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I walked into my bedroom and found my mate buried inside his second mate. In my bed. The one place he swore she would never be. Christy looked right at me over his shoulder and smirked. "Get out," Anthony snarled. He didn't even turn to see who was at the door. I left. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I simply walked down the hall to an empty suite and never came back. That was six months ago. Tonight, he sat on my new bed and asked when I was coming home. As if I was the one being unreasonable. "You broke your promise," I told him. "The one request I made when I accepted her into our bond. And you couldn't even give me that." He reached for my hand. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." I pulled away. "It already has. Every night she calls and you leave my bed to go to hers. Every time you choose her. You've been rejecting me for months, Anthony. I just finally stopped fighting it." Silence. Then I told him about the diary. Every lie she told. Every promise he broke. Every night I spent alone. All of it, written down in the book he's watched me fill for months and never once asked to read. "When I'm gone, you'll find it on your desk. And you'll finally understand exactly when you lost me." He stared at me. His mouth opened, then closed. "Gone where?" ***** Mischa had been mated to Alpha Anthony Trenery of the Night Whispers Pack for two decades now. They had a good, strong bond filled with love and happiness even though their lives were more than difficult at times. They’d decided when coming together early in their mate bond to put off having an heir or heirs for their pack. That they needed to focus upon the growing of the pack’s businesses. She ran the accounting company and kept track of all the pack's funds, was vigilant in their spending decisions, because when they’d taken over the pack it was in the red, and the pack owed money to a lot of other packs as well as human banks. Finally, they were completely in the black. No longer did they have loans to pay back to humans or other wolfen packs that had helped them out over the past two decades. They were also now a bigger, stronger and healthier pack, with more reliable businesses to support them. It had taken the two of them a mighty effort of complete devotion to clearing out the debts left behind, that no one knew the former Alpha and Luna had run up, until they’d taken over and seen if for themselves. She’d never have believed it if she’d not seen it with her own two eyes, and they’d sat down and had to talk it out, weighed the pros and cons of disbanding the pack or trying to rebuild it, and become viable and keep the wolves that lived here together instead of scattered all over the place. She’d already had her accounting degree but was fresh out of uni, and going through the funding situation had been hard for her, and even harder for Anthony to hear, being it was his own parents that had sunk the pack into debt and told no one how bad it was. But in the end they’d opted to try and save the pack, and although it had been difficult for them to do. They’d worked their way through the hardship and survived it. Tonight was the very first mating ball to be held by them since taking over. They simply just couldn’t afford to waste pack funds on it. The pack members had all understood and been allowed to go off to other packs of their own accord for mating balls if they wished over those years. Tonight was an event they’d planned together, how they’d be holding mating balls in the future as well. Only two a year, they were costly and though their pack was in the black now, they didn’t want to use a lot of funds on mating balls at this time, they would set more up as the years past when they had more available funds to do so. It was a simple sit-down dinner, where everyone came dressed in smart casual clothing and could mingle at will with the other packs. Any mating prior to the full moon had to be out of sight in one or another's accommodation, so there would be fewer issues for pairs scenting each other out. She stood as always next to Anthony to greet the arriving Alphas. Only one pack was unknown to them, but it came through a known affiliated pack. They were said to be safe and wouldn’t cause them any issues. She and Anthony were hoping for some pairing up tonight, and she smiled at the comments from their Allied Alphas about finally, they were holding a mating ball, and those that knew the true hardship she and Anthony had been through, over the last two decades smiled and congratulated them on beating the odds, and them now having a prosperous pack. She was happy with how things were going and sat down to eat her meal, smiled and chatted with the other Alphas at the table. Her own Mate, Anthony, smiled at her as he always did. What she’d not seen coming was as the moon set her own Alpha Mate of 20 years, nostrils flaring and him breathing in all deeply; as he scented out a second Mate. Her eyes widened, as she watched him just stand up and leave the table, to go and hunt the one he scented. Many eyes were on him, they all knew she was his Goddess-Gifted Mate. They were the same age and scented each other out at 19, inside this very room the full moon after he’d come home from Alpha College. Mischa was more than shocked as she watched Anthony step right up to she-wolf and just reach out and touch her face all soft and lovingly. She’d braced herself to feel the pains of betrayal, right there in front of all their allies, and she’d even felt Paul, her Gamma’s hand on her arm, as he also readied himself to try and ease the pain they all thought she was going to feel. She had not stood up or even objected to Anthony’s scenting of a second Mate, wouldn’t protest against it even though a part of her wanted to. This was the will of their Goddess, that he was getting a second Mate, and here inside this pack they believed one should accept their Goddess-Gifted Mate. Anthony’s hand cupped that she-wolf’s face, and she felt absolutely nothing, not a single pain of betrayal at all. Paul frowned a little, and she sighed with relief and murmured. “Is the will of Selena, so she grants me no pain.” Though a part of her was unhappy about her loyal, loving Alpha Mate now having a new and likely much younger Mate on his arm. She knew that he wasn’t going to reject her, she’d been gifted to him by Selena, so of course, he would accept that she-wolf. She gently removed Paul’s hand from her arm. “It’s fine… is meant to be.” She’d stated softly, all she could do was accept it. If it was a lie or some sort of magic to trick him, she'd have felt the pains of betrayal, but there were none. So she just sat there and watched as Anthony lay his verbal claim upon that she-wolf, for all in this room to hear without any hesitation. “My pack, I have been blessed by Selena herself, with a second Mate and Luna,” he'd announced, and she’d even heard the pride in his voice as he’d spoken. He was very happy with this. Had yet to even look at Mischa regarding him getting a second Mate; to see what she thought of it. She’d been eclipsed by a new Mate and Luna for the pack in a heartbeat. He was supposed to love and cherish only her, but now he had someone else to love and cherish, a she-wolf that barely looked old enough to be here at this mating ball. Likely only just turned 18 a moon or two back, she thought absently to herself. That girl's smile faulted instantly at Anthony’s words of her being his second Mate and Luna, and her eyes had moved around the room to look right at her. Mischa had nodded her head ever so slightly to the girl. Who’d turned back to Anthony and bowed her head to him, stated in softly spoken words, “I am happy, Alpha, and will work alongside your first Mate, to learn from her to be your perfect Luna.” Anthony had laughed. “Mischa is loving and kind and will be a good friend and confidante to you, as well as to teach you all that is needed and the three of us will be truly happy together.” Then he had walked that she-wolf over to the table she was sitting at, and smiled at Mischa “Sweetheart, I was blessed by Selena once more. This is Christy.” He introduced the girl to her. She felt many eyes upon her from not only at this table but from the room. It was a very unusual set of circumstances to be seen. She did know that when one wolf got gifted two Mates it was usually at the same time, not 20 years apart. That the one wolf, if his or her Mates were from different packs, they would have to choose one over the other. But Anthony was an Alpha Wolf, and he reigned over this pack so he could choose to have both of them as his Mates, because they’d all live here. This was what he was doing. He’d not even thought about it, not even so much as taken Mischa's thoughts into account about him having a new Mate. No, he’d just accepted Christy and announced her right away, expecting Mischa to just accept it and that was the end of it. Mischa wasn’t about to throw a fit or even argue it there was no point; he’d made his decision already. The Goddess had blessed him was how he’d put it. She wasn’t that kind of person, arguments were only to be had if she could win the verbal battle, which she knew she couldn’t right this very minute. It was also not her place to tell him who he could or couldn’t be mated to, if he was gifted a second Mate. It was entirely up to him to accept or reject that she-wolf. “Hello, Christy.” Mischa greeted his new Mate, and she saw the way that she-wolf instantly moved closer to Anthony and hugged into him. “It’s the will of the Goddess, please Luna don’t ask him to reject me,” Christy stated with a slight tremble to her soft voice. Mischa raised an eyebrow at her “I wouldn’t dare to. If Anthony accepts you, then so do I,” she countered the girls between the line's accusation. She understood in that one moment this she-wolf was out to cause trouble, and wanted Anthony to see Mischa was unreasonable, and appear to be unwilling to accept her as a second Luna to this pack. Mischa wouldn’t play that game, her eyes moved to Anthony, and he was frowning down at Christy, he wasn’t what she would call a stupid man, and had also picked up on there was no greeting from Christy to Mischa, just an unspoken accusation that Mischa would want to tear them apart. “Christy, what was that? Mischa would never come between us, and you just accuse her of it right away. I brought you over here just to say hello,” he stated and removed her hand from his arm. Mischa refused to allow the smile that wanted to touch her face to reach it as she heard the disappointment in Anthony’s voice about what he was seeing and hearing. She watched as Christy kind of looked up at him in surprise, that he would not only defend his current Mate and Luna, but step away from Christy herself, to look down at her in disapproval. This she-wolf had thought Anthony would come to her defense instantly, and be drawn into her innocence, and I’m afraid of your first Mate, act. That she was so clearly putting on for all in this room to see. She didn’t know him at all, and had played that hand way too soon, but Mischa now understood herself this was going to be something Christy would do all the time. She was already scheming inside her mind on how to push out a Luna and Mate of 20 years, so she could be the only Mate and Luna to this, her and Anthony’s hard earned pack. II CH 2 Mischa didn’t think this she-wolf's schemes would work on Anthony. He was not only level-headed, but they had grown up here inside this pack together, and he knew everything about her, including her own nature. That she would never harm anyone without due cause, that she certainly wouldn’t harm his other Mate. That she wouldn’t get in between them or try and stop them from spending time together. He knew that she also believed in the will of the Goddess. So, accepting that he’d been gifted a second Mate, was actually what she would do even if she was unhappy about it, she’d come to terms with it and accept it. She wouldn’t fight against it or try to make him choose between them. This new Mate of his, Christy, should have taken the time to solidify her bond with Anthony, be marked and mated before trying anything stupid like this. That would see her pitted up against his first Luna and Mate of 20 years. She knew nothing about either of them, or their temperaments. She should have learned that before scheming. “I… I’m sorry. I was just nervous that she’d want to harm me… You’re her Mate first and Luna’s are… Possessive.” Christy tried to explain her prior statement. “As are Alphas,” Mischa stated right back. “Here inside the Night Whispers pack, a Mate is a Mate. If I were to get a second Mate, Anthony would accept it as I am of him being gifted you, Christy. Don’t fear me, I’m happy to have a fellow Luna to share the duties of running this pack with.” She smiled at her. Anthony chuckled softly and looked at Mischa. “I’d be very jealous, sweetheart, of another getting to have you, but…” he took a breath in “I would accept it, as the will of our Goddess, Selena.” Mischa smiled right at him. “I know darling.” She stated, “Such a good, kind, loving and loyal Mate you’ve always been.” She’d reached out and put her hand in his, and he’d raised it right to his lips and kissed the back of it. His way of showing his gratitude for her gracious acceptance of his new Mate. Christy, however, gasped and tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the display of affection between them. “You don’t want me,” she sobbed, and then was just gone, running off, away from them through the crowded ballroom. Anthony blinked in complete shock and stood there staring after her, he’d not once said he didn’t want her, he’d even claimed her for all to hear. It wasn’t expected that those words would come from her, let alone for her to run away. He looked to her hand and then to her and Mischa shook her head. “She felt no pains of betrayal, because I felt none when you touched her.” she told him what she knew to be the truth. “Sweetheart, I must go and…” he trailed off as he looked at her a little uncertain for the first time. “Of course, I understand Anthony, go and find your second Mate. She appears young and very...” She trailed off. Who the h*ll knew, she couldn’t say scheming to him. She let go of his hand and waved him off to go after the girl. Then she just sat back down in her seat and picked up her wine glass and took a controlled sip from it. She wanted to down the entire glass but would not let that be seen by all in this room. The Alphas at her table were looking at her with knowing looks. She just nodded, acknowledging that it hadn’t escaped their attention that this new Mate of Anthony’s was trying to manipulate things before she was even Marked and Mated. She and Christy had not scented each other out, and therefore would have to share their Mate’s attention between them, and no Mate wanted to share with another. Christy’s own Alpha sighed from his seat at the table. “My apologies, Luna, that one is new to my pack; her mother mated into mine just two moons back. I don’t know her well, she appeared pleasant to me.” “Hmm, she is how old?” Mischa asked. “Turned 18 inside my pack,” he answered her. “Hmm, very young. Me not so much. She is getting a Mate that already has a Mate, something I’m guessing can bring out many different sides to a she-wolf, that is expecting to suddenly become a Luna, only to find out her Mate already has a Luna. “Don’t concern yourself with it too much. Anthony won’t stand for scheming games, is level-headed, he will likely only mark and mate her if she is seen to be genuinely accepting of the three-way mate bond. She and I didn’t scent each other out, are not Mate’s that complicates things a bit, I dare say. “She’ll have to willingly accept that she has to share him with me. He is not about to reject me, his Mate and Luna of 20 years for her… one he doesn’t know and is currently acting like a petulant, jealous child for all to see. Something I don’t and won’t do. “He’ll want to have both of us as his Mates. I do know this, and if young Christy isn’t willing to even try to accept this, then he’ll likely reject her for her not accepting the will of the Goddess.” She told him, “I’m patient and will wait and see what happens.” She sipped her wine once more. “You seem to be handling it well, at ease with all this going on around you, Luna, when most would be at least upset,” he stated. “I’m not overly happy about it, Alpha, but what can I do about it? It’s not for me to make Anthony’s decisions for him. Only Anthony can choose to accept or reject Christy. I felt no pains of betrayal, so it is likely meant to be, and I am willing to accept what it is that Selena has planned for this pack,” she stated simply. She would not be the one in this three-way mate bond, which she was certain was about to happen, to pitch a fit and act as if she couldn’t handle it. This may be out of her control, but she could handle it with grace and stay calm in the face of things she didn’t like or truly know how to handle, until she found a way to do so. That was something she’d learned long ago. Panicking about the unknown didn’t help you resolve the issue before you. There had been a lot of panic at times trying to rebuild and bring this pack back to stability, and she’d overcome it all, one thing at a time. This was going to be just like that, she supposed. She would likely find a way to deal with Christy’s schemes if Anthony marked and mated her, if that she-wolf continued to try and use that innocent act, and wouldn’t give up on trying to push her out of Anthony’s life. There was at present nothing else she could do at this point, only sit and wait on the outcome of the night was all. She did wonder though if Christy was smart enough to talk her way out of being seen as petty and jealous just now. None had threatened her, and Anthony hadn’t once voiced he didn’t want her, so her act was all going to have to be apologized for, and she was going to have to explain to him why she responded that way, when Mischa had not once presented herself as a threat, had in fact welcomed her. That she’d run off after seeing affection go between herself and Anthony, something that all fully bonded pairs did, something that she-wolf would also have to get used to seeing as well. “Filled with she-wolf jealousy is my bet, and that, Luna Mischa, is never a good thing,” Alpha Nicholas stated as he leaned back in his chair. “It won’t end well if she remains the same. Been on the receiving end of that myself.” She nodded, she knew his tale; this pack had been allied to his while he’d been trying to claim his Luna, Lucinda. “Mm, I’m not so young as she is, or immature either. I can handle myself and most situations in a calm and rational manner, unlike her, it seems.” She stated with a half-smile and sipped her wine, then motioned for it to be refilled once more. “That I dare say will be the very difference between the two of you,” Nicholas