He Loved Her Too Late to Matter

Third Person POV

On her 28th birthday, Chelsea Schneider gave herself a very special gift.

“Alaric, can you help me draft a divorce agreement? I want to cut all ties with Magnus.”

Alaric Malcom looked at her seriously. “Chelsea, are you sure about this? I’ll do everything I can to help, but Magnus loves you. He won’t let you go that easily.”

Chelsea paused for a moment and wondered, 'Does Magnus really love me?'

“I’ll find a way to make him agree,” she said firmly.

——

That evening, she wore the most stunning gown she owned and walked into her birthday party with quiet confidence. Magnus Colon’s eyes lit up the moment he saw her.

“Wow… You look amazing tonight, babe.”

He pulled her close, his arm wrapped tightly around her slender waist as he buried his face in the curve of her neck, breathing her in like he couldn’t get enough.

His warm breath tickled behind her ear, making her cheeks flush pink. She tried to gently push away, but he only held her tighter.

“You smell incredible,” he murmured, his hand already sliding toward the deep V-neck of her dress.

“Magnus…” Her voice trembled, body softening against his as shivers rippled down her spine.

Just when things were getting intense, Magnus’s phone rang. The sound cut through the moment like a cold blade.

“Yeah. I’ll be right there,” he said after answering.

He glanced at her, clearly still wanting more, and smiled, brushing her nose with his fingertip. “Be good. Michaela needs something. I’ll be back soon—wait for me in the hall.”

He kissed her lips softly before turning and walking downstairs.

Chelsea watched him leave, unease twisting in her gut. She saw how his eyes had gone dark the moment he answered the call.

Michaela Colon, Magnus’s younger sister, had never liked her. If she was calling during her birthday party, it couldn’t be good.

Fixing the hem of her dress, Chelsea made her way alone to the event hall, greeting guests with grace while quietly waiting for Magnus to return.

But an hour passed. Still no sign of him.

The uneasy feeling in her chest kept growing. Finally, she excused herself and went to look for him.

As she rounded a hallway corner, a burst of laughter rang out from a private room nearby.

“Hahaha… Jeff, is this stuff really that effective?”

“Of course. I pulled a lot of strings to get it. Trust me—after tonight, Chelsea’s gonna be ruined.”

At the mention of her name, she instantly froze.

Slowly, carefully, she crept closer to the door, which was left slightly ajar. Through the gap, she saw Magnus lounging lazily on a couch, twirling a small packet between his fingers. His brows were slightly furrowed, but his eyes were empty, cold, and emotionless.

“Damn, Jeff, I didn’t know you had these kinds of connections,” Michaela said as she sauntered over in heels and sat beside her brother, snatching the packet from his hands and inspecting it closely.

“As long as she takes this tonight, and my brother catches her in bed with another guy tomorrow morning? Boom—divorce guaranteed. And once she’s out, her family's shares will be ours.”

Snorting, she continued with apparent annoyance, “If her dad hadn’t forced my brother into marrying her by using the company shares as leverage, Sabrina wouldn’t have left the country, and they’d still be together. All of this is Chelsea’s fault.”

She then turned to her brother, frowning. “Hey, don’t tell me you’re actually falling for her. Sabrina’s coming back tomorrow, remember?”

“She’s just a pawn. A means to help our family bounce back. Love? That was never part of the plan.”

Magnus’s voice was calm, detached. He barely glanced at the pill in Michaela’s hand.

“I’m just thinking of a good excuse to get her to take it,” he also reasoned.

His casual tone cut through Chelsea like a knife. Just an hour ago, he was holding her, kissing her, whispering sweet nothings. And now… now he was plotting to drug her and push her into someone else’s bed.

They met in college, always competing for the top spot. Their families did business together, so they kept crossing paths. Somewhere along the way, she fell for him.

But back then, he was already with Sabrina.

Chelsea never tried to interfere—she kept her feelings buried deep.

Then, three years ago, Sabrina suddenly left the country, and not long after, Magnus proposed.

She later found out that his family had nearly gone bankrupt, and her father agreed to help them, on one condition: Magnus must marry her.

She’d thought about leaving. But she loved him and couldn’t let go.

And over the three years of marriage, he’d been good to her, gentle and attentive.

She thought maybe, just maybe, he had learned to love her back.

But now she knew the truth. The kindness had been nothing more than a strategy, a transaction.

Now that his family had recovered, she was no longer useful.

Her fists clenched so tightly that blood beaded from her palms. But the pain in her hands was nothing compared to the ache in her chest.

She couldn’t listen anymore.

Swallowing the sob rising in her throat, she turned and rushed into the nearest bathroom, her vision blurring with unshed tears.

'If he never loved me… then I won’t love him either,' she declared inwardly.

Her fingers trembled as she pulled out her phone and booked a one-way ticket abroad, leaving in one week.

Then, she made a call she hadn’t made in a long, long time.

From this day forward, she and Magnus would go their separate ways.