I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 301: 301:Separating.

Cruella’s face tightened.

Dillain stood.

"Enough."

Cruella looked at him.

"You’re doing it again."

"Dillain..."

"No." He looked directly at her. "I’m tired."

Cruella blinked.

"I’m tired of this and that. Just fucking everything."

She stared at him as though she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"I’m tired of every conversation turning into an argument. I’m tired of being blamed whenever something doesn’t go your way. I’m tired of having to explain why I won’t support you killing someone just because you dislike them. And I’m tired of watching you fight with everyone around you because you believe they’re against you."

Cruella’s eyes narrowed.

"So that’s what you think of me?"

"Yes."

The answer was quiet but it was final. Cruella stared at him for several seconds, then she smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile.

"Fine."

Dillain didn’t respond.

"Then you don’t need me."

"I didn’t say that."

"You didn’t have to." Cruella turned away. "I understand. I’m going to go somewhere I’m needed. Fucking losers, you should be grateful I even gave you a chance."

Dillain watched her walk away. Iris who had been standing beside him sighed.

"That went better than I expected, I thought she was going to throw puches or cry wolf."

Dillain gave her a tired look.

"That was better?"

She shrugged.

"In my opinion, it went perfectly well... more than better infact."

Dillain couldn’t help laughing, which surprised him. For the first time, he realized how absurd the situation had become.

He had reached Rank Two, survived countless battles, was about to enter one of the most prestigious academies in the world, and yet somehow his greatest source of exhaustion wasn’t a beast.

It was a relationship.

The next day, Cruella was gone. At first, Dillain assumed she had simply moved to another vehicle within the convoy, then he learned she had left the group entirely.

He wasn’t surprised. What surprised him was how quickly she had found someone else to travel with.

His name was Paul.

He was eighteen, the same age as many of the young Awakeners heading toward Alpha Three, and unlike most of them, he came from a family with considerable influence. His father was one of the leading researchers in Delta Two, which meant Paul had grown up surrounded by money, connections, and people who treated his family’s name with respect.

Cruella had met him after leaving the group. According to what Dillain eventually heard, she had approached him in tears. She had told him that her companions had abandoned her and that she had been treated unfairly.

She had presented herself as someone who had simply wanted to protect herself and had been rejected because everyone else was jealous of her.

Paul had believed her, of course he had.

He was eighteen.

He had no reason to know what had actually happened. And Cruella was exceptionally good at appearing vulnerable whenever it benefited her.

She had always possessed that ability. Dillain remembered seeing it before.

A memory surfaced.

Cruella standing beside him after an argument, her eyes wet as she whispered that nobody understood her.

Then another memory.

Her smiling moments after the person she had been speaking to walked away, the tears disappearing from her face as though they had never existed.

Dillain had ignored those moments before but he didn’t anymore. She had found someone with money, influence, and whose family could potentially provide her with advantages at Alpha Three. She had immediately attached herself to him.

It didn’t take long before Paul became convinced that Cruella had simply been unlucky enough to encounter the wrong people.

Dillain didn’t care. At least, he told himself he didn’t.

When the convoy finally arrived in Delta Two, he didn’t bother looking for her. He focused on himself and the three women who had stayed with him.

They would continue toward Alpha Three, enter the academy, train, and they would become stronger. That was all that mattered.

Cruella, meanwhile, had her own ambitions. She wanted to be at the top. She had been raised with that mentality; second place was never good enough.

Being talented and respected wasn’t enough. She wanted to stand above everyone else. Anyone who challenged her would become an enemy. Anyone who embarrassed her would need to be crushed. Anyone who refused to acknowledge her superiority would eventually learn to regret it.

That mentality had shaped almost every decision she made. She finally came to the realisation that sticking to one talented person was useless, she was going to step on anyone; male or female, to get where she wants to be.

Dillain finally understood that. He also understood that he could never change it.

The final confrontation happened shortly before the groups separated completely. Dillain had been preparing to leave when Cruella approached him. Paul stood several meters behind her.

The three women remained beside Dillain.

For several seconds, nobody spoke. Cruella was the one who eventually broke the silence.

"So this is where we part."

Dillain nodded.

"Looks like it."

She looked at him.

"You really aren’t going to stop me?"

"No."

Something flickered across her face. Perhaps she had expected him to. Perhaps she had expected him to apologize. Perhaps some part of her still believed that Dillain would eventually come crawling back.

But he didn’t.

"I see."

Dillain looked at her calmly.

"I hope you succeed."

Cruella raised an eyebrow.

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Even after everything?"

Dillain nodded.

"I don’t want you to fail."

She smiled.

"That’s because you know I’ll succeed."

Dillain didn’t answer. Cruella stepped closer.

"At the academy, I’m going to become one of the strongest."

"I know."

"I’ll make sure everyone knows my name."

"Good."

"And anyone who tries to stand in my way will regret it."

Dillain sighed.

"Just don’t destroy yourself trying to prove something to everyone."

Cruella’s expression hardened.

"You still don’t understand."

"Maybe."

"I was raised to be the best and I won’t settle for anything less."

Dillain looked at her for a long moment.

"Then I hope you become exactly what you want to become."

Cruella smiled.

"And I hope you don’t regret letting me go."

Dillain shook his head.

"I won’t."

For the first time, Cruella looked genuinely offended. She turned away.

"Come on, Paul."

Paul immediately followed her. Dillain watched them leave. Selena who was beside him looked at him.

"Are you alright?"

Dillain nodded.

"Yeah."

"Really?"

He looked toward the road leading deeper into the sanctuary.

"Really." He took a breath. "I thought I’d feel worse. It’s like this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

She smiled.

"Maybe you already did all the grieving while you were still together."

Dillain considered that. Perhaps she was right. He had spent weeks watching their relationship deteriorate piece by piece. By the time they finally separated, there was barely anything left to lose.

He turned toward the others.

"Let’s go."

They followed him.

Behind them, Cruella walked beside Paul, already talking about what she intended to accomplish once they reached the academy.

Neither side looked back.

For Dillain, the separation felt like the closing of a door. For Cruella, it felt like the opening of one.

Neither of them realized that Alpha Three was large enough for their paths to cross again. And when they eventually did, the person they remembered might not be the person standing in front of them.

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