nodded. “If you need a break from what I foresee as trouble brewing, come on down to the Rising Blue Lotus, for a well-earned rest. Braidy’s Mate just opened up a day spa on the edge of the pack. I’m certain she and her team can massage away or soak away any tension.” She smiled at him. “I may just take you up on that, Nicholas.” “It would be my pleasure, Luna Mischa.” He’d tipped his glass to her and they’d both sipped their wine. She’d sat there and presided over the mating ball for the rest of the night. She’d waited for Anthony to come back and tell her what he was going to do, give her an explanation as to Christy’s attitude, but it had not come at all. She’d attempted to connect with him just once, just after 10pm and shut it down very quickly felt that he was mating out there, so he’d claimed that girl and was marking and mating her. She’d mentioned it to his unit, and they’d all kind of just stared at her as if to say 'are you kidding?' She’d just nodded, there was nothing she could do about it. The Mate Bond had either gotten him or Christy had played her sweet and innocent act, come up with some plausible reason as to why she had been like that, and then likely turned on the charm and he and his wolf had been enticed into mating her and claiming her officially. Yet again, he’d done that without consulting her or even informing her that he would be doing that tonight. She’d gone to bed alone, walked up to the Alpha Suite, his unit all there with her, and she’d sighed, “I hate to be a bother, but is it possible one of you could stay here until Anthony comes back? I don’t want that she-wolf in my suite. Until all things have been discussed properly, he’ll have to understand, considering he didn’t discuss anything with me prior to this and sitting down and sorting out how this is going to work. “Please inform Anthony and his new Mate, that they can stay in the Luna Suite for the night. I’m happy he got a Mate but unhappy he has gone a head and done things without a proper discussion first. I don’t want to wake up to the sound of my Mate having sεx with his other Mate inside my suite.” They all just nodded and Kendrick, their Beta, had stated, “I’ll wait up for him. Best that comes from me. If he doesn’t understand and opts to try and bring her inside, what do you want, Mischa?” “Tell him to respect my wishes. It's just one night, and he can spend that night curled up with his new Mate in the Luna Suite. It’s as plush as his own. If he opts not to respect my wishes for even one night, I guess I know exactly where I’ll stand with him and his new Mate.” III CH 3 Mischa had accepted the fact that he had a second Mate, and he’d hugged her the following day after claiming Christy, told Mischa he loved her so very much, even more for her accepting Christy into their Mate bond. She’d only had one request regarding their three-person mate bond, where she and Christy shared only him between them. Which had been that Christy reside in the Luna Suite, that was her designated suite, and Mischa remained in the Alpha Suite. She had been his Mate and Luna for 20 years, and had earned the right to stay in there. He’d looked at Christy, and she’d nodded and stated, "I'm okay with that." Neither she nor Christy had wanted to live in the same suite as each other, because they weren’t mated to each other. Both saw it as standard for a Mate bond like this, for there to be separate rooms. Anthony had been happy about them agreeing to this and he'd agreed as well. The one being shared also got to choose where and who they slept with on a nightly basis. She’d told him at Christy’s frown, as she’d had to watch him pull Mischa on to his lap, in his office that morning. After being away from her for the entire night, he wanted to hold her and be close to her, tell her he’d missed her. Christy hadn’t liked seeing that at all, and she had stated, “I think there should be a schedule to make it fair to both of us, like me, say Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and you take the alternate days.” She’d not even used Mischa’s name. Misha had leaned into Anthony and hugged him, told him she’d missed him too, as she'd watched Christy's reaction to it, then stated, “I don’t think we should put constraints on our Mate like that, and I think Anthony can pick and choose each and every night who he wants to be with, as is his right.” She’d also not missed that Christy had opted to give herself four nights a week and Mischa only three. Right off the bat, this she-wolf was trying to take control of their mate bond. She had some balls, that was for sure. Anthony, on the other hand had, had a better idea. “I’ll rotate days between you both. I think that is fair, so one night with you Christy, then one night with Mischa, on a continually rotating basis. That way, each of you gets a four-night week and a three-night week, exactly half of each month. Otherwise, one of you will get 16 days and the other only 12; that is not fair.” He’d also promised her he’d never bed Christy in their suite, especially their bed, and then, at Christy’s pout, he’d laid down the same rule for her, that he’d never bed Misha in Christy’s suite or bed; again making it fair. He’d told Christy he’d open up a few walls and create her a proper suite just like his and Mischa’s for when they had pups. Misha hadn’t objected, just nodded and told him and Christy that was a good idea. He had been trying, she knew, to keep both of them happy, trying to work this new three-person mate bond out in a way that suited them all. “We’re newly mated,” Christy had murmured, “and you two have been mated for decades. I want a little more time with you to bond properly.” “You’ll go into heat in a week and get to have him all to yourself for 3 to 7 days,” Mischa commented casually. “You’ll interrupt it.” Christy had muttered. “I will not. I have no interest in separating you from Anthony at all. You should, however, come over here and let him initiate you. He’s not done that yet.” Mischa had stood up and even picked up the pack blade for him and held it out to him, showing him she was accepting of everything. Only now a year and a half later, she was not in the Alpha Suite, nor was she in the Luna Suite. She’d moved herself out of the Alpha Suite six months ago when she’d walked into it and pushed into her bedroom to find Anthony and Christy having sεx in her and Anthony’s bed. She’d come to a stand still at the sight of them and then her anger got the better of her. She and her wolf Laud had grated out his name for him to hear their anger at what was going on in their bed. Something he’d promised would never happen. Only to have him snarl at her to get the hll out of his bedroom, his aura had rolled at her even before he’d turned to see who it was. Christy had looked right at her and smirked as if to say 'you know you can’t beat me.' “Fine,” had been the only word that had come from her. She was his equal and could in fact ignore his aura, but had turned and walked from the suite, left at his order and then had moved herself into a suite down the hall, across from the Delta’s suite. She’d had omegas go in and collect all her belongings when she’d felt him leave that suite, not just her clothes, everything that was hers and moved, had them set up in her new room down the hall. They’d not understood it, why she was moving out of the Alpha Suite, when she’d lived in there for the past two decades, and for the first time since Christy had come into this pack and started eclipsing her position, she’d not cared to keep quite as to why she was moving out. Told her omegas that the Alpha had ordered her to get out of the suite. It was in fact true he had done so. That hadn’t gone down so well with Anthony when he’d realized she’d actually moved out of the suite, and not just left it to come back later when she’d calmed down. He’d thought she was just angry about him breaking his promise, and so he had opted to sleep in Christy’s suite that night. He had left her be, because he actually understood he was in the wrong, and she had a right to be angry. But what he’d not realized until the following evening, when he’d gone to the Alpha Suite to shower and change, probably apologize for his mistake. That her side of the closet was empty, not a single thing was left in there of her, not even her jewelry. That she had in fact moved out completely, and he’d had to go looking for her, he hadn’t seen her all day either. She’d opted to work from her new suite because she wasn’t in any mood to deal with a smug Christy, or her own Mate who had broken his one promise to her. He’d found her sitting in that suite across from Derek's with many of her things setup in there around her. She’d already made herself comfortable in there. He’d been completely shocked at the realization that she’d taken more than just her clothes, but her trinkets and throw rugs, her favorite vase and many of the books that were in the study, they’d shared in that suite. He’d asked her exactly what was going on, and she’d casually closed the book she’d been sitting documenting in, her Luna’s Diary, and looked at him, his worried expression, as he’d sat down on the lounge next to her. She’d stated simply, “You broke your promise and ordered me to get out of your suite. I did exactly what you wanted.” He’d sighed at her and murmured, “That’s not what I meant, sweetheart, I’m sorry for what happened. Christy was upset about never having seen inside the Alpha Suite… she just wanted to see what it looked like, she’s only ever been in the Luna Suite, doesn’t feel as if I truly see her as my Luna, because she’s never even walked through the door and seen inside the Alpha’s Suite.” He’d sighed heavily. “I saw no harm in her walking through it and looking around. She was so happy to just be shown the suite, and she kissed me to say thank you for allowing her to see where I lived when not with her and, well… we just got carried away is all, and it resulted in sx. It wasn’t intentional,” he told her. Maybe not on his part, but it had clearly been on Christy’s part. “In our bed.” Had been Mischa’s words, she could read between the lines, Christy had gotten Anthony to take her into their bedroom, a place she was never allowed to go unless Mischa invited her personally. Just like Mischa wasn’t allowed in Christy’s bedroom. So, once again, she’d been able to make Anthony believe she was innocent in them fking on Mischa’s bed, and he’d bought it. She had gotten him to take her into that room to help her feel more like his Luna, when he’d already given her a fully remodeled suite. He was still blind to her deceptions. Only this time, Christy had used sx to get it past him. She knew exactly what that she-wolf was doing. She’d also not missed in his relaying of what had happened that it had been Christy who had kissed him and gotten him all worked up, she'd done it on purpose, and she knew that, from that one look on Christy’s face, that he’d not seen. She didn’t really understand the she-wolf. It wasn’t like Anthony ignored her, or didn’t give her exactly what she wanted. Her Luna Suite was now as large and plush as the Alpha Suite was, there was room for them to start their family. It was now a four-bedroom suite. She’d gotten her Mate and the title of Luna as well, had a desk in the Luna’s office, was allowed to give Luna Blessings and she spent on a daily basis more time with Anthony than Mischa did. “Well, Anthony, she can now have what she wants, both the Alpha and Luna suites, can’t she! Seeing as she got you to break your promise to me and so easily.” “Don’t be like that Mischa, it won’t happen again,” he’d sighed. “You’re right, it won’t.” she’d nodded, because she would never set foot in the Alpha Suite again. “You ordered I get out, I had no choice but to do as you ordered, you are the Alpha.” She told him and watched his eyes widen at her very words. He was racking his brain trying to recall if he’d made it an order or not. She knew it wasn’t for her to move out, just to leave the room. But at that moment it could well have been for all he knew. He and his wolf Shade might not even know they’d done that in that moment, where they were consumed with the need to mate Christy. “I take it back.” He’d huffed after a full minute of thought. “Rescind it. If I did that, I can’t say for certain if I did or not.” “No need. I now understand my place, Anthony. Your new and younger Mate is the one you want to please. I’ll step aside for her. She can move into the actual Alpha Suite. I’ll stay here as is my place.” She’d not been trying to make him feel guilty, she’d simply made the decision to not go back to his suite was all, it was now tainted by that she-wolf, so he could have it all to himself or move that she-wolf in there. “Your place is beside me, Mischa, as it will always be,” he’d stated. “Hmm” had been her only reaction because she wondered just how long it would be before Christy got the Luna’s office all to herself and had Mischa moved out of it. Christy was currently still undergoing Luna Training, but the moment it was over. Mischa could see Christy was going to push her from it. She wasn’t exactly sure how yet, but she was willing to bet that she-wolf was plotting how already. Just couldn’t do it until she’d actually finished her training was all. IV CH 4 She was just documenting everything that happened in her personal Luna’s Diary, that was casually sitting closed on her lap right that minute; all of Christy’s behavior. It was kind of like a Luna’s Diary, she supposed. Only this one was filled with all the times Christy had manipulated Anthony, pouted or put on a show of waterworks, complained she was just insecure, intimidated by Mischa, or didn’t think she could ever measure up to his first Mate. All the things that saw Anthony wanting to comfort Christy about and how he did that; taking her out shopping or to dinner, to make her feel loved and cherished and to make it up to her, so she'd feel secure in her position as his second Mate. Though Christy had learned not to insult her directly, that brought about full annoyance in Anthony towards her, regardless of if Christy did it with a few tears or indirectly. Which she had a few times in the beginning when she had been more openly trying to separate them so she could spend more time with Anthony then Mischa could; she’d learned the hard way not to do that. Anthony wouldn’t stand for Christy insulting Mischa, and he would come to her defense, because not once had Mischa ever insulted Christy; she wasn’t like that. Wasn’t one to be mean or cruel on purpose. Even now here in this situation, Christy and Anthony’s having sεx in her bed, she’d not blamed Christy; she hadn’t said anything other than he’d broken his promise to her. Anthony would demand Christy apologize to Mischa if she insulted her, and Christy didn’t like having to do so. She’d seen once that Christy’s tearful apology had also backfired on her, even worse than Christy could have possibly imagined, because Paul had walked into the room behind her, to hear it and had felt out the situation. Christy hadn’t seen him, and he’d cleared his voice after only 10 seconds and stated, “Her apology is a lie, Alpha, she doesn’t truly mean it, I can feel she’s here causing trouble only.” And his southern drawl had rolled off him to show he was switched on and explaining what he was feeling from Christy. Anthony had then been even more annoyed as Chrisy had come to learn that Paul was more inclined to trust his instincts than her words, and was always switched on when he was near her if there were words going between her and anyone. Paul couldn’t be swayed by Christy’s deceitful ways, he could see she was just trying to get rid of Mischa and nothing more. Had in fact stated that very thing to Anthony, who’d turned angry eyes on Christy himself. Who’d been glaring at her and then had turned them on Paul and accused them of being in cahoots, and it was them that were trying to oust her and pull her and Anthony’s bond apart, that they were ganging up on her because they had a 20-year-long Luna Gamma bond. She’d then done her usual insecure act and stated how was she to create a bond with Paul when he was always on Mischa’s side, and gone running off in tears, and, for the first time ever, Anthony hadn’t gone after her. He had looked at Paul and stated, “Is she really trying to break my bond with Mischa?” He’d kind of sounded as if he didn’t want to hear the answer. Hadn’t actually believed that Mischa and Paul were ganging up on her because he knew they weren’t like that. “That is what I get, she doesn’t like Mischa, never has. Do you recall the very first words Christy ever stated when standing before Mischa? That was the first clue into her true nature. You saw it, reacted to it and admonished her for it even. What did she do? Cried and run off, played at you not wanting her and was leaving the pack. “What is she doing right now? Crying and running off as if leaving the pack because she was caught in a lie, and you’re about to admonish her or worse, punish her. Don’t go after her, Anthony. I bet she won’t leave the pack, but will go right to the border.” It was done by Christy, to trigger Anthony and his beast into thinking his Mate was running away, hurt and upset, and they wouldn’t want that, so they would go racing after her, when they realized she was trying to flee the pack. She and Paul, the entire Alpha Unit saw it for what it was, only Anthony didn’t see it, because it brought about fear of the breaking of his mate bond with Christy, and so he had a deep-seated need to placate her and win her back. That time, Anthony had let her run, refused to go after her just to see what would happen. Was his Gamma right or not? Christy had not left the pack, but she had run all the way to the pack's furthest border from the packhouse, but had come to a stand still at the edge of the pack. Mischa had tracked her pack tether as much as everyone in that room had, and Christy had stood out there on the edge of the pack for several hours before coming back, stalking in through the packhouse front doors, past the open Alpha’s office door and stomped up the stairs and banging into the Luna Suite. Paul had relayed, “She’s just annoyed you didn’t chase after her like you normally do.” He had felt her out the moment she’d gotten back. Christy had reined it in after that because Anthony hadn’t gone near her for over a week and Mischa had heard him state to her, as Christy had stood before him sobbing about feeling insecure, “If you’re going to sulk just because you’re a second Mate, do it quietly. You knew I had a Mate, stated you’d accept it,” then issued a demand of his own, to show her he wasn’t going to put up with her behavior any longer. “Either accept that you are my second Mate or reject me and actually leave. Stop pretending to, just to get my attention.” Mischa hadn’t heard the beginning of that conversation, only the finality of it; she’d not gotten involved, never got between them. She’d thought his demand that