No Second Baby No You Only Divorce (Scarlett and Vincent) novel Chapter 535

After a long pause, she finally spoke. "I'm not who you thought I was. There's no point in holding on like this."

With that, Scarlett lifted the tent flap and stepped out into the night.

Damian watched her go, his lips parting as if to call after her, but the words died in his throat.

This time, he didn't follow. Not like he always did.

It was only now that he truly understood why Scarlett had always insisted she didn't know him, why she'd never made him any promises.

From the very beginning, he'd had it wrong. He'd mistaken her for someone else.

Outside, the air was even colder than before.

Scarlett shivered slightly but didn't look back. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself and kept walking.

The cabin at the summit sat quiet in the distance, but instead of heading there, she veered off onto a smaller path that wound along the edge of the mountain.

Eventually, she stopped near a fallen log and lowered herself onto it slowly.

Tilting her head back, she looked up at the sky. It was clear—endless stretches of stars scattered across the darkness, not a cloud in sight.

As she stared at the pinpricks of light scattered above, memories started surfacing, each one bringing a fresh wave of ache.

So many faces flashed through her mind in that brief moment.

She'd loved Vincent once—recklessly, blindly. She'd given up her pride, her dignity, even her family for him. Sacrificed everything just to be with him.

Then, for Vanessa, she'd walked away from her career without a second thought, settling into the role of a full-time wife.

And then Damian came along, treating her better than anyone ever had... only for her to realize now that none of it was really meant for her.

Thinking about all of it, tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

She pressed her hands over her eyes and let out a quiet, broken sob.

After she'd cried for a while, the weight in her chest started to ease, just a little.

That was when a shadow fell across the ground in front of her.

Before she could even lift her head to see who it was, a warm jacket settled over her shoulders.

The person sat down beside her, and when Scarlett turned, she found Claire looking back at her with worried eyes.

"Still thinking about something?" Claire asked gently.

Scarlett's eyes were red-rimmed. She tried to muster a small smile. "It's nothing. I'll be fine in a couple of days."

The smile didn't reach her eyes. It looked forced, hollow.

Claire didn't push. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Scarlett and held her close. "Okay. I believe you."

Scarlett leaned into the embrace, staying quiet for a long while before finally murmuring, "Let's head back. It's really late."

Back at the campsite, Scarlett and Claire climbed into one of the tents together.

Once they'd settled in, both of them lay on their backs, staring up.

Zachary noticed something was off but didn't ask.

After breakfast, Scarlett volunteered to clean up the dishes, and Claire joined her to help.

By the time they finished, the sun had started creeping over the horizon, painting the sky in soft shades of orange and gold.

The group came together, standing in a loose cluster, quietly watching the sunrise.

Just as the sun fully broke free of the horizon, Felix held up his phone and snapped a few photos of the five of them.

In the pictures, everyone was looking toward the camera, but no one was really smiling.

Scarlett and Damian stood on opposite ends, with Zachary and Claire in the middle, and Felix slightly ahead holding the phone.

The photos came out looking strangely distant.

Even though Damian kept his physical distance from Scarlett, his gaze kept drifting toward her when he thought no one was looking.

Still, there was a heaviness sitting in his chest that he couldn't shake.

He needed to meet Melinda.

Whatever came of it—good or bad—he owed it to himself to at least see her.

Scarlett noticed Damian keeping his distance. It was something he'd never done around her before.

Now that he knows the truth, he must regret ever being kind to me.