Amara stepped forward and used the elevator without any issue. She stood inside, still saying nothing, only fixing Richard with a sharp, piercing look.
The man held the elevator door, his breath slightly uneven, still shocked by his wife's sudden arrival.
"Amara—"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Get in. You owe me answers, Richard."
He finally stepped inside the elevator. There were only the two of them. Amara did not even turn her head to look at him.
"When did you get out of prison? You didn't contact me at all, Amara. If I had known—"
"Didn't you already know my release schedule?" she cut in coldly. "Don't pretend to have amnesia, Richard."
"I'm sorry…" Richard kept his voice low. "I've been so busy that I forgot. Since I temporarily took over your position, I finally understand how exhausting your days were. I couldn't even focus."
"So that means my decision was right, then?" Amara replied flatly. "I'll replace you with someone else. I hate people who lack skill and are hypocritical."
Her voice wasn't raised—far from it. Yet her words pushed Richard straight toward a kind of poverty he had never imagined. Because it meant starting from zero if he lost the highest position in the company.
"I heard you were supposed to be released next month!" Richard said quickly.
Amara finally turned, her gaze sharp as a blade.
"Next month? Nonsense. Ah… maybe to you, every second passes easily—your money is endless, you have freedom and reputation. I was never that important to you from the beginning, was I?"
She kept staring at him until the elevator doors opened. Amara walked into a room where she had already recruited a new secretary. She was going to dismantle everything Richard had built over the past seven years.
But before she could go any further, Richard already felt cornered. He had forgotten—Amara was a woman who never wavered once she made a decision.
"It's not like that… listen to me. I didn't lie. If you don't believe me, ask my personal secretary. She checked it herself. According to her report, you were scheduled to be released next month."
Damn it—was this Daddy's doing? He said there was a change in schedule. If I'd known it was earlier, I could've prepared.
Richard cursed inwardly.
He had indeed ordered his secretary to double-check. But Charlie had told him there was a schedule change, and Richard believed him without question—because it came from his father.
Judging from Amara's expression, she wasn't someone who trusted easily.
"Then why are all my clothes gone from the closet? And our wedding photos? Even Vero doesn't recognize me at all, Richard!"
Her emotions finally cracked. She tried to restrain them, but when it came to her child and betrayal, restraint was impossible.
"You know this, Richard. When I first regained my freedom, I would've understood if you couldn't pick me up because of work. But the truth is—you deliberately erased my existence from every direction."
Amara's eyes glistened—not because she was weak, and not because she wanted to fix their marriage.
"Amara… I can explain—"
Her hand lifted, poised for a slap. Just one. But she stopped herself. Physical pain meant nothing. It couldn't repay anything. She had prepared something far more costly as punishment.
"My lawyer has already filed our divorce papers, Richard."
"Divorce—no. Why divorce? We can still talk this through. You know that for seven years I tried to be a faithful man. You never caught me cheating, did you? I waited for you. Maybe even that won't be enough to atone for failing to get justice for you."
Richard spoke fast, aware his time was running out. He knew Amara wouldn't just push him away—she could erase him entirely.
"Forget it. I choose not to trust anyone anymore," Amara said, her gaze carrying a warning that she would not forgive even the smallest mistake.
"Amara—"
"Don't blame me for becoming like this, Richard. I can't even cry anymore. Crying over a man like you is far more pointless."
Richard fell silent. He knew she wouldn't soften—at least not today. For now, he would retreat. There would be another time.
---
Richard returned home and headed straight for Vero's room. He thought he still had one connection left to Amara.
"Vero? Vero!" he called, searching the room.
Nothing.
The room was empty.
Where was Vero?
It wasn't impossible that Amara had already met their child. But had she really taken Vero with her?
"Are you looking for young master Vero, sir?" a woman asked from behind him.
"Gina, do you know something? Where is Vero? Why are all his things gone?"
The maid hesitated. But now that Richard had returned, Amara's instructions could be carried out.
"Madam Amara took him. They moved to a new house. Madam also brought Lia to accompany young master Vero."
Richard's world collapsed. His last link to Amara was gone. Not that there weren't other ways—but he was furious and stunned by how perfectly prepared Amara was.
More than anything, the incorrect release information haunted him.
He took out his phone and called his father.
"Why did you lie to me about Amara's release date? Are you serious, Dad? She's furious at me now!"
"I didn't lie to you."
Richard frowned. "Then why was the schedule wrong?"
"What you heard was simply the last information given to you."
Richard stayed silent for several seconds, his breathing heavy.
"You knew she would come straight for me, didn't you?"
Charlie didn't answer immediately.
"A woman like Amara won't sit still after being released," he finally said. "She'll move fast. Faster than you imagine."
Richard stiffened. "So you deliberately let her misunderstand me?"
"Someone whose emotions are stirred will focus on what's right in front of them," Charlie replied calmly. "That buys time."
"Time for what?"
"To prevent her from digging into other things."
Silence. Richard understood instantly.
"Marital conflict, a child, and the company… those are enough to make someone lose focus."
Richard stared blankly ahead. "You made me a shield."
"You're her husband," Charlie replied shortly. "Use it."
The call ended.
For now, Richard's plan clashed with his father's. He only wanted to control Amara through love. He knew she loved him deeply—loyal and obedient.
She used to listen to him without exception.
But now, Charlie had awakened her darkest side.
"For now, I have to make Amara withdraw the divorce. I need to find Vero…"
Richard stared at the empty wardrobe and bed. He realized—Amara hadn't returned to come home.
She returned to destroy.
He tried calling Lia's number, hoping to find Vero. But it wouldn't connect. Maybe she had changed numbers.
"Damn it—" Richard tried another number. Still nothing.
"Sir Richard," another maid called, approaching with a folder in her hands.
"What is it? A package?"
"Yes, sir."
She handed it to him.
At first, he thought it was just an ordinary delivery. But when he opened it, his chest tightened.
Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.
It was the divorce filing Amara had submitted against him.