day had stopped Christy’s bad behavior, until she’d walked in on them having sx in her bed and seen that smirk on her face. Now here Christy was back to the scheming after a few months of quiet. It seemed that she-wolf was never going to stop. She would just document everything so that when push came to shove and Mischa was actually truly fed up with the life she was now living, she would just hand Anthony her Luna’s Diary, that was right this minute on her lap, and leave. She didn’t want a life of fighting to keep her Mate, it shouldn’t have to be this way. It was likely she’d eventually just give Christy what it was she wanted, only it wouldn’t exactly be a happy moment for Christy when Anthony read this book, and looked back on everything that had happened in the course of their mate bond since Christy had come into it. He’d be able to see it was all Christy’s fault. That his first Goddess-Gifted Luna, who had been here to help him clear all the pack's debts and loved him regardless of all the hardship, had left him because she was pushed aside by Christy. She did document her personal feelings about everything that happened in this book. She wrote in a black pen the event; who was there, the words spoken and actions taken. Then in a blue pen she documented how she personally felt about the event and all that transpired. If she was frustrated, annoyed, angry, upset or just plain sad and confused or pained. If she had expected the event to occur, had predicted his or Christy’s reactions, then in a green pen she documented the expression on Christy’s face towards herself that he didn’t see. If he or anyone opened this Luna’s Diary at a very quick glance, it would look like all the other official ones in her office, she had filled out over the years, the same color pens used for different varying things. He didn’t even question seeing her with it now, because it was normal for her to sit and write in her Luna’s Diary on a daily basis. But his book, when he got his hands on it and read it, he would see she wasn’t writing only to make him hate Christy or feel guilty, but in a way that he could understand their bond was becoming broken over time and her lack of emotions as time passed would show him that it had been gradual not instant that she had stayed for years in the hope that Christy would just stop her selfish behavior. That she wasn’t petty or cruel like Christy was, that she’d just be slowly shoved aside until she was no longer needed by him or this pack was all. So, she had left him to go and live a life where she might be needed in some other pack. Start her life over and maybe be able to be happy once more like she had used to be; standing next to his side. He was just sitting looking at her. “Please, it won’t happen again.” He implored her. “Yes, it will,” she stated her feelings on the matter. There would be no amount of pleading or promises that would see her believe he could keep that woman out of the Alpha Suite. A part of her wondered if Christy was so spitefully jealous that she would at some point try and have Anthony bring her into this very room and then accidently, on purpose, get carried away and have sεx in here. In any room she ever went to until Mischa hurled a rejection at Anthony for the continually breaking of his word. A part of her didn’t want to think that way, but another part of her wouldn’t put it past that she-wolf. “If it can happen once, then it can happen again, Anthony. One broken promise leads to another.” She shrugged. “That room is now tainted by you and her, as far as I’m concerned. I won’t go back there… is dirty I suppose, “And not just because you had sεx with Christy in there, but because you, my Alpha and my Mate disregarded the one and only request I had when you got a second Mate, and I willingly accepted her. Not only into our pack and our home, but into the very middle of our own mate bond. “I’m disappointed in you, and to be honest, Alpha, right now I’m not at all interested in your new promise that it won’t happen again. You’ve already proven that your word to me no longer matters to you at all. Because if it did, you’d never have let that happen in the first place.” She stood up and walked away across the room. “Oh, on a new note, this is now my room. Christy is not allowed in here, period. I don’t care if she complains that her not being in here makes her feel as though she’s not a part of anything at all. I am not her Mate and I have the right to refuse her entry to my home.” She turned and looked right at him. “And this room is now my home. Please leave, I’m done talking with you. I have work to do.” She'd tapped her diary and walked through to her bedroom and closed the door to make sure he understood to leave. V CH 5 Six months had passed and Mischa lay in her bed looking at Anthony as he got mind-linked to and she heard him sigh. He looked at her when it was over. “Christy wants to see me,” he stated as he sat up. She didn’t say anything at all, knew there was no point, he was going to get up and go to Christy under some guise that she needed to speak with him, but then he wouldn’t come back to her room. Even though it was his night to sleep here with Mischa. Christy would talk to him about whatever it was she stated was so very important that it would see him get up and leave her bedroom, and then she would be all over him and fk'n him, and he’d fall asleep in his and Christy's bed. Anthony would then come to her and apologize in the morning about falling asleep in Christy’s bed. State they’d had a single moment that had gotten carried away, and seeing as he’d already been with her, having sεx with both of them on the same night tired him out, and he’d crashed out was all; it wasn’t on purpose. She knew better than to believe it anymore. At first, she had thought it was genuine, but now, months later, it happened all the time. It was just Christy’s way of proving to her that she could call their Mate away from her, and he wanted to go, because he always went. Mischa knew that to be true as well, because otherwise he would just tell her it was his night to be with Mischa and that would be the end of it. He wouldn’t go to Christy’s room, he would just tell her whatever it was could wait until the morning. Nothing was that important to disturb him at midnight. If it was, then everyone would know about it. So, he got up out of her bed and went to Christy’s willingly to sleep with her, stay there the night and she knew it. He was now the one to be seen pushing her aside in her eyes. Because it was a choice to get up and leave their bed and go to another’s on a night when he should be with her. Mischa just rolled over and away from him at his words and his getting out of the bed without a second thought. Her chest ached, but there was no arguing with him about it. She’d tried that in the beginning, and he’d stated, “I’ll come back after, whatever it is.” but he never did and pointing that out to him as well. He’d gotten annoyed with her for keeping track of him, had muttered, “It’s not bloody necessary to track my every move.” So, she’d not done so anymore, she stopped fighting him about it not being fair that he spent five nights a week with Christy and only two with her. She felt that pained ache inside her chest, as if someone was just squeezing her heart and tears welled up, but she didn’t let them fall, just blinked them away. ‘What else was knew’ was what she thought absently to herself. It was also what she wanted to say out loud, but she didn’t. There was no point he would leave anyway. This was how it had been for the past four months. The only difference now was that she just said nothing about him leaving, rolled over away from him and pretended not to care, when it hurt to know he was choosing Christy once more. Her and Anthony’s Mate bond was falling apart, and he didn’t even look to care about it, he had a new younger Mate to entertain him. She was rapidly just becoming the Luna that held the pack together and nothing else. One day soon it was likely he was going to forget she was even part of this pack. A part of her was starting to regret her choice to let what had happened go. Something she’d done for the sake of their Mate bond and them staying together. She’d convinced herself he still loved her, that it wasn’t like he was cheating on her, because Christy was his Mate too, and so she’d tried to just move on past him, breaking his promise to her. Anthony had brought her flowers and apologized many times. After he’d had sεx with Christy in the Alpha Suite, he’d sent gifts to her and tried to spend more time with her after he’d hurt her, and realized how badly it was affecting their Mate Bond. Put in an effort for a solid month to try and bring them closer like they’d used to be. It had been a month of being unhappy and tired and grumpy for both him and her, before she’d finally accepted, that he was actually sorry. He looked tired and worn out to her, as much as she had been, and Kendrick had told her he wasn’t sleeping well, being at odds with her like they were. It was the first time they’d ever spent so much time unhappy and, apart from each other, she’d not let him touch her once in that month, she shifted her hand or turned away. Ignored the half-knowing smiles she saw from Christy as she watched their Mate Bond of 20 years being torn apart at her own hands. It made Mischa wonder what kind of person it took to knowingly and willingly set out to destroy another’s Mate Bond, be happy about watching it slowly get destroyed. She’d wondered more than a few times why Selena had sent this she-wolf to their pack and paired her with Anthony. Was he supposed to choose between them? Or had they together been the people that were supposed to turn Christy’s ugly nature into something better? Show her that things could be good even when one had to share what was theirs. She thought that was supposed to be it, seeing as both she and Anthony had accepted Christy, only Christy hadn’t changed at all. This situation could well have seen her nature become worse she supposed. She didn’t know anything about her previous life. Now here she was alone once more, while Anthony returned to the Alpha Suite where Christy now resided, even though not all her things had been moved into it, half of them were still in the Luna Suite. That she-wolf had told Anthony that was because she needed a few things in there for when she slept there, but, of course, she’d willingly move back to the Luna Suite when Mischa wasn’t mad at him anymore, and wanted to move back into the Alpha Suite with him. Mischa, however, knew this was not the case. It was so that Mischa also couldn’t reside within the Luna Suite, effectively telling Mischa she wasn’t the pack’s Luna because she didn’t live in either the Alpha or Luna Suite, but Christy now coveted both suites. Anthony had seen no issue with it, seeing as Mischa had told him she wasn’t going back to the suite at all. He’d stopped trying to convince her to go back to it, couldn’t after the third time she’d walked past it and seen them both coming out of there first thing in the morning. He’d looked guilty at first and then just said nothing after a week of it, even though he’d promised Christy wouldn’t be allowed in there anymore. She’d never left it after that first time in there with him. But no longer did Mischa care to play the game at all. Not even Laud cared to take part in sx with her Mate when it happened. It wasn’t like before either, not hours of endless pleasure, it kind of felt a bit rushed to her, as if he was just going through the motions and each time it was getting shorter as well. That told her how much he enjoyed sεx with Chrisy more than he did with her as well. She felt his lips press against her bare shoulder in a soft kiss, something she’d once loved about him, even in her half sleeping state, she’d been able to smile at feeling it. He’d never in 20 years not done that when he was getting up to leave their bed for training or anything at all. Now it felt redundant to her, as if it was just something that was ingrained into him, just autopilot mode, she thought, not because he meant it. She was still his Mate, and she still loved him, but in moments like this she wished she didn’t, but two decades together was really hard to let go of, when he was the other half of her soul. The moment she heard the door close, her fist balled against the center of her chest and those tears she held back rolled down her cheeks. It hurt to know he was willingly pulling away from her, he, as her Mate should know when she was in pain, but he either blipped over it or no longer cared to feel if she was upset. That month of apology was long gone, and she was right back to being pushed aside. Only now it was willingly on his part, she felt. The first time she’d not argued with him about leaving, he’d stopped and stared at her, then had smiled and even thanked her for understanding Christy needed him. Now he just told her Christy wanted to speak with him and got up and left without so much as a second thought. She was left alone in a bed that smelled like him, something she now both loved and hated at the same time. 20 years together and he was letting it go is what she saw and easily so, because his younger Mate was insecure and apparently couldn’t even measure up to his other Mate a reigning Luna of two decades. Mischa could make her feel small and intimidated at times. Christy used that at every turn, stating she sometimes felt helpless or useless because Mischa was so accomplished at everything, that there was no need for Christy to be there in the pack. Mischa sat and watched him listen to Christy’s softly spoken words, as the tears brimmed, and she looked sad and sometimes defeated even with Mischa right there. Christy had appeared to be putting Mischa on a pedestal but then had also made it look as if she could never reach up and touch it at the same time. Anthony looked at Mischa sometimes with an almost helpless look of ‘What can I do but comfort her?’ He had two Mates that weren’t mated to each other. Had told her they’d been mated for 20 years, that their bond was strong enough to get through a few rough years of this new situation they found themselves in until Chirsty truly felt like she was Mischa’s equal. What was a few years in the grand scheme of things, that he also wanted to create the same strong and unbreakable bond with Christy that they had. When he’d done that, everything would settle down, that if she could bear with it. This pack would be stronger for it in the end. She had understood that, from his point of view, of course, he would want a strong bond with his new mate. What she didn’t understand was him letting Christy eclipse their bond. He’d wanted in the beginning to split his time 50/50, but now it was like 80/20 and that 20% was rapidly dwindling as well. He might be here two nights a week, but they only had sx once a week for the most part. Every other week, that other night, he was gone before they even went to bed. Arrived and within 30 minutes to an hour he was called away by Christy and just didn’t come back. VI Pain on top of Pain She was willing to bet that within six more months he wouldn’t even come to her room at all. Just retire to the Alpha Suite with his second Mate every single night. They’d be broken completely soon, and he didn’t care to realize it. Though she thought he had to feel it, but could only guess it was okay in his mind for her to be bound to him, but nothing to him eventually. He had Christy now, and so he wasn’t the one who slept alone at night. Bonded pairs weren’t designed to sleep apart all the time, it hurt. But only she hurt within their mate bond, because he had a bond with another that could, she knew, outweigh his and hers. Christy wasn’t just calling him back to her, she was trying to imprint herself over everything she and Anthony had once had, and the moment he stopped coming to this room altogether, that was the moment she knew Christy had won. She and Christy were chalk and cheese. Christy was young, outgoing and fun, whereas Mischa was 41, smart, sensible and responsible. She could run this pack without Anthony, and she knew it, because she’d been here to help rebuild it and knew the business' inside and out. Christy couldn’t do that if her life depended on it, and she could see that at some point she would be managing everything while Anthony was always off having fun with Christy. Their lives hadn’t been fun, always struggling to keep the pack together, it had been serious and filled with worry all the time. Christy had come along only after all that, and Anthony liked being able to spend time with her in that playful, fun manner that she and he had missed out on, because they’d been too busy trying to save this pack. He was, she thought, reliving his younger days with Christy, and Mischa, to him, was older and too mature and sensible to be like Christy. What he’d forgotten was that all wolves liked to play, but his wolf Shade had not once called Laud out to play since Christy’s wolf Sunny had become his second wolfen mate. She got up from the bed and pushed out through the French doors onto the balcony and stood nakid out in the bracing cold of the beginning of winter season, maybe the oncoming chill would freeze her heart completely, and she’d have the strength to leave, reject the other half of her soul and go through the pains of rejection. She didn’t know if it would just hurt or if it would kill her, breaking an Alpha Luna bond of 20 years could she knew kill one of them if not both of them. He thought everything was fine, he was getting his cake and eating it too. Maybe it would just kill her and not him. She turned her face up to the moon, “When it happens, Selena, don’t make me a Luna again. I don’t want the responsibility of holding a pack together at the cost of my own heart or my wolf's heart. We’ll be happy just being regular Joe's,” she told their Goddess. For now, she was still the Luna to this pack, granted by Selena herself, “I will not fail this pack, or those that live here, even if one day Anthony fails me completely. I will stay until I truly know I am not needed, but then, I will leave, and you’ll release me, to live a new better life elsewhere. That is the deal I make with you, my Goddess. “My oath to you, Moon Goddess, for the blessing you gave me that lasted two decades. But this new blessing you gave my Mate, I reject her as being seen as a blessing in my eyes. She is unworthy of being Luna. “I feel your choice was wrong on that she-wolf. I’m sorry I state something so unforgivable of the one that created us, gave us life and blesses us with the other half of our souls. It is just my opinion. Do not take it to heart or punish this pack for my thoughts on the matter.” She stood out there in the cold until she was numb, watched the moon fall beyond the tree line of the pack and promised herself she would attend every request that was asked of her and be the perfect Luna always until the day came when she