ordered us to prioritize Teddy’s safety above all else. He considers you a potential threat as well…” Nikolai was so terrified of me harming Teddy…Yet those drawings were the culmination of years of my efforts! When Nikolai returned, Rosalind yanked her son back to her side and twisted his arm. His piercing screams once again filled the house. Rosalind ran to Nikolai, pointing at the fresh bruises on her son’s arm. “Nikolai, Vivienne beat Teddy up.” His face turned ice-cold as he barked out an order. “Vivienne, apologize!” “I didn’t do it!” I tried to defend myself, but the bodyguards forced me to my knees. My kneecaps crashed heavily onto the shards of glass on the floor. The pain was so intense that my vision went black. “Nikolai, I’d like to ask you why were they even in my house?” “Shut up!” Nikolai fell silent for a few seconds before telling the guards. “Lock her in the guest bedroom. She is not to come out without my permission!” Nikolai stormed off in anger, while Rosalind quietly instructed the guards. “Make her kneel until midnight.” With that, she took Teddy into the master bedroom. One by one, my belongings were cleared out of the master bedroom and dumped into the guest room. The pain in my knees was excruciating. I fainted several times, only to be splashed awake with cold water by the guards and forced to continue kneeling. The icy water soaked through my clothes, sending violent shivers through my body, but it was nothing compared to the freezing of my heart. I stared at the scattered, ruined drafts on the floor, each torn piece representing a dream I had once cherished. In that endless, agonizing darkness, a part of Vivienne died. The love, the hope, and the pain were all being drained out of me, leaving behind only a hollow, unfeeling shell. It wasn’t until midnight that they finally left. I stumbled to my feet and began picking up the shattered drafts. Then, I slipped out quietly. I thought I had long since gone numb to the pain, yet my heart still ached so profoundly…Before dawn, while the sky was still dark, I made my way to the airport. As the plane took off, I knew I was finally free. Watching the city shrink beneath me, I rolled down the window of my soul and let the last remnants of Nikolai blow away with the wind. I was convinced that I wasn't running away. I was flying toward a future that belonged solely to me. Chapter 4 Nikolai was jolted awake from his sleep by a sudden, piercing ache in his chest. Opening his eyes, he saw Teddy nestled against him, and Rosalind was sleeping peacefully. He should have felt happy, yet an overwhelming sense of unease washed over him, mingled with a tinge of disappointment. If it were Vivienne and their child by his side, wouldn’t this be true happiness? But it wasn’t. Besides, Vivienne had such a terrible temper. She was hardly able to take care of Teddy now. With these thoughts, he found himself getting out of bed as if possessed by an unseen force, and walked out of the room. The living room was completely silent, save for the faint sounds of the nanny preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Nikolai remembered that Vivienne had been waking up early. As the downstairs was empty, he wanted to check on her in the guest bedroom, but staring at the closed door, he hesitated. After bracing himself for a while, Nikolai finally turned the doorknob. It opened far more easily than he had anticipated. The first thing that greeted him was not the figure he expected, but a chaotic pile of clutter. Everything was scattered around. The bed was completely empty, the duvet untouched. Nikolai even began to suspect he had gone to the wrong room. He rushed through every room upstairs and downstairs, searching frantically. There was no sign of her anywhere. Nikolai urgently summoned the butler. “Which room did Vivienne sleep in last night? Why is there not a single trace of her in the guest room? Is this the efficiency I pay you for?” The butler wiped his forehead guiltily‌. “Vivienne did sleep in the guest room last night. Rosalind said Vivienne was most concerned about her belongings being damaged. She instructed us to leave everything exactly as it was.” Nikolai hadn’t expected Rosalind to take such presumptions. In his memory, she was always gentle. He thought to himself that she must have done it with good intentions‌. After all, Teddy had only accidentally ruined Vivienne’s sketches, yet Vivienne had still tried to strike Teddy. Nikolai sighed. “Then where is she? Did she go out?” The butler shook his head, and asked if he should call Vivienne to confirm her whereabouts. Nikolai thought for a moment and decided against it. Vivienne leaving without a word was clearly just a childish tantrum. If he went to coax her now, wouldn’t he only be encouraging her arrogance? What if she hurt Teddy again in the future? All traces of sleepiness had left him. As he walked into the bathroom, his mind was flooded with Vivienne’s tearful, disappointed face. If she was throwing a tantrum, then he would simply wait until she cooled off. As he was washing up, a pair of soft hands slid around his waist. The name slipped out subconsciously. “Vivienne, stop messing around.” The hands stiffened instantly. When he turned around and saw Rosalind, the disappointment in his eyes was unmistakable. “Why is it you?” “Were you hoping it wouldn’t be me?” Rosalind asked, her voice tinged with grievance. “I woke up and heard the butler say you were looking for Vivienne. Is she gone?” Nikolai remained silent for a long moment. “She’s just throwing a tantrum. She’ll be back in a few days.” A glint of cunning flashed through Rosalind’s eyes. “As long as she isn’t angry with me, that’s all that matters.” Of course, she had no desire for Vivienne to return. It would be the best if Vivienne never came back. Nikolai felt a surge of irritation. Just as he was about to check his phone for any texts from Vivienne, his assistant’s call came through. “Nikolai, we have a crisis! The news about you and Vivienne has been leaked. The company’s stock is plummeting, and the board of directors is demanding an explanation…”