Smarter

Serena felt a deep emptiness inside. Sure enough, the moment Poppy acted pitiful, Clint fell for it without question.

In her previous life, she had been wronged over and over—framed, falsely accused, betrayed.

Back then, she might’ve tried to explain herself, hoping Clint would believe her.

But now? She was done. She didn’t care what he thought, and she wasn’t about to waste another word trying to convince him.

"I told you—she provoked me first!"

"You still can’t go around hitting people!"

"Think whatever you want. I hit her, and I don’t regret it. I’m not backing down."

Seeing Serena stand tall in her red dress, so bold and unbothered, Clint was momentarily stunned.

"Clint..." Poppy whimpered, tugging at his arm with tears in her eyes. "Look at her! She hits me and still acts like she's the victim! She’s bullying me because I come from nothing, because I don’t have power. That’s why she looks down on me! Clint, she didn’t just slap me—she slapped you too!"

Egged on by her words, Clint’s expression hardened. He gave Poppy’s hand a reassuring pat and said gently, "Don’t worry. I’ve got you—I’ll stand up for you."

"Okay!" Poppy smiled through her tears and nodded. "I knew you'd protect me... You always do."

Across the room, two cold stares landed on the couple.

Xavier leaned closer to Serena and whispered in her ear, "Seriously... what did you ever see in him? You gave me up for that?"

Serena smiled faintly. "Young and dumb. Everyone has their blind spots."

"...!"

Their closeness didn’t go unnoticed. Clint’s eyes narrowed as he glared at them, his jaw clenched.

"Serena. Come home. Now."

"Home? If I go back with you, it’ll be like walking into a trap. Are you planning to shut the door and ‘handle’ me for Poppy’s sake?"

"What? No! I just want us to talk it out—properly!"

"Oh, please," Serena scoffed. "If I hadn’t been lied to so many times, I might have believed that! Spare me the act. All these years—whenever it involved Poppy—how many times did you actually listen to me? Right or wrong, you always chose her."

Serena used to hold her tongue, swallowing her anger just to keep the peace.

But not anymore.

Seeing this new, outspoken version of her made Clint’s chest tighten. He could barely breathe.

The Serena he remembered was quiet, obedient—never this bold. And now? She was standing up to him without flinching.

Frustrated, Clint yanked at his tie and let go of Poppy’s hand as he walked toward Serena.

"Like it or not, you’re still Mrs. Beckett! Being all cozy with another man in public—isn’t that a bit much?"

"Mrs. Beckett?" Serena snorted. "Didn’t you want to give that title to Poppy ages ago? And now you remember I’m your legal wife?"

"..."

Clint’s eyes darkened. His voice dropped dangerously low. "As long as we’re still married, you have a duty to act like my wife."

"Tch." Serena shrugged. "Classic Clint Beckett—full of double standards. Maybe take a long hard look in the mirror before throwing rules at everyone else. You and Poppy were the ones playing lovebirds in public, remember?"

The words hit Clint hard.

In their past life, any time Xavier showed up around Serena, Clint would immediately confront her. And she—she’d scramble to explain, to prove her innocence, to push Xavier away.

But this time? She wasn’t even trying. She just threw it back in his face.

"So you’re admitting it—you and him..." Clint’s glare shifted to Xavier. "...You really have something going on?"

"I..." Serena started to deny it out of habit. But then she stopped herself. What was the point?

"Enough of this crap. Yeah, I slapped Poppy. What do you want me to do about it?"

"I’m asking about you and him! Is there something between you or not?!"

His voice rose, trembling with fury.

Once, Serena would’ve felt guilty. She would’ve panicked at his anger.

Now? She couldn’t care less.

"So what if there is? You’ve already decided to divorce me! Why are you still asking pointless questions?"

"You admit it?!"

Serena rolled her eyes. "If you want me to come home, fine. But here’s the deal—we sign the divorce papers immediately. After that, we’re done. No more contact, no more control. Got it?"

"Divorce papers?!" Clint laughed in disbelief. "You used to fight tooth and nail to avoid that! You even ran away from home! Now you’re suddenly all for it? Did you find someone to replace me already?!"

His words cut deep—cruel and belittling. Serena felt another wave of regret wash over her. How had she ever loved this man?

"That’s right!"

Before she could speak, Xavier stepped forward. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Serena, draping a casual arm over her.

"You're right. Once she divorces you, I’m going after her. A woman like Serena? Only a fool would let her go."

"Heh!" Clint looked like he was about to explode.

He yanked at his collar, unbuttoned the top button, and took a deep breath just to keep himself from losing it.

"When I wanted a divorce, you refused! Now that you want one, I have to agree?!"

Just then, Poppy grabbed Clint’s arm. "What are you saying?! She’s finally agreed to divorce—what are you waiting for? You promised you wouldn’t let me suffer anymore!"

Clint hesitated. And Serena noticed.

Despite everything, her heart still twinged with pain.

You can’t flip a switch on love. Even if it’s toxic. Even if it’s over.

‘Enough! Don’t let your pathetic pride ruin your own happiness!’ Serena said to herself coldly.

She brushed Xavier’s hand off her shoulder.

"We’re just friends. There’s nothing going on between us. My decision to divorce you has nothing to do with him."

"Nothing to do with him?! Then why the sudden change?"

"Simple. I got smarter." Serena’s eyes flashed. "What do you want me to do—stay your fool forever while you and Poppy walk all over me?"

***