was truly not needed. Even though she didn’t really want to be anymore, she knew she would know the day when it came because she would simply not care about whatever it was that she was seeing and that would be it, the day she left. How it would happen? She couldn’t say. When it would happen? She didn’t know. It could be a month or a year, five years from now, she didn’t know. Where she would be when that moment came, or how she was living when it happened, were also things that were uncertain in her mind. She would simply feel nothing and see no point in being here at all anymore. That was the one thing she was certain of about her impending departure. Though the part of her that clung to the belief that the will of their Goddess was how they should live, was still hoping that Anthony’s words about everything would settle down in a few years, that it was just a rough patch; they were true. That one day, Christy wouldn’t see her as not a threat to her own Mate Bond and stop trying to eclipse her in every way, and the three of them could live in harmony with each other. That Anthony’s time would be spent equally between the two of them, but she doubted it at the same time. Two years had passed and though Christy’s ways to eclipse her had become more subtle, Mischa saw it all for what it was even if others inside this pack did not. She returned to her suite and stripped that bed and tossed the linen down the laundry shute, remade it and got into her bed. The room was cold and aired completely. She did not bother to close the balcony doors and left them open to sleep in the mind-numbing cold. Maybe, just maybe she wouldn’t feel so lonely if she couldn’t stop thinking about being freezing cold. She heard Laud huff inside her mind but didn’t shift them to her wolfen form, allowed Mischa to do as she pleased. It took a long time to fall asleep, but she managed it only to wake up with pains in her lower abdomen and she half snorted. Of course, her heat would come now when she’d opted to finally just be in the background. Anthony pushed into her bedroom and frowned at how cold the room was. She’d gotten up and closed the doors only because she was in heat, and wouldn’t risk herself to those un-mated wolves of the pack. Then he smiled at her as he started pulling his shorts off. He’d been at morning training. She could tell from his attire, bare-footed and bare-chested. Even as rough and difficult as their Mate Bond had been for the past two years, she knew he still enjoyed her heat. Though even to her, it already felt different, she wasn't rushing to climb on him as she once would have, and she wondered if that was because of their fading Mate Bond. Something that once saw her think about in a happy, excited way. Because she had enjoyed it, so had Laud and Anthony and his wolf Shade. He’d always been attentive to her needs in this department, she would be in heat she knew for just four days. Had been having two heats a year since the moment they were marked and mated, something Anthony thought was another blessing from Selena, that he got to enjoy not one, but two heats a year with her. He was climbing on the bed, leaning over her, smiling down at her. “We should have an heir this year, a son who is big and strong.” He told her and claimed her mouth with his. He’d completely forgotten he’d abandoned her last night for Christy. Her heat was, it appeared, all consuming for him right this minute, and once where it would have been for her, she wasn’t now, was lying there while he mated her furiously thinking about those words he’d just stated. A pup, a son and heir for the pack? It wasn’t something they had discussed in a very long time, not since making the decision to stabilize the pack and have it be prosperous before opting to have a pup of their own. She was rolled over in that bed and pulled up onto all fours as he took her once more, and she knew she realized, he did talk about that with Christy. They talked about it every time Christy went into heat. She recalled Christy’s words right as Anthony knotted himself to her with a groan. “I’ll give you a good strong heir, I’m healthy and can have pups. We’ll have one right away.” Christy had stated. Mischa understood hearing those words that Christy thought she and Anthony didn’t have an heir after 20 years of being mated to each other because she thought Mischa couldn’t conceive. She clearly had no idea that Mischa was on wolfen birth control, and it was a joint decision between herself and Anthony. Right this minute, even Anthony had seemed to have forgotten that himself, had mated her furiously and was now knotted to her, she heard the smile in his voice as he held her body to his. “Sweetheart, what do you want to name our son when he’s born?” She closed her eyes and refrained from sighing, refrained from stating 'what do you care', held that in as well. She felt his mouth touch her ear, and he hummed at her when she didn’t answer him. “On wolfen birth control, remember.” She stated finally, seeing as he’d clearly forgotten.

After the crash left me badly injured, my husband and best friend never left my side. I was grateful—until a message came through my new tarot shop. "I did something terrible. What kind of gift makes amends?" I asked what she'd done. Her reply: "I stole my best friend's husbands. Both of them." "The first was a doctor—cold, exactly my type. I s1ept with him. She divorced him for cheating but never knew it was me." "Her current husband? Billionaire CEO. Hotter. Richer. I fell again." "Last month, we drvgged her with sleeping pills, left her passed out in the backseat, and screwed in the front seat while driving. Then we crashed." "We got out. She lost her right leg. Can't have kids anymore." "I feel horrible. How do I make amends?" Every word matched MY story. I went cold. Stared until my vision blurred. Finally typed back: "You want to make amends? TURN. YOURSELF. F*CKING. IN." After the accident, my husband and best friend practically lived in my hospital room. Said they were worried I'd hurt myself. I was so touched. Really gave it my all in rehab. Until my tarot shop pinged. "I did something terrible and want to make amends. What kind of gift should I send?" I typed back. "Depends what you did." The response came instantly. "I stole my best friend's husbands. Both of them." "I swear I didn't plan it. Her first husband was this doctor—cold, controlled, totally my type. She was traveling for work, so I... we hooked up." "She found out he cheated. Divorced him. Never suspected me. I swore—never again." "Then she married this CEO. Even hotter. Loaded. I fell for him too. Meant to keep it casual. Got addicted." "Last month we wanted a thrill. Drvgged her with sleeping pills, left her passed out in the backseat, and screwed in the front while driving. Then the crash happened." "We escaped. She didn't." "Lost her right leg. Messed up her insides—can't ever have kids now." "I feel awful. Can't tell her. Just trying to do something." I couldn't feel my hands. Just then, the shipping notification loaded. Recipient: Zelda Moss. My best friend. Everything went cold. I stared at her name until the letters stopped making sense. Where my leg used to be started screaming, but that was nothing. Nothing compared to what just ripped open inside me. How? This whole month, Zelda stayed by my bed. Fed me. Helped me drink. My husband Troy canceled everything. Wiped me down every day. Took care of everything. They were all I had left. How could they? I felt like I was being torn apart. Couldn't breathe. Grabbed my phone. Called my ex-husband Aaron. He picked up fast. "Jess?" I went straight. "Was it Zelda? The one you cheated with?" Dead silence. Then Aaron's voice came through quiet. "Jess, I was stupid. So stupid. I wanted to tell you, but Zelda said if you knew it was your best friend, you'd completely fall apart. That's why—" My heart just... broke. I hung up. Tears just came. Suddenly I was back there. Four years ago. I'd been drowning in work. Ignored Aaron. When I finally surfaced, I found women's underwear in his coat. Not mine. I remember crying. Grabbing my ch//est. Asking him over and over. "Who?" He just pulled at his hair. Looked destroyed. Never said her name. So I divorced him. My childhood best friend Troy flew back from overseas the second he heard. Old family money. Been in love with me since we were kids. Showed up at my door with red eyes. "Don't shut me out. Let me be here. I'll take care of you." And Zelda. When I got really sick, it was Zelda who stayed with me the whole time. Recovery was brutal. I was weak for months. Zelda acted heartbroken for me. Did everything to make me smile. And Troy never complained once. He cooked, cleaned, even blew on my tea to cool it down. Back then I thought they were all I had. Turns out I was just an fvcking idi0t. Betrayed twice. By the people I trusted most. Everything in front of me just... collapsed. I remembered two years ago when I finally said yes to Troy. He lit up like a kid. Pulled me close. "Jess, I got you. Forever." Zelda had tears in her eyes. "Me too. I'm your best friend. No one's gonna hurt you. Not ever." Guess forever was just two years to them. Huh. I laughed. Hollow sound. Opened my drawer. Grabbed the bottle of painkillers for my phantom leg. Dumped them in my mouth. Handful after handful. Until nothing was left. But the pain just kept coming. I tasted blood. Footsteps pounded outside. Someone screamed. "JESS!" Next second, everything went black. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed. Troy sat next to me, looking exhausted. But when he saw I was awake, he didn't ask if I was okay. He just frowned, annoyed. "Jess, can you stop being so dramatic? You know what happened when Zelda saw you like that? She passed out. She's still getting fluids next door." "Your life matters, but hers doesn't? It's been a MONTH. How long are you gonna keep pulling this sh!t?" I opened my mouth to speak. The door flew open. Zelda stormed in, glaring at Troy. "Who do you think you're talking to? You got a death wish?" Troy's whole face changed. Softened. His voice went gentle, careful. "Are you feeling better? You should rest more. I can handle things here." Zelda snapped back. "You? Handle what exactly?" She walked over to me. When she saw how pale I was, her eyes filled with tears. "You idi0t. Why would you do that? I told you—you still have me. I'm your best friend. Talk to me." I smiled. Cold. Zelda didn't notice. She kept going. "Jess, you've been through so much. Maybe you've got bad energy or something. I bought you this karma bracelet to help clear—" "Get out." She froze. Just hearing "karma bracelet" made my blood boil. Everything she did. Every disgusting thing flashed through my mind. I shoved her. Hard. Grabbed whatever was near me and threw it at them. "GET OUT. I don't want to see you. EVER AGAIN." Zelda stumbled back. Something hit her face. She clutched it, shaking all over. Troy finally snapped. He shoved me. I lost my balance. My lower back slammed into the edge of the table. Pain shot through me, blacking out my vision. Before I could even recover, Troy had already pulled Zelda behind him. His voice turned to ice. "Jess, ENOUGH. Zelda doesn't owe you a d@mn thing. She's not your dog. You don't get to hit her or scream at her whenever you feel like it. What gives you the right?" Maybe he was panicking. Maybe he just stopped caring. Those words slipped out so easily. It gutted me. I'd seen this exact scene before. When we first started dating, I used to bring Zelda lunch every single day. I was worried she wasn't eating enough. One time I bvrned my hand pretty badly. Troy got pissed. "Zelda, Zelda... You're not her servant. Why do you revolve around her?" When I gave him a look, he backtracked fast. Wrapped his arms around me, acting all sweet. "Babe, I just don't want you getting hurt. I'd feel terrible. Plus, you're always worried about her. Makes me jealous." Now the person he worried wasn't me anymore. It was her. I must've looked like I was about to collapse, because Zelda tried to rush over. "Jess, don't listen to him. I'm fine. You're just upset. I get it." But Troy held her back. Wouldn't let her anywhere near me. He paused. Then spoke again, quieter. Almost begging. "Jess. Please. Zelda had a fever yesterday. You scared her so bad she fainted today. Just... let her rest. Okay?" Then he grabbed Zelda's hand. Turned around. Walked out. I doubled over. Started dry heaving. The pain in my ch//est mixed with the pain in my body until I couldn't tell them apart anymore. After they left, I pulled out my phone. Opened the home security app. Troy had installed cameras back when he used to travel for work and I got scared staying home alone. The feed loaded. There they were. The second they got inside, Troy pulled Zelda into his arms. His hands slid down her body. Zelda twisted away, playing coy. Troy's eyes were bloodshot. "Stop. I've been holding back for a whole d@mn month. I miss you." Zelda buried her face in his shoulder. "But Jess is still in the hospital. We can't—" He didn't answer. Just pressed her hard against the wall and started moving. It didn't take long before Zelda stopped resisting. She grabbed his tie and kissed him. The sounds coming through my phone made me sick. Tears just ran down my face. Everything blurred. But the memories wouldn't stop flooding back. Every sweet moment we'd had. Every promise he'd made. I remembered how hard Troy fought to marry me. Once, someone spiked his drink at a business event. Heavy stuff. When the drvg kicked in, he didn't touch anyone. He grabbed a knife and cut himself over and over. Used the pain to stay conscious. Spent the whole night in a freezing bath rather than go near anyone who came onto him. Afterward, he held me and swore, "Jess, I'll never touch anyone but you. This life. Only you." I believed him. And Zelda? She was supposed to be my salvation. Freshman year during a rafting trip, I fell into the water. She jumped in without thinking twice and pulled me out. Junior year, my parents died in a plane crash. Overnight, I went from trust fund kid to orphan. It was Zelda who took me in. Stayed up with me every single night. I gave her everything I had. Treated her like a sister. I don't understand what I did wrong. Why she had to steal both my husbands. I don't understand why Troy—who swore he'd love me forever—changed just like Aaron did. The next day, Troy came to pick me up from the hospital. I didn't say anything. Didn't accuse him of anything. He grabbed my hand first and started apologizing. "Jess, I didn't mean to snap at you yesterday. I just didn't want you to push Zelda away like that. She might get hurt and leave you. You don't want to lose your best friend, right?" I pulled my hand back. Cold. My eyes landed on the center console. There was a cake sitting there—my favorite flavor. For a second, my heart lifted. I reached for it. Troy pressed down on my wrist. His tone was firm. "Don't. That's for Zelda." He paused. Then added, softer, "If you want some, I'll get you one tomorrow." I pulled my hand back slowly. Right. Even a piece of cake wasn't mine anymore. When we got home, I said I needed the bathroom. Pushed the door open. Saw a pregnancy test on the counter. My ch//est caved in. I can't have kids anymore. Which means it's Zelda's. Is it Troy's baby? I opened the camera app on my phone. Pulled up the video feed. Zelda's voice came through, shaking. "Troy, how can I be pregnant? Jess just lost the ability to have kids. How can I do this to her? I'm such a terrible friend." Troy wrapped his arms tight around her. "This isn't your fault. It's ours. It's fate. Jess can't have children. This is my only shot at being a father." Silence. Then Zelda grabbed his hand. "Will you marry me? I can't keep being nobody to you. I know it's wrong. I know it'll hurt Jess. But we can make it up to her some other way." Long pause. Troy's voice came out quiet. "I don't know, Zelda..." My ch//est went completely numb. All the pain peaked. Then went silent. At dinner that night, I looked straight at them. "I saw the pregnancy test in the bathroom." Both of them froze solid. Zelda went ghost-white. Started stammering. "It's—it's a friend's. She accidentally left it here—" I laughed. Sharp. Bitter. "What friend? I don't know any of your friends. Who is she? Someone you're hiding from me?" I paused. My eyes slid over to Troy, whose face had gone dark. My voice turned ice-cold. "A pregnancy test left at someone else's house? What is she, some kind of mistress? Honestly, Zelda, if your friend's mixed up in that kind of mess, you should drop her. Before she drags you down and embarrasses you." Zelda's face went completely white. Her whole body started shaking. Troy slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "JESS, SHUT UP." He grabbed the plate in front of him and smashed it on the floor. Shards flew up. One sliced across my cheek. "She's your best friend. Even if you won't help her, how can you talk to her like that?!" Zelda grabbed his sleeve. Tears streaming down her face. "Troy, stop. Don't be mad. I'm fine. Don't blame Jess..." One of them furious and protective. The other fragile and pitiful. Like a pair of star-crossed lovers being torn apart by a villain. And I was the villain.

