I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra) novel Chapter 3

“What are you doing back?” The words tumbled out of my mouth, my voice trembling slightly.

Strangely, the moment I saw him, my heart wasn’t filled with the burning hatred or bitter resentment I expected. Nor was it the obsessive love of my past life. Instead, there was a sense of release.-

It had been so long since I’d seen the real Steven. He was just as striking as I remembered, his features sharp and his presence commanding—more handsome than any movie star. No wonder he had driven me to madness.

Even after dying once, I had to admit I was still a sucker for his looks. But my heart… my heart no longer skipped a beat for him.

Steven’s gaze swept over me, then landed on the empty bowl on the table. A flicker of annoyance crossed his dark eyes.

He strode towards me, his presence suffocating.

My heart tightened, and I instinctively took two steps back, my eyes wary.

“What do you want?”

I knew, logically, that this was only our first year of marriage. Steven hadn’t yet realized the depths of his feelings for his true love, and I hadn’t done anything to provoke him. He wouldn’t be too hard on me.

But as I retreated, I realized my body was acting on its own. I couldn't control my urge to get away from him.

Now that I had decided to let him go, I no longer craved his closeness; in fact, I recoiled from it.

Seeing my reaction, Steven’s handsome brows knitted together in confusion, but the expression quickly morphed into a derisive smirk.

“Zephyra, you went to all this trouble to lure me back here. Who is this little act for?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, bewildered.

Lure him back? Right now, I wished he would never come home again.

His brow furrowed even deeper. Suddenly, he reached out and seized my chin, his dark eyes glinting with a dangerous edge.

“Still playing dumb? Wasn’t it you who conspired with your cousin, telling me you were on your deathbed, just to force me to come see you?”

I slapped his hand away with all my strength, straightened my back, and met his gaze head-on.

“Steven,” I said, my voice steady, “let’s get a divorce.”

His expression froze. He looked at me as if he couldn't believe his ears, a look of pure mockery spreading across his handsome face.

“Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”

Of course, I did. If I had a choice, I would have preferred to be reborn before I ever married him.

I glanced down at the calluses on my palms. Out of love for him, I had willingly transformed myself from an ambitious, pampered young woman into a full-time housewife who lived only to cook and clean for him.

All that self-sacrifice, all that devotion… in the end, the only person I moved was myself.

“Ours was an arranged marriage. I know you don’t love me. Why don’t we just set each other free? Wouldn’t that be for the best?”