🔞💔💔“He chose her. I chose freedom.” Chapter 1 On our fifth wedding anniversary, the first thing I got wasn’t a gift. It was a video. My husband, Hudson Hayes, was in some expensive hotel room, laughing and sleeping with another woman like I didn’t even exist. And it wasn’t just any woman. It was Amber Fenwick, his first love. I watched the whole thing without blinking while waiting for him at the restaurant. I just sat there, ate my food, and smiled. When I got home, I didn’t cry either. I picked up my phone and called my lawyer. “Attorney, I sent you the divorce papers. The one Hudson and I signed on our wedding day five years ago. Did you see anything wrong with it?” I stood by the window when I said it, staring at my own reflection instead of the city outside. My fingers kept rubbing the edge of my phone like I was trying to peel something off it. Maybe I was just trying to feel something. “Ms. Hereford, I’ve reviewed everything,” the lawyer said, calm and distant. “There’s no issue. You’ve got one month left before the five year term ends. Once it’s up, the agreement takes effect automatically. You can go down to the county clerk’s office and file for the divorce.” One month. Just one more month. “…Okay. Thank you.” I hung up and didn’t move for a while. Then my eyes drifted up. The wedding photo was still hanging there, right where it had always been. Like nothing had changed. Like everything hadn’t already rotted from the inside. I walked closer without thinking. In the picture, I was smiling so brightly. God, I looked stupid. My dress was pure white, my eyes curved like I believed in forever. And Hudson… He stood beside me in that perfect suit, tall and untouchable. Handsome like something carved out of stone. But his face was cold. No smile. Not even a fake one. Anyone could see it. He never loved me. “…It’s almost over,” I whispered, my fingers brushing against his face in the photo. Cold glass. That was all he’d ever been to me. “You must be happy, huh?” Or was that just me trying to convince myself? The sound of the door unlocking snapped me out of it. I pulled my hand back like I’d been caught doing something wrong and turned around quickly. “You’re back.” My voice came out softer than I wanted. He walked in like he owned the world. Like the air itself moved out of his way. Hudson always had that presence. Heavy. Dangerous. The kind of man people lowered their eyes around. A mafia boss. A king in the dark. I took his suit jacket as he shrugged it off and hung it up carefully. Then I knelt in front of him and helped him change into his slippers. My hands moved on their own. I didn’t even have to think. I’d done this too many times. Hudson loosened his tie, irritation already written all over his face. “Next month’s the Hayes Global anniversary banquet,” he said. “You’re coming with me.” My hands paused for a second. Then I finished adjusting his slippers and stood up slowly. “I can’t go.” His head snapped toward me. “What the hell do you mean you can’t go?” I opened my mouth but nothing came out at first. Should I tell him? That his woman send their videos to me? Would it even matter? Before I could say anything, his expression darkened like he already had his own answer. “…Don’t tell me this is about Amber again.” His voice dropped, colder now, sharper. “I told you from day one I had someone else. You said you wouldn’t interfere. Or were you just talking shit back then?” The words hit like they always did. Clean. Precise. Like a blade he knew exactly how to use. My chest tightened and it hurt so bad I almost laughed. Yeah. What kind of husband said that on his wedding day? What kind of wife agreed? “I’m not…” I stopped, swallowing hard. “It’s not that.” But wasn’t it? Or was I just too tired to fight anymore? He scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “Then what’s your problem? It’s just a damn banquet. You’ve done it before. Stand there, smile, play the part. That’s all I’m asking.” Just stand there. Just smile. Just pretend like I wasn’t slowly breaking apart inside. I looked at him and for a second, I wanted to ask. Did you ever feel even a little guilty? Did you ever look at me and think I was your wife? But the words died before they could leave my mouth. Because I already knew the answer. Five years ago, when our families announced the marriage, I thought I’d been given everything. I’d liked him for so long. Longer than I wanted to admit. So when I heard I was going to marry Hudson Hayes, I thought… maybe this was fate. Maybe he’d learn to love me. I was so stupid. That night, in that same house, still in my wedding dress, he handed me a contract instead of touching me. “I’ve got someone I like,” he said, like he was talking about the weather. Cold. Detached. “She’s not from the right background, and my family won’t accept her. But give me five years.” I remember just staring at him, my hands shaking as I held the paper. Five years? “For these five years, you stay as my wife in name,” he continued. “I’ll take control of the Hayes family, and when I do, no one will dare say shit about who I choose. After that…” He looked at me like I was nothing more than a business deal. “We divorce. Clean. Simple.” That night, I signed the papers like he wanted. My hands didn’t even feel like mine when I wrote my name. It was just… done. Like I’d already lost before anything even started. Then I locked myself in the bathroom and cried until morning. No sound, just shaking and choking on it, biting my sleeve so no one would hear. Like that would change anything. Less than three months into the marriage, Amber disappeared. Just… gone. I heard they had a huge fight before that, but no one told me details. I didn’t need them. I saw what it did to him. Hudson went crazy. He used every connection he had, every man under him, every dirty favor. A mafia boss like him, someone who could find anyone in this world… and still, he couldn’t find her. I watched him break. He stopped coming home most nights. And when he did, he smelled like alcohol and smoke and something darker. His eyes were always heavy, like he hadn’t slept in days. I wanted to ask if he was okay. I never did. What right did I have? Then one night, he came back drunk. Really drunk. The kind where he could barely stand straight but still walked like he owned everything. Before I could even say anything, he grabbed me. “Hudson…” I tried, my voice shaking. He didn’t answer. He pushed me onto the bed like I weighed nothing. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would tear out of my chest. Was this… happening? Did he finally…? But then his lips crashed onto mine and I froze. It tasted like alcohol. Bitter. Suffocating. “…Amber…” his voice broke, rough and desperate against my skin. “Why the hell did you leave me, huh? Why’d you run off with that guy? You think I wouldn’t come for you? You don’t trust me that much?” Everything inside me just stopped. My body went stiff under him. So he found her. But she left him anyway. And I was just, here. A substitute. A shadow. Something he could hold when the real one was gone. Chapter 2 That night was my first time. I didn’t even know if I should cry or laugh. He held me the whole night, his grip tight like he was afraid someone would take me away too. But every word that came out of his mouth… was her name. Over and over again. Not mine. Never mine. I stared at the ceiling until my eyes burned, wondering… was this what being a wife meant? Or was I just something he used to survive her absence? The next morning, he woke up first. There were bloodstains on the sheets. He noticed. I saw it in the way his eyes paused for a second. Just a second. Then he looked away. Didn’t say anything. Not even one word. Not even… sorry. I smiled like nothing happened. I got his clothes ready, laid them out neatly like I always did. “You’ve got an important meeting today,” I told him softly. “Don’t be late.” Like I wasn’t the one who bled all night. Like my heart wasn’t already torn open. ... From that day on, I tried harder. Pathetic, right? I knew he didn’t love me. I knew I was just filling space. But I still tried. He had a bad stomach, so I woke up early every morning and made him chicken soup. The kind that wouldn’t hurt him. He was always under pressure, dealing with things I didn’t even want to imagine, so I learned how to massage his shoulders and his back, careful and quiet. I liked silence anyway. Or maybe I just got used to it. I stopped making noise, stopped asking for anything. Even my footsteps became softer. If I stayed small enough… maybe I wouldn’t bother him. And somehow, he started changing. A little. When he came back from business trips, he’d sometimes bring me small things. Nothing big. Just… something. When I got sick, he’d make me medicine himself and hand it to me without looking at me. “Drink it,” he’d say. “Don’t be stubborn.” And at night, sometimes he held me. His arm around my waist, his body warm against mine. Those moments felt so real it scared me. Like maybe… maybe he was starting to see me. Maybe I wasn’t just nothing to him anymore. He never mentioned the divorce again. Not once. Like that paper we signed never existed. And I… I actually believed it. I thought maybe if I just held on a little longer, he’d fall in love with me. Stupid, right? Three months ago, Amber came back. She broke up with her boyfriend and returned from the US like nothing happened. And Hudson? He went back to her without hesitation. No explanation. No guilt. Nothing. He took her out to eat, went shopping with her, stayed by her side like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. He even canceled meetings, important ones, the kind he used to say could never be moved. All because she said she was in a bad mood. I stood by the window one night and watched his car drive away again. Same direction. Same place. Her place. I didn’t cry this time. I just watched. And finally understood. Love was love. Real love didn’t change. No matter how much I gave, how much I tried, how much I broke myself into something smaller and quieter and easier to keep… it would never compare to one look from her. Not even close. Five years. It was almost over. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” His voice snapped me out of it. I blinked and looked at him, my throat tightening like something was stuck there. He didn’t remember? For five years, I’d been counting down every single day, scared that when the time came, he’d just walk away without even looking back. But now he stood there like none of it existed. Like that agreement meant nothing. Did it ever mean anything to him? I parted my lips, about to remind him, to say it out loud before I lost the courage again but his phone rang. He picked it up right away. I couldn’t hear clearly, but I knew that voice. Amber. She was crying, choking on her words, panicking about something. Hudson’s expression changed instantly. His whole body tensed, like nothing else in the world mattered anymore. “Hey, hey… don’t panic,” his voice dropped, low and urgent. “I’m coming right now. Stay there. Don’t move, you hear me?” He didn’t even wait for a reply. The call ended and he grabbed his keys, already moving. “Hudson, I—” I didn’t even finish. He rushed past me and his shoulder slammed into mine so hard I lost my balance. My back hit the door frame and a sharp pain shot through me. I let out a small sound, something between a gasp and a groan. But he didn’t stop. Didn’t look back. Didn’t even notice. The door closed and he was gone. Just like that. I stayed there for a few seconds, leaning against the wall, trying to breathe through the pain. Then I slowly pushed myself up and walked back to the bedroom. I took off my coat and saw the bruise already forming on my shoulder. Dark. Ugly. I opened the first aid kit and cleaned it quietly, pressing the cotton against my skin. It stung, but it was nothing compared to what was inside my chest. That felt like something dull was slicing through it… slowly, over and over again. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared out the window. The sky was getting darker, the city lights coming on one by one. I don’t even know how long I stayed like that. Until my phone rang. Hudson. I hesitated for a second then picked up. “Come to the Favilla hospital,” he said, straight to the point. My heart skipped. “What happened?” “We’ll talk when you get here.” The line went dead. ... When I arrived, I saw him right away. He was standing outside the operating room. And Amber… she was pressed against him, crying like her whole world was falling apart. My steps slowed. Something tightened in my chest again, like a hand squeezing too hard. I still walked over. “What happened?” I asked softly. Hudson looked at me, his expression serious. “Amber’s mother collapsed earlier. It’s a severe blood disorder. Her body’s failing fast. She needs a bone marrow transplant immediately.” I froze. “And…?” “We checked everywhere,” he continued, calm like he was talking about business. “No match. So I had them run a test on you secretly.” Something inside me dropped. “And?” My voice barely came out. “You’re a match.” Chapter 3 For a second, I just stared at him. “Y-you want me to donate?” I asked, my fingers curling slightly. “Hudson… I can’t. I’m scared of needles, I don’t even… this is surgery, it’s risky, I—” “I didn’t call you here to complain,” he cut me off, his tone turning cold. “Don’t start that shit with me.” “I’m not complaining, I just… I’m scared, okay?” My voice shook and I hated it. “Can’t you find someone else? Please, I really can’t do this—” Before I could step back, two of his men moved. They grabbed my arms. Hard. I flinched, panic rising in my chest. “Let go! What are you doing?” Hudson stepped closer, his shadow falling over me. His eyes were dark, unreadable, like there was no room for refusal. “I’m your husband,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “And you’ll do exactly what I say.” My heart dropped. “Your life is mine,” he continued, his grip tightening on my chin, forcing me to look at him. “So you’re donating. Don’t make me repeat myself.” For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Was I even a person to him? Or just something he owned? My eyes burned but I forced it back, swallowing everything down like I always did. “…Okay,” I whispered. The men let go of me. “I’ll sign.” The nurse handed me the form. My hands were shaking, but I still took the pen. Stroke by stroke, I wrote my name. Each line felt heavy. Like I was carving something into my own heart. And I smiled a little, just enough so no one would notice the tears I was trying so hard to hide. Just before they pushed me in, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Hudson!” My voice came out weaker than I wanted. He stopped and turned his head slightly, eyes cold, like I’d just interrupted something unimportant. For a second, I forgot everything I wanted to say. My lips trembled. Then I forced out the only thing I could. “…Nothing.” His eyes flickered, just a little. I thought maybe, just maybe… But he didn’t say anything. He turned and walked outside. The doors closed right in front of me. And that was it. The moment they shut, my vision blurred and the tears I’d been holding back just fell. Quiet. Helpless. So this was how deep his love went. Deep enough to throw me onto an operating table without hesitation. Deep enough that even if it was my life, he wouldn’t care. — When I woke up, everything felt heavy. My body, my head, even my breathing. It was like I was floating somewhere between awake and not. The lights were too bright. My throat felt dry. “…You’re awake?” a nurse’s voice came gently beside me. I blinked slowly, turning my head. “Mm… yeah…” “How are you feeling? Dizzy? Pain anywhere?” “A little,” I whispered. “I-is the surgery done?” She smiled. “Yes. It went well. The patient is stable now and recovering.” Good. That meant she was okay. I swallowed, my chest feeling strangely empty. “Hudson, where is he?” The nurse paused for a second, then said casually, “Mr. Hayes? He’s with his wife and her mother right now.” My heart stopped. His wife? Oh. Right. I stared at the ceiling, not saying anything. The nurse didn’t notice. She just kept talking, even giggling a little. “Honestly, I was watching them earlier and I got so jealous,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “They look like such a perfect couple!” I didn’t move. “Mr. Hayes was so attentive,” she continued, almost dreamy. “He kept holding his wife’s hand and talking to her softly. You wouldn’t even guess he’s someone so powerful.” Each word felt like something pressing deeper into me. “And the way he looked at her,” she added, smiling. “Gosh, it was so sweet. I mean, you can really tell he loves her a lot.” I closed my eyes slowly. “Even when the doctor came out, he didn’t leave her side,” she said again, laughing quietly. “He kept comforting her, like she was the one who just went through surgery. If I had a husband like that, I’d never let him go.” I let out a small breath. So that was how it looked from the outside. A loving husband. A devoted man. And me? What was I? I forced a small smile, even though no one was looking. “…That’s good,” I murmured. “As long as she’s okay.” … I lay there staring at the ceiling, my hand hooked to the IV, the slow drip the only thing keeping time. My body still felt heavy and numb, like it didn’t belong to me anymore. The nurse had just left when the door opened again. I thought it's Hudson but it wasn't. Amber walked in. She looked soft, fragile, eyes still a little red like she’d been crying for hours. In her hands was a basket of fruit, neatly wrapped like this was some kind of polite visit. “Ms. Hereford…” she said gently, stepping closer. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to trouble you like this again.” I looked at her but didn’t say anything. She placed the basket down and gave me a small smile. “Thank you. Really… if it wasn’t for you, my mom wouldn’t have made it. You saved her.” Her voice softened, almost sweet but it's fake. “Thank you for being such a devoted slave to my husband— I mean… devoted wife to Hudson.” My fingers twitched slightly on the blanket. Slave? “Do you want some apples?” she asked, already reaching for one. “I’ll peel it for you.” “I’m fine,” I said quietly. She didn’t stop. The knife slid against the apple skin in slow, careful strokes. The sound was soft, almost soothing. Almost. “I really didn’t expect…” she continued, her voice turning distant, like she was drifting somewhere else. “After all these years, he’s still like that with me.” My chest tightened. “What do you mean?” I asked, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. She let out a small laugh, shaking her head. “He just never changed.” The peel fell in one long strip as she spoke. “Last year, I mentioned once that I liked this limited edition watch,” she said casually. “I didn’t even remember saying it. But a week later, he flew overseas just to get it for me. It wasn’t even available locally.” My fingers slowly curled. “He showed up at my place in the middle of the night,” she added, smiling faintly. “But I was still mad at him back then, so I didn’t even let him in. I told him to leave and threw the box back at him.” Her tone was light. Like it was nothing. Like his effort was something she could just throw away. My mind went blank for a second. Because I remembered. That same time. He told me he had a business trip abroad. Three days. When he came back, he handed me a watch. Just like that. No explanation. No emotion. “Take it,” he said. “Saw it. Thought it suited you.” I’d been so happy. I didn’t even wear it. I kept it safe, tucked away like something precious I didn’t deserve to ruin. And now? It was just something she didn’t want. I didn’t realize my nails were digging into my palm until it started to hurt. Chapter 4 Amber didn’t notice. Or maybe she did and just didn’t care. “And there was this one time,” she continued, peeling another strip, her voice softening again. “I got into a fight with my ex. It was really bad. I blocked everyone, and disappeared for a few days.” She glanced at me, like she was about to share something intimate. “Hudson went crazy trying to find me. When he did, he dragged me out of that place himself. He was so angry, I thought he was going to kill someone.” She laughed lightly. “He kept cursing, saying, ‘You think you can just disappear on me like that? I’ll tear this whole city apart if I have to.’” My heart twisted. I remembered that night too. New Year's Eve. He came home late. Different. Rough. Like something inside him had snapped. He didn’t say much. Just claimed me in, over and over again, like he couldn’t stop. I thought… I thought maybe he finally wanted me. That maybe, he was starting to feel something. I was so stupid. The next morning, when I woke up, the bed beside me was already cold. I told myself he had urgent business. That was normal, right? But now? Now I know. He wasn’t busy. He was running to her. Always her. Amber finished peeling the apple and finally handed it to me. “Here.” I didn’t take it. She didn’t mind. She just set it down beside me and looked at me with that same soft, harmless expression. “You’re really kind, Ms. Hereford,” she said gently. “Staying by his side all these years, taking care of him like that.” Her eyes lingered on me, something unreadable passing through them. “But some things…” she added quietly, “no matter how hard you try, they just don’t belong to you.” I lowered my gaze to my hand, the IV needle still buried in my skin. Yeah. I think I finally understood that. … After I got discharged, I went home and packed everything quietly. Clothes. Jewelry. Things I barely touched. Things I once thought mattered. I didn’t take much. What was the point? I was just waiting. Waiting for the divorce to finalize. Waiting for it all to end. During those days, Amber kept sending me messages. Not even hiding it. Videos. Photos. One after another. At first I didn’t open them. Then I did. I don’t even know why. Maybe I wanted to hurt myself properly. Maybe I just needed to see it with my own eyes. Hudson stayed by her side the whole time. Not for a moment did he leave. In one video, he was sitting beside her hospital bed, carefully feeding her fruit, peeling everything clean like it was something precious. In another, he was adjusting her blanket, his movements slow, patient… gentle. Gentle. I stared at the screen for a long time. Was this the same man? The same man who never even looked at me twice? Then another message came. A video. “Look, Miss Hereford,” Amber said, her face filling the screen as she turned the camera. Hudson was there, talking to a doctor, his expression serious, controlled. That same cold aura. That same power. “He sent my mom abroad for treatment,” she continued casually. “Paid for everything. Even bought her a house there. There’s a maid, a private doctor… everything’s arranged.” She laughed a little. “He’s really something, right?” My fingers tightened around my phone. “Miss Hereford, I’m sorry for taking your husband for now, okay?” she added, voice soft, almost teasing. “He just missed me too much. He loves me so much, I can’t even push him away.” Her smile didn’t change. “You can’t really compete with that, can you?” The screen went dark. I didn’t realize I was crying until the tears hit my hand. Drop by drop. I wiped them away quickly, taking a shaky breath. Over the years, I did all those things too. He had a bad stomach, so I woke up early every day to cook for him. I waited for him with the lights on, no matter how late it got. I peeled his fruit, cut everything into small pieces so he wouldn’t even have to think. I gave him everything. And now… he was doing all of that for someone else. I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath. “It’s fine,” I whispered to myself. “It’ll be over soon.” Right? Once I stop loving him, I’ll be okay. I’ll take care of myself. I have to. ... A week later, he suddenly came home. I was surprised when I saw him. Shouldn’t he be with her? “Get changed,” he said, already loosening his tie. “We’re having dinner at home tonight.” “…Okay.” I didn’t ask anything. I just went upstairs and changed. At the dinner, everything felt normal. Too normal. People were laughing, talking, raising their glasses like this was just another gathering. Then the topic shifted. “You’ve been married five years now. It’s about time you had a child.” “Yeah, Hudson’s the head of the family now. There needs to be an heir.” “Mika, you should hurry up.” I kept my head down, fingers brushing against the rim of my glass. A child? With him? Did I even have that right? “No rush,” Hudson said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through everything. The whole room went silent. Everyone exchanged looks but no one dared say anything else. Not to him. Not anymore. The atmosphere turned stiff after that and the dinner ended quickly. “Mika,” Mrs. Hayes said sharply as we stood. “Come with me to the study.” I knew what that meant. Anyone could see it. A warning. About children. About my place. “If you’ve got something to say, say it in front of me,” Hudson said, frowning. Before she could respond, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and his expression changed immediately. “…Amber?” he answered, already stepping aside. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” His voice… it wasn’t the same voice he used with me. Not even close. Mrs. Hayes let out a cold snort. “Come with me.” I pressed my lips together and followed her without a word. As soon as the study door closed, her face changed. All that fake calm from dinner disappeared. “Kneel.” I didn’t argue. I just went down slowly, my knees hitting the cold marble. It stung, but I was already used to that kind of pain. “Do you know where you went wrong?” she asked, looking down at me like I was something dirty. I lowered my eyes and stayed quiet. A loud bang hit the table. “You stupid girl!” she snapped, her voice sharp and cold. “Hudson said he’s not in a hurry to have a child and you just sat there? You didn’t even try to change his mind?” My fingers curled slightly. Was I supposed to beg him? Force him? Didn’t he already make it clear… I meant nothing? She opened a drawer and took out a small bottle, then slammed it in front of me. “Drink this. It’s a fertility tonic. Starting today, you take it every day and you sleep with him until you get pregnant. I don’t care what it takes.” I stared at the bottle. In the past, I would’ve taken it without a word. But now… “I won’t take it,” I said quietly. The room went still. “What did you just say?” her voice dropped, dangerous. “I won’t take it,” I repeated, lifting my head slightly. “He doesn’t want a child right now. I’m respecting that.” That was the truth. Every time we were together, he made sure there were precautions, and if something slipped, he’d make me take pills right after. I used to think that maybe he just wasn’t ready yet. Now I knew. He just didn’t want one with me. And if I was leaving, why would I tie myself to him forever? “You’ve got some nerve?!" she said slowly, eyes narrowing. “Say that again.” “I won’t take it.” Her expression twisted. “You’ve gone too far!” she shouted. “As his wife, you can’t even do your duty? You can’t even give him a child? And you let him waste himself on that woman. All that effort, all that time, all for her and her damn family. You didn’t stop him once.” My chest tightened. Stop him? When had I ever had that power? She turned her head slightly. “Bring it.” A servant stepped forward and handed her a thick leather strap. Dark. Heavy. The kind they used for punishment. My body tensed. “I’ll ask you one last time,” she said, gripping it tightly. “Are you going to take the medicine or not?” I shook my head. The sound came before the pain. CRACK! A sharp crack filled the room, then it hit. My back arched as the pain exploded across my skin, burning and tearing at the same time. I bit my lip hard to stop myself from crying out. Chapter 5 “Answer me. Are you taking it or not?” I shook my head again. Another strike. And another. Each one landed harder than the last. My body trembled, my hands pressing against the floor as I tried to stay upright. Through the glass window, I could see outside. Hudson was there. Standing in the garden. His back facing this room. One hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone. His posture relaxed, like nothing in the world could touch him. Then he laughed. Low, soft. “…Amber,” I heard faintly through the glass. Of course. Who else? “Since you don’t understand,” Mrs. Hayes said coldly behind me, raising the strap again, “then I’ll beat it into you.” The leather cut through the air and landed again. My vision started to blur. Pain spread everywhere, hot and overwhelming. I could feel something wet soaking through my clothes but I didn’t look. “I w-won't,” my voice came out weak, barely there. “I won’t take it…” Another strike. My body gave out and I collapsed forward, barely able to hold myself up. Through my fading vision, I saw him again. Still standing there. Still talking. Still not turning around. Not even once. A small, broken thought crossed my mind. Was I ever anything to him? Or was I just… someone he could lose without noticing? Everything started going dark. And just before I lost consciousness, I felt something strange. Relief. Maybe… this was good. Maybe after this, I wouldn’t feel anything for him anymore. … When I woke up, I was already in a hospital bed. Everything felt heavy, and my back burned the moment I tried to breathe a little deeper. “Mr. Hayes, the injuries are quite severe,” someone beside me said. “The leather strikes cut deep. Some areas reached the dermis. It’ll take time to heal.” “Then use the best damn medicine,” Hudson’s voice came, low and cold. “I don’t care what it costs. Get the best doctors and make sure she doesn’t get scared.” “Yes, of course.” Footsteps faded, and the room went quiet. I slowly opened my eyes. He was there. Standing beside the bed, looking down at me. When he realized I was awake, he moved closer, his brows slightly furrowed. “You awake? How are you feeling?” I tried to shift, but the pain hit instantly, sharp and burning. I sucked in a breath and forced a small voice out. “I’m fine, there are people here to take care of things. If you’ve got something to do, you should go.” I expected him to leave. He didn’t. Instead, he sat down beside the bed, his gaze staying on me like he was thinking about something he couldn’t say. “Why didn’t you call me?” he asked after a moment. “When she was doing that to you… why didn’t you call me?” My fingers tightened slightly under the blanket. I remembered him outside. Back turned. Laughing softly into his phone. “I saw you were busy,” I said quietly, a small bitter smile slipping out. Then I looked at him. “If I called you, would you really come right away?” “Of course I would,” he said without hesitation. I froze. That wasn’t what I expected. Not at all. “I’ve already handled it,” he continued, his tone calmer now. “No one’s going to bother you about having a child again. That shit’s over.” “…I understand.” I lowered my eyes. “Then you should go. You don’t have to stay.” He frowned slightly. “Why do you keep pushing me away?” I blinked, a little confused. “Aren’t you busy?” Busy with everything. Busy with her. “I’m not busy lately,” he said. Then he reached out and adjusted the blanket around me, his movements careful, almost gentle. “I’ll stay here for a few days. Take care of you.” I didn’t know what to say to that. It felt wrong. Like something that didn’t belong to me. But he really stayed. ... The next few days, he didn’t leave the hospital. He adjusted my bed when I couldn’t move, fed me when my hands felt too weak, even helped with my dressings like it didn’t bother him at all. A man like him… doing this? Sometimes I caught myself just staring at him. Was this real? Or was I dreaming again? One night, the pain got so bad I couldn’t sleep. It kept spreading across my back, making every breath feel heavy. He noticed. “Can’t sleep?” he asked quietly. I didn’t answer, just closed my eyes tighter. Then I felt it. His hand, slow and steady, lightly patting my back. Careful. Gentle. Like he was afraid to hurt me more. “It’s alright,” he murmured. “Just sleep.” Again and again, the same rhythm. That kind of warmth, it felt so familiar. Like those rare moments before everything broke. For a second, I almost wanted to believe it again. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I already decided. I was leaving. And this time, I wouldn’t look back. A week passed, and the marks on my back finally started to fade. Not gone, but lighter. When he was applying the medicine that day, his fingers brushed too close and I let out a small sound before I could stop it. He froze. I turned, confused, and saw his eyes on me, dark and heavy, his throat moving slowly like he was holding something back. “Did I hurt you?” he asked, but his voice sounded rough, not like before. “No… I just—” I tried to speak but he moved closer. Too close. His hand settled on my waist, firm, like he wasn’t even thinking anymore. “Hudson…” I whispered, my heart starting to race. He didn’t answer. His breathing got heavier, his gaze dropping to my lips. His face leaned closer, slow, like he was about to cross a line— “Smack!” We both turned. Amber stood at the door, her eyes red, the fruit basket already on the floor, everything scattered. Her lips trembled. “Did I come at the wrong time? I didn’t know you two were…” She bit her lip, like she couldn’t even finish. Hudson pulled away from me instantly. “Amber, stop thinking nonsense! It’s not what it looks like. I was just helping her with the medicine, that’s it.” Before I could react, he shoved me away. Hard. I lost balance and fell straight off the bed, the back of my head hitting the sharp edge of the table with a dull crack. Pain exploded and something warm started running down. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to ruin your moment.” Amber’s voice broke as she turned. “I’ll go, you don’t have to explain…” “Amber!” Hudson didn’t even hesitate. “Wait, listen to me. Don’t run off like this.” His voice turned urgent, almost angry. “Damn it, stop right there.” He ran after her. Didn’t look at me. Not once. The door slammed and everything went quiet again. I stayed on the floor, my vision slowly blurring. Blood slid down past my temple, warm and sticky. I stared at the ceiling and suddenly laughed, soft and broken. Why did I even hope? Tears slipped into my hair. Wasn’t I used to this already? By the time the nurse found me, everything was fading. Voices sounded far away. “Head injury! She’s bleeding a lot, call the doctor now!” Then darkness. Chapter 6 When I woke up again, my head hurt and everything felt heavy. Because of the injury, I had to stay longer. Hudson never came back. Not once. But I knew why. He was with her. Of course he was. I didn’t call him. Didn’t text. What was the point? On the day I was getting discharged, the housekeeper called. “Miss Mika, about Mr. Hayes’ birthday banquet this year, how would you like to arrange it?” I held the phone and stayed quiet for a while. Birthday. I used to handle it every year. His family never cared about things like that. Power, money, business… that’s all they saw. Not him. I remembered the first birthday I attended. Everything looked perfect, but there was food he couldn’t eat. Something that could trigger a reaction. I saw him later, alone, taking medicine quietly. “Why didn’t you just tell them?” I asked back then, my chest tight. “What for?” he said, not even looking at me. “They don’t give a shit about that. As long as the company’s running, that’s enough for them.” From then on, I took over. Every dish, every detail, everything he liked and avoided. I made sure he never had to deal with that again. “Miss Mika?” the housekeeper called again. I closed my eyes for a second. “I’ll handle it.” This was the last time. After the divorce… someone else would do it. Not me anymore. … I prepared everything the same way I always did. Careful. Quiet. Like it still mattered. But this time, I made the housekeeper follow me the whole day, step by step, making her remember everything. “The cake should be a vanilla berry one. He doesn’t like anything too heavy and sweet, it makes him sick after a few bites.” “And listen, decorations should be white lilies, not red. He hates anything too loud, says it looks cheap.” “Don’t put whiskey on the main table. He drinks it, yeah, but it gives him headaches if he hasn’t eaten properly.” I paused, then added softly, “You need to remember all of this. Next time, you’ll be the one handling it. Don’t mess it up.” The housekeeper looked confused. “Madam… won’t you still be the one arranging it next year?” I didn’t answer. Next time… I won’t even be here. How could I? On the day of the banquet, everything looked perfect. Lights everywhere, soft music, people laughing like this house actually had warmth in it. I stood at the entrance in a light blue dress, greeting guests one by one, smiling like I always did. Like I wasn’t already gone inside. Then he walked in. Hudson. And beside him was Amber. Her arm hooked around his, leaning into him like she belonged there. She wore something soft and pretty, pale pink, light like she was fragile. She looked up at him, smiling. And he looked back. God… he looked back. That was when I understood. He already fixed everything with her. Of course he did. His eyes never left her the whole night. When her glass got empty, he noticed right away. “Don’t give her that,” he said, voice low but firm. “Get her something lighter. She doesn’t drink much.” When her dress shifted a little, he frowned and called someone over. “Fix it properly. Don’t let it drag.” She laughed at something, eyes curved, soft… and he actually smiled. Not that cold, distant smile. A real one. I stood there watching for a second too long. Then I looked away. What was I even expecting? He never looked at me. Not once. I moved to the side, greeting people like I was just part of the staff. When it was time to open gifts, people brought out all kinds of expensive things. Jewelry, rare pieces, things worth more than most people’s lives. Then mine was brought out. A custom-made fountain pen. Simple, elegant, something I chose carefully because he once said he preferred things like that. Quiet. Useful. The butler placed it on a tray. “Mrs. Hayes really understands Mr. Hayes’ taste,” someone said with a smile. “This kind of piece isn’t flashy but it fits him perfectly.” “Yeah, it’s refined. Just like him.” Hudson glanced at it, then at me. For a second, I thought… “Thanks,” he said casually. That was it. Then Amber’s gift was brought out. A small box. Inside was a handmade leather bracelet. The stitching was uneven, rough in some places, like it wasn’t done by a professional. The room went quiet. Then someone laughed softly. “…Seriously? People still give things like this?” “Looks cheap. I don’t think Mr. Hayes would even touch that.” “Who even let her in here dressed like that, bringing something like this?” Amber’s face went pale. She stepped back slightly, like she wanted to disappear. Hudson’s expression darkened instantly. He picked up the bracelet and the room went silent. Without hesitation, he slipped it onto his wrist. “I like this,” he said, his voice low but sharp enough to cut through everyone. “At least this one means something. Someone actually put time into it.” No one spoke. Then his gaze shifted to the pen. He picked it up, looked at it for a second, then let out a quiet scoff. “This kind of thing…” he said coldly, “you can buy it anywhere. There’s nothing special about it.” My chest tightened. Before I could even react, he tossed it straight into the trash. The sound echoed louder than it should have. The whole hall went quiet for a second, then suddenly everyone started agreeing. “Mr. Hayes is right, handmade things actually mean something.” “Yeah, expensive stuff is nothing if there’s no heart behind it.” “This is way more special, you can tell she put effort into it.” I just stood there. It felt like all the blood in my body turned cold. I spent three months on that gift. Flying around, checking stores, comparing designs, choosing something I thought… he’d actually like. And now? Thrown away like it was nothing. Just to make her look good. But wasn’t this always how it went? He could drop everything for her, cancel meetings like they didn’t matter. But my birthday? He couldn’t even remember the date. She got sick and he stayed up all night taking care of her. I had a fever once, burning for hours… and he didn’t even call. She said one word and he’d fly across the world. I asked him to have dinner once… and he said he was busy. Every time… he chose her. Every single time. Just like tonight. I pressed a hand lightly to my chest. It used to hurt so much here. So much I thought I couldn’t breathe. But now… It was quiet. Empty. So this was what it felt like when you finally stopped loving someone? All that pain, all that waiting… it just disappeared like it never mattered. Then everyone gathered around Amber. The same people who mocked her earlier were now smiling, praising her, trying to get close. I stood in the corner and smiled a little. That’s how it works here. One look from him… and everyone follows. It didn’t matter. After the divorce, he’d probably bring her into the family properly anyway. This was just the beginning. The banquet ended slowly. Guests left one by one. I stood at the door, smiling, saying goodbye like I always did. Perfect. Polite. Like I was still Mrs. Hayes. Only when the last guest left did I finally breathe out a little. When I turned around, they were still there. Hudson and Amber. It was raining hard outside. Cold wind rushed in, damp and sharp. Amber shivered suddenly and sneezed. Hudson frowned right away. “You’re cold?” “I’m fine… just a little,” she said softly, but her voice sounded weak. “Fine my ass,” he muttered, already taking off his suit jacket and placing it over her shoulders. “You’re shaking. Don’t act tough.” She held it close, still trembling a little. “It’s still cold…” His eyes moved. Then they landed on me. On the scarf wrapped around my neck. A soft wool scarf. The last thing my grandmother made before she passed. “Give that to her,” he said. My fingers tightened instantly. “T-this was made by my grandma,” I said quietly, my voice barely steady. “It’s not something I can just—” “I know exactly what it is,” he cut me off, his tone turning colder. “She’s just borrowing it. Why are you making it such a big deal?” Chapter 7 My throat felt tight. I held the scarf for a second longer and slowly, I took it off. My hands felt cold the moment it left my skin. I stepped forward and handed it over. Amber took it, her expression soft, almost guilty. “Thank you… I’ll clean it and give it back to you.” “No,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “Don’t wash it yourself. It can’t be soaked. It needs special care. I’ll have someone pick it up tomorrow.” “Oh okay,” she nodded gently. The car pulled up outside. Hudson glanced at her again, noticing her pale face. Then he looked at me. “Amber’s not feeling well,” he said, already opening the car door for her. “I’m taking her home first. It’s not on the way for you, so just go back yourself.” I didn’t even get the chance to answer. He helped her into the car, careful, like she might break. The car door shut, the engine started, and the black sedan disappeared into the rain like I was never there. I stood at the entrance, my dress getting soaked, the cold wind cutting straight through me. The streets were empty, rain pouring so hard it blurred everything. I waited… and waited. Forty minutes before I could even get a cab. By the time I got home, I was shaking, completely drenched, my head spinning. My forehead burned but I still forced myself to take some medicine, then I just dropped onto the bed and passed out. Sometime in the night, my phone kept vibrating. Again and again. I heard it but I couldn’t move. My head hurt too much, my body too heavy. I just let it ring until it finally stopped. The next morning, the fever went down a little, but my throat felt like sandpaper. I sat up slowly, took a sip of water, then reached for my phone. There were more than a dozen messages. All from Amber. My fingers paused… then I opened it. The first photo hit me like a slap. My scarf. The soft wool scarf my grandma made was completely soaked, twisted, ruined. The texture looked wrong, clumped and stretched like it was destroyed. More messages popped up. “Oh my god I’m so sorry, I forgot wool can’t be soaked so I just left it in water when I got home.” “I feel really bad… how much was it? I’ll pay you back. The material’s nice though, maybe I can reuse it and turn it into something else.” “If you’re not replying I’ll just assume it’s fine, okay? I’ll send you 2 dollars. Since you said your grandma made it, it shouldn’t be that expensive right?” The last photo loaded. My hands started shaking. The scarf was cut. Not just ruined but cut into pieces. Strips. Like someone took their time destroying it. My chest tightened and something snapped inside me. I threw the covers off and got up, not caring that my body still felt weak. I grabbed my coat and walked out. When I got to her place, I didn’t even hesitate. I rang the doorbell hard, my fingers cold but steady. The door opened. Amber stood there, wearing something simple, her face soft and surprised. “Ms. Hereford? You came all the way here? Is something wrong?” “Where’s my scarf?” I asked, my voice flat. She blinked, then turned casually and picked something up from the couch. The pieces. “You mean this? I already paid you for it, didn’t I?” She glanced at her phone. “Oh, you didn’t accept the transfer? Was it too little? I can add more. I mean it was handmade by an elderly person, it shouldn’t be that expensive, right? I’ll send you another 2 dollars, okay? It's not really worth it by way.” Something burned in my chest. Before I even thought— My hand moved. “Smack!” The sound was loud in the quiet room. She stumbled back, holding her face, eyes wide. “You… you hit me?” “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” I said, my voice shaking but sharp. “You soaked it, you cut it, you sent those messages like you didn’t know. You think I’m stupid?” Her eyes filled with tears instantly. “What are you talking about? I really didn’t mean to, I was just careless…” “Careless?” I laughed, but it sounded wrong. “You came back on purpose. You called him at the exact time your mom needed surgery and forced him to make me donate. You stood outside that room and said all those things. You walked in at that exact moment. And now this?” I stepped closer. “How many things did you plan? How many times did you think I wouldn’t fight back?” “I didn’t…” she shook her head, tears falling faster. “I really don’t understand why you’re saying all this…” “I see through you,” I said quietly. “I just didn’t bother saying it before. But that doesn’t mean you get to keep stepping on me like this.” Her expression flickered for a second, just a second. Then— A voice cut through the room. Cold. Low. Dangerous. “Mikayla… what the hell are you doing?” My body went stiff. I turned around. Hudson stood at the door, his eyes dark and terrifying. But when he looked at her… His voice changed. “Amber,” he said, stepping forward quickly, his tone softening. “What happened? Why are you crying?” Amber sniffed, tears falling as she spoke, her voice shaking like she was about to break. She twisted the story just enough, soft and pitiful, and I watched his face grow colder with every word. Then he turned to me. “It’s just a scarf,” he said, his voice flat, sharp. “Why the hell did you have to hit her over something like that?” My chest tightened. “Just a scarf?” My voice shook before I could stop it. “Hudson! That’s the only thing my grandma left me. The only one.” He paused. Just for a second. Like he didn’t expect that. In five years… I never raised my voice at him. Not once. But now my hands were shaking, my eyes burning, and I didn't even recognize myself. “Amber didn’t do it on purpose,” he said, his tone softening when he looked back at her. “She already paid you, didn’t she? What more do you want? If the money’s not enough, I’ll handle it.” Handle it. Like everything could be fixed with money. He pulled out his checkbook, wrote something fast, then held it out to me. “Take it. That should cover it.” I stared at the check. My chest felt tight, like something was squeezing it slowly, making it hard to breathe. I didn’t move. He frowned, annoyed, then tore another check and wrote a bigger number, his jaw tightening. “Not enough? Fine. Then take this. Stop making a scene over something so small.” One after another. More numbers. More money. Like he was buying silence. Buying me. My fingers finally moved. I took the last check, my hand trembling. “That’s enough,” I said quietly. More than enough. Hudson… this is enough to end everything between us. I turned to leave. But I barely took two steps. “Stop.” His voice cut through me like a blade. Chapter 8 I froze. “You took the money,” he said slowly, dangerously calm. “That slap isn’t settled yet. Apologize to her.” My body stiffened. I turned back, my eyes burning. “What did you say?” “I said, apologize,” he repeated, his gaze cold. “Don’t make me say it twice.” “What if I don’t?” My voice shook, but I still asked. His expression didn’t change. “Then maybe the cooperation between your family and mine… needs to be reconsidered. You understand what I mean, right?” My heart dropped. So this was it? He was using my family now. Everything they worked for… he could crush it with one word. The room went silent. For a few seconds, I couldn’t hear anything. Then slowly, I lowered my head. “…I’m sorry,” I said, my voice hoarse. Amber covered her cheek, looking at me through tears. “Ms. Hereford… are you really apologizing? Or is this just how people like you say sorry? It doesn’t feel real…” My fists clenched. My nails dug into my palms. Then I bent down. Deep. “I’m sorry,” I said again, my voice breaking but clear. “I shouldn’t have hit you. It was my fault. Please forgive me.” Hudson didn’t say anything. Amber sniffed softly. “I still… don’t feel sincerity…” “Mikayla,” Hudson said, his voice colder now. “Don’t even think about leaving until you apologize properly.” My lips trembled. “I’m sorry,” I said again, biting down hard so I wouldn’t cry. “It won’t happen again. I swear.” I straightened slowly and looked at him. “Is this enough?” For a second… he just stared at me. Something flickered in his eyes. Like he remembered something. Maybe the past. But it disappeared just as fast. “That’s enough,” he said coldly. I nodded once. Then I turned and walked out. Didn’t look back. Behind me, I heard his voice again… but it wasn’t for me. “Does it still hurt?” he said softly. “Come here, I’ll put some medicine on it. Don’t move.” Amber’s voice came, quiet and weak. “It does… be gentle, okay…” I kept walking. Tears fell, but I wiped them away fast. Like they never existed. … The next few days, he didn’t come home. And I didn’t call. Not once. On the day everything became official, I went alone. Signed the papers, took the document, listened to the clerk say it was finalized. When they handed it to me, I just stared at it for a second, my fingers brushing over the words. Divorce. That was it. No tears. No pain. Nothing. It was still early when I left. I got a cab and went back to the house, just to grab the last of my things. But the moment I opened the door, I froze. He was there. Standing in the living room like he owned the air. “Where the hell did you go?” Hudson asked, his voice low, eyes locking on me the second I stepped in. I opened my mouth. Did I tell him? Did I just say it now? Before I could speak, he let out a short breath, like he figured it out already. “You went out to get something, didn’t you? For today.” I blinked. “Today…?” He frowned slightly. “Don’t tell me you forgot. It’s our anniversary.” My chest tightened. Anniversary. Huh! Our anniversary already happened last month. Five years ago… same day. We stood in front of everyone, exchanged rings, smiled like it meant something. That night… he handed me divorce papers. Told me not to take anything seriously. Five years. Then it ends. And now… the day I got my divorce papers… was the same day. Funny. “Yeah,” I said quietly, gripping my bag tighter. “I went out to prepare something.” I did. A divorce certificate. That counted, right? He nodded like it was nothing. “Good. At least you didn’t forget this year.” This year. Did he know… this was also the day everything ended? My thoughts felt messy, tangled, but I didn’t say anything. “I’m flying to Paris tomrrow," he continued, adjusting his cuff like he was talking about business. “Taking Amber with me. She’s been wanting to go for a while.” Of course she did. “So I cleared today,” he added, glancing at his watch. “I booked a place. Rooftop, private, no bullshit interruptions. We’ll celebrate properly this time.” Properly. Now? After everything? “I’ll give you your gift later,” he said, already grabbing his jacket. “Get ready. We’re leaving.” He walked toward the door like it was already decided. Like I would follow. I didn’t move. Not even a step. He stopped when he realized, then turned back, his brows pulling together. “What are you doing? Don’t just stand there.” I looked at him. This man. The one I waited for, loved, endured for five years. Should I tell him now? Should I just say… it’s over? My lips parted. But nothing came out. After a few seconds, I lowered my gaze. “I… have something to finish. You go ahead. I’ll follow later.” He stared at me for a moment, like he was trying to read something. Then he gave a short nod. “Fine. Don’t take too long.” And just like that, he left. The door closed. His car started outside. I walked to the window and watched as it drove away, slowly disappearing past the gate. First time in five years… he remembered our anniversary but one month late. And the first time, I didn’t care anymore. I took the document out of my bag. Brand new. Clean. Final. I placed it on the table. Then I picked up my suitcase. Everything I had left. I walked to the door, paused for a second then opened it and stepped out. This time, I didn’t look back. "#Goodnovel #wattpad #Dreame #library #novel #booktok #bookish #bookrecommendations #romance #romancebook 📚Only a limited number of chapters can be displayed here. Click ""Read More"" to open the application and continue reading (it will automatically navigate to the corresponding book page).👇👇👇"

Dominic Corsetti's mistress was pregnant.On the day of our ninth wedding anniversary, he brought her home to the estate."Bianca hasn't been feeling well. Starting today, she'll be staying in the master bedroom. You're moving to the guest room in the east wing."His tone was the same one he used to give orders to his men. "Also, she's particular about her food. You'll arrange three meals a day for her. No repeats." I didn't answer. I simply picked up the suitcase I'd packed three days ago and walked calmly toward the front door. Giovanni, the butler, moved to stop me but was pinned in place by a single look from Dominic. Dominic let out a cold laugh. "Let her go. Give it three days—she'll come crawling back on her own. Without this place, she can't even afford her next meal." The people behind him laughed. Someone offered to bet ten million that I wouldn't last the night. Another said it wouldn't take that long—I'd be in tears before I made it past the gate. Nine years. In this estate, I was never anyone's godmother. I was a joke. A joke anyone felt entitled to trample on. But what they didn't know was that the black stretch Lincoln he had arranged was already waiting at the end of the estate's drive. It had been there for two hours. This time, I was really leaving. I was about to push open the front door. "Seraphina." Dominic stopped me. "Leave the pendant around your neck. Bianca likes it." The pendant was my mother's dowry—a symbol of peace and happiness, an heirloom of the Valenti family. My eyes stung with tears, but Dominic remained indifferent. "Name your price. I'll have accounting wire it to you." A price? To him, how much could something I treasured possibly be worth? I thought about the last time I'd refused him. On the Alpine slopes in winter, Bianca wanted my snow goggles. I hesitated for three seconds. Five minutes later, I was stripped of my coat and left on a mountainside at twelve below zero. I unclasped the pendant, walked over to Bianca, and fastened it around her neck with my own hands. "I hope you and your baby stay safe and well." I was as calm as a stranger. Hearing this, Dominic came over, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "Seraphina, as long as you behave, my child can call you Mama too." Before the words had fully left his mouth, the clasp on Bianca's necklace suddenly snapped open. The sapphire struck the floor, and a sharp fragment sliced a thin line of blood across Bianca's shin. Bianca screamed. Dominic moved on pure instinct, rushing to her and scooping her up in his arms. "Get the doctor! Now!" He barked the order at the butler without looking back. The panic on his face drew every eye in the room to me. Their gazes held mockery. Amusement. Honestly, even I found it absurd. The night before, I'd had a cardiac episode. My lips turned purple. My whole body seized. And Dominic walked right past me without even slowing down. He was in a hurry to take Bianca to a fireworks show on the outskirts of the city. Before I lost consciousness, I heard him tell the butler: "Have someone disinfect the living room later. Bianca's coming back tomorrow—I don't want her smelling anything unpleasant." Unpleasant. He meant me. But I'd long since stopped caring. I turned toward the front door again. That was when Dominic seized my wrist, his expression ice-cold. "Kneel. Apologize." "It wasn't—" Before I could finish, he wrenched me down. I fell to my knees in front of Bianca. My kneecaps drove hard into the sapphire shards. Blood instantly stained the white marble tiles. Dominic glanced down at the blood, a flash of disgust crossing his eyes, and let go. "You deliberately destroyed Bianca's pendant and hurt her, and you don't even think to apologize? Did the dogs eat your manners?" After marrying Dominic, "I'm sorry" had become a reflex. The dessert was too sweet—I'm sorry. I texted him late at night asking when he'd be home and disturbed him—I'm sorry. I accidentally walked into the study and caught him having sex with Bianca, invading their privacy—I'm truly sorry. I swallowed the pain and, still on my knees, said "I'm sorry" three times. Then I straightened up and looked Dominic in the eye. "Is that enough?" Dominic stared at my ashen face. His chest rose and fell visibly. But all he said was: "Don't pull the pity act with me, Seraphina. Nobody's buying it except my grandfather." Before I could respond, the family doctor arrived. One look from Dominic, and someone shoved me aside. Everyone swarmed around Bianca. I dragged my injured legs toward the exit and pushed through the estate's iron gates. At the far end of the drive, a pair of headlights flashed twice. I was about to quicken my pace when two bodyguards in black appeared out of nowhere. Chapter 2 I was bound and brought back to the study on the second floor. "Dominic, what are you doing?" Dominic stood behind the mahogany desk without so much as lifting his gaze. "Start drawing blood." The next second, a collection needle longer than an infant's arm pierced my vein. A cold, dull ache spread along the vessel all the way to my heart. The study door was half open. I heard the doctor's lowered voice in the corridor: "Don, although your wife happens to have Rh-negative blood, which makes her a compatible donor for Ms. Russo, she has a heart condition. If we continue drawing large volumes, there's a significant risk of sudden cardiac death." "I'd recommend going to the family hospital first, and treating Ms. Russo's anemia there—" "All you need to do is make sure Bianca stays healthy." Dominic's voice betrayed no emotion whatsoever. "Everything else is not your concern." Footsteps drew closer. I closed my eyes. "Does it hurt?" His tone was almost—unusually—soft. "Just a little longer. It's almost over." I turned my head away and refused to look at him. By the eight-hundredth milliliter, my lips had lost all color. My fingertips were ice. My vision blurred. The ringing in my ears grew louder and louder. Then, from the direction of the master bedroom, came a light cough from Bianca. Dominic immediately pressed down on the doctor's hand just as he was about to remove the needle. "Draw double." Sweat beaded across the doctor's forehead. "Don, if we keep going, she will die—" Dominic didn't hesitate for a single second. "Bianca is pregnant. The expectant mother comes first. Always." Faced with the Don, the doctor didn't dare protest further. He looked at me helplessly. "Draw it." My voice was faint but clear. "When you're done, let me leave." Dominic's face instantly twisted with anger. His lips moved. I knew what he wanted to say—something along the lines of what kind of tantrum is this, it's a minor thing, is it really worth running away from home over. But just then, Bianca's honeyed voice floated from the master bedroom: "Dominic…" He turned and left without looking back. The moment the door closed behind him, my consciousness finally slipped into darkness. When I woke, two days had passed. The air in the hospital smelled of antiseptic. I opened my eyes to find Dominic sitting beside the bed, reviewing documents. He looked up when he noticed I was awake and picked up the glass of milk on the nightstand, as if to feed it to me. I shook my head. "I can do it myself." He watched me struggle upright and slowly finish the milk. "Is anything hurting?" he asked. "Please give me my phone," I said. Perhaps my tone was too cold. Dominic stared for a few seconds before contacting the butler and having my phone brought over. When it arrived, the screen showed a row of missed calls. Dominic's eyes settled on the unfamiliar number. "Who is this?" He'd never cared about things like this before. But I felt an instinctive wave of irritation and brushed him off. "Nobody you know." He frowned, looking down at me with that cold, imperious gaze. "How long do you plan on giving me attitude, Seraphina?" "Don't test my patience." There was a time when his anger would send my heart racing, when I'd scramble to figure out what I'd done wrong. But now I simply pointed at the phone buzzing in his pocket and said, expressionless: "Bianca's looking for you." He glanced down, and his features softened instantly. He turned and walked out of the room. The moment he left, my phone rang. I picked up, and the man on the other end spoke in a rush: "Sera, you said you were coming to me. Did you change your mind?" "No. There was just a small complication." "What complication? What happened to you? That's it—I'm booking a flight home right now—" "Don't." I cut him off, closing my eyes. "Just give me a few more days. A few days. That's all." I hung up just as Dominic pushed the door open. He caught the lingering trace of a smile at the corner of my mouth, and something tightened inexplicably in his chest. But he'd just promised Bianca he'd come right back to be with her and the baby. He assumed the person I'd been talking to was probably my cousin who dropped by once in a while. After all, since marrying him, I had no friends left besides a handful of female relatives. With that thought, Dominic gathered his files and headed for the door without looking back. "Something's come up with the family. I'll come by tomorrow." Chapter 3 He didn't show up for the next three days. But my phone kept buzzing with news about him and Bianca. He took her to galas hosted by all the major families, to the most exclusive auctions. Like a young man who'd just fallen in love, desperate to introduce his sweetheart to the entire world. The day I was discharged, Dominic posted a series of photos on Twitter. In the fading light of dusk, aboard a hot air balloon, he cradled Bianca's flushed cheeks in both hands as they shared a deep, tender kiss. I left a single comment underneath: "Wishing you both a lifetime together." Ten minutes later, he called. I didn't pick up. Half an hour later, I finished the discharge paperwork alone and, in the maternity ward corridor, spotted Dominic and Bianca. Dominic had one arm around Bianca's waist, the other helping her fill out medical forms. The nurse smiled at Bianca. "Mrs. Corsetti, you're so lucky. Your husband accompanies you to every single prenatal visit—he even insists on warming the ultrasound gel in his own hands before he lets us use it on you." The other expectant mothers gazed on with envy. My hand drifted unconsciously to my lower belly. Once, a child had lived there too. Two years ago, on a rainy night, a rival family launched an ambush. In the chaos of the gunfight, the car tumbled down a hillside. I was rushed to the family hospital, covered in blood, and managed to video-call Dominic. The moment the call connected, what I saw was Bianca—bare from the shoulders up. She smiled into the camera. "Mrs. Corsetti, Dominic lost our little game and is currently on the bed receiving his punishment. Is there something urgent?" I hung up. Less than a minute later, Dominic called back. On-screen, he had his arm around a teary-eyed Bianca, and he tore into me without preamble—petty, unreasonable, impossible. "It was just a car accident, and you couldn't even protect your own child. I'm genuinely curious what someone as useless as you is even good for in this life." "Seraphina, honestly, it would've been better if Vincenzo's people had just put a bullet in you and been done with it." I pulled myself out of the memory and turned to leave by another route. But Dominic was already standing in front of me, his face devoid of warmth. "What are you doing here?" I lowered my gaze, the explanation leaving my lips like a reflex. "I wasn't following you. I just happened to be passing through. Sorry for the intrusion." "Wait." Dominic frowned and called after me. A flash of jealousy darted through Bianca's eyes, and she tightened her grip on his arm. "Dominic, I'm truly so grateful to your wife for giving me that blood transfusion. If it weren't for her, I'd still be dizzy and weak. Please, can you ask her to come back to the estate with us?" Dominic indulgently tapped the tip of her nose with his knuckle. "The kindest little mother in the world. Whatever you say goes." I needed to go back for my passport and documents anyway, so I didn't refuse. Once inside the stretch Lincoln, I did exactly what Bianca had intended—I fished a lace undergarment from between the seat cushions. The traces on it were still damp. It had clearly been left there on purpose. "Oh my God—how is that still in the car! Dominic, I thought you said you cleaned it out ages ago?" Bianca burrowed into Dominic's arms, blushing, playfully pounding his chest with her fists. Dominic laughed softly and murmured that it was all his fault for being careless, while discreetly watching me for a reaction. But I was simply booking a plane ticket on my phone. His smile faded. His expression darkened, and an unnamed irritation coiled inside him. "Seraphina, you've been staring at your phone this whole time." "Who are you texting? That cousin of yours? Or someone else I don't know about?" I finished the payment and turned off the screen. "Just reading the news." Hearing that, the storm behind his eyes only deepened. Before I could react, he snatched the phone from my hand. "Passcode." "My birthday." I wasn't the least bit worried he'd see my booking confirmation. Nine years of marriage. He had never once paid attention to me. Sure enough, he tried again and again until the phone locked him out—and still couldn't get it right. Chapter 4 Back at the estate, Dominic first carried Bianca—nauseous and miserable from morning sickness—into the master bedroom, then instructed the kitchen to prepare her favorite dishes. On his way downstairs, he caught sight of me walking toward the east wing guest room. He was silent for a few seconds, then said to the butler: "Add two of the dishes my wife usually eats. Set three places for dinner. Let her… eat at the table." I heard him. But I didn't slow down. I closed the guest room door behind me and opened my suitcase. Every piece of clothing inside had been slashed to ribbons. Even the old sweaters I'd brought from the Valenti house hadn't been spared. But the passport and identification documents hidden in the lining were untouched. I tucked the documents into my coat's inner pocket, picked up the empty suitcase, and turned to leave. The moment I opened the door, Bianca was standing right there, blocking the way. She held a black plastic bottle, eyeing me up and down with undisguised contempt and hatred. "Seraphina, I have to hand it to you—you really know how to take a beating. I've ground your face into the dirt, humiliated you in front of every family that matters, and you're still clinging to the Corsetti name like a barnacle." She tilted her head, as if a delightful thought had just occurred to her. "Then again, that old woman from the Valenti family did just die last month. Lost your last bargaining chip, didn't you? No wonder you're holding on to Dominic for dear life." "But here's the thing—" She leaned in close, lowering her voice. "Do you know why Dominic refused to send a helicopter to take you to the hospital that day? When you were on your knees at the gate, begging to see your grandmother one last time?" She raised her phone screen so I could see. The photo showed a golden beach bathed in the last light of sunset. Dominic was kissing Bianca's cheek. "Because he'd promised to take me to watch the sunset by the sea that day. This photo of us kissing? Taken that very evening. Pretty, isn't it?" The memory of never getting to see my grandmother's face one final time surged through me, and I knocked the phone from her hand. Unable to hold back any longer, I seized her by the throat. "You don't get to say her name." Nine years, and it was the first time I'd raised a hand. The rage blinded me to my own strength. Bianca's face turned purple. As she thrashed, the black bottle slipped from her grasp and hit the floor. The acrid reek of gasoline filled the air instantly. The liquid seeped along the gaps between the tiles. A wave of nausea hit me, and I let go instinctively. "Bitch! Go to hell!" In the chaos, Bianca scrambled backward, snatched a candlestick from the mantelpiece, and hurled it to the ground. The instant flame met gasoline, the entire room erupted in fire. Smoke billowed in thick, suffocating waves. I'd been out of the hospital for less than half a day. My lungs hadn't recovered. The moment the smoke hit my throat, I doubled over in a violent coughing fit, my legs buckled, and I collapsed to the floor. The fire spread far faster than I'd imagined. A wall of heat slammed into me. The air reeked of char. Then I heard Dominic's voice. "Seraphina! Sera!" Followed by the butler and security trying to hold him back—"Don, it's too dangerous in there! Wait until they bring the extinguishers—" "Get out of my way! Seraphina's still inside!" He charged in. But the first thing his eyes went to was Bianca, curled up against the far wall, well clear of the flames, sobbing. "Dominic… save me…" She didn't even finish the sentence before he bent down and scooped her into his arms. He didn't look at me. Not once. He turned and walked toward the door. Firelight danced across his retreating back. Bianca, draped over his shoulder, peered through the haze of smoke and gave me a triumphant smile. I retreated into the room and climbed out through the window. … An hour later, I mailed the package, coughed my way through the departure terminal, and dragged the last of my strength toward the international boarding gate. In the final moment before boarding, my phone screen lit up. A text from Dominic. [Where are you? What kind of disappearing act is this? Bianca has a prenatal appointment at nine tomorrow morning. Come. And while you're at it, have someone look at your lungs.] I didn't reply. I powered off the phone, removed the SIM card, snapped it in half, and dropped it in the trash. Dominic Corsetti. For the rest of our lives, you and I are done. Chapter 5 The next day. The hospital. "Dominic, is the baby okay?" Bianca lifted those dewy, almond-shaped eyes, her voice laced with exactly the right amount of fragility. Dominic's arm went around her shoulders almost on reflex, his voice low and soothing. "The doctor says everything's perfectly normal. Last night didn't affect the baby at all. Don't worry." "That's a relief… You've had this stony look on your face ever since we walked through the hospital doors, not saying a word. I was starting to think something was wrong with the baby…" Bianca's offhand remark made him falter for a beat. An image surfaced unbidden in his mind—Seraphina's face, looking up at him through the fire. Not pleading. Not bitter. Not any emotion he recognized. It was empty. Dominic frowned and opened his message thread again. The text he'd sent sat at the bottom of the conversation, unanswered. Nothing beneath it. In the past, no matter how badly he neglected her—even if he didn't come home for an entire week—her replies never took longer than five minutes. Every message, no matter how cutting, she would answer immediately, carefully, as if walking on eggshells. And now… she'd suddenly learned to play hard to get. He scoffed inwardly, slipped the phone back into his breast pocket, and gently helped Bianca out of the maternity ward. He sat with her through lunch, personally escorted her back to the estate and made sure she was settled, then drove to the office building downtown. He'd barely stepped through his office door when his assistant, Enzo, approached. "Don, the old man is back in the country. He's ordered all senior members to the underground conference room immediately. Says he has something important to announce." Dominic was already unfastening his cuffs and striding toward the elevator, issuing orders without turning around: "Get a few things ready for me. The best handbag of the season, and a matching jewelry set. Something Seraphina would like." Enzo fell into step behind him. "Understood, Don. Shall I have them delivered to Ms. Russo?" Dominic stopped walking. He turned and swept Enzo with a cold glance. "Send them to the Valenti house." In his mind, Seraphina had nowhere to go once she left the estate except her family's old house. It was empty now, just a few aging servants rattling around, but at least it was safer than being out in the open. She was throwing a tantrum. Once she cooled off, she'd come back on her own. One week later. Having just closed a cross-border arms deal, Dominic finally returned to the estate at two in the morning. The instant he pushed through the front door, he spotted a slender figure curled up on the living room sofa. A satin nightgown strap had slipped halfway down one shoulder, baring a sliver of pale collarbone. "Seraphina, how many times have I told you—I'll come home when I'm finished. You don't have to wait up every single—" He stopped mid-sentence as he drew closer and saw who it was. Bianca. The reprimand died on his lips. Caught in the sudden weight of his darkened gaze, Bianca shivered and looked up, aggrieved. "Dominic… your wife hasn't been home in days. I've sent her so many apology messages, and she's read every single one without replying. Do you think I'm making her uncomfortable by being here? Maybe… maybe I should move out?" Looking at Bianca's reddened eyes, at the way she trembled like she might collapse at any moment, Dominic quietly furrowed his brow and drew her into his arms. He pressed a somewhat perfunctory kiss to her forehead and told her to rest, to stop overthinking. "Regardless of what Seraphina thinks, from today, this estate is home for you and the baby. No one is going to make you leave." Half an hour after he said those words. Three a.m. on the terrace. A man in a black robe stood alone against the stone railing, a half-smoked cigarette pinched between his fingers. He'd quit smoking a long time ago. But tonight, for reasons he couldn't name, a restless, unplaceable agitation had taken root in his chest, and without something to burn between his lips, it was going to drive him out of his mind. As if guided by something beyond his control, he unlocked his phone and scrolled to the very bottom of his contacts. Seraphina. His thumb hovered over the call button. He couldn't bring himself to press it. One cigarette burned down to nothing. He lit another. The second was nearly spent when he finally decided not to make the call. Instead, he typed out a message and sent it. [Vittorio's eightieth birthday celebration is tomorrow. You'd better show up. And don't cause any trouble for Bianca or the baby at the banquet. My patience has limits.] After sending it, he stared at the message for a long time. Not until the cigarette ash fell and seared the web of his thumb did he snap out of it and toss the phone aside. What he didn't know was— This message would never be delivered. Because its intended recipient was thousands of miles away, in Nortzence, living a new life under a new number—a life with no connection whatsoever to Dominic Corsetti.