Great Stories, Perfectly Sized.

If Love is Fruitless, Why Long for It

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 23:32:18 +0800

My husband and I got married today, but my two childhood sweethearts who once swore they would put me on their family registry have no idea. Instead, they were busy fussing over the girl who was supposedly saving my life.

To cheer her up, they even bought her an adorable Ragdoll cat as a thank-you gift. They had totally forgotten that I was severely allergic to cat fur.

As a result, when I returned home after just being discharged from hospital, I went into allergic shock and had to be admitted into hospital again.

They also did not believe me when I told them that the girl had orchestrated the whole "life-saving incident".

The moment I regained consciousness in the emergency room, I immediately called my uncle to arrange my marriage.

After all, after my parents passed away, my uncle had arranged a good marriage for me.

As soon as he heard my consent to get married, he immediately began the fastest marriage arrangement he could possibly do. He did that because he was afraid I would become muddleheaded again and waste my time being torn between those two childhood sweethearts.

He advised, "Joy McKenzie, didn't I tell you before that your two childhood sweethearts barely good enough to be your friends. As a man I know for sure that they don't have the quality to be good husbands! A man always knows another man's flaws better, but you refuse to believe me."

Then he told me, "We get your wedding license first and seven days from now, you will have your wedding party!"

In the past, I always thought my uncle, being a man, could never understand a girl's feelings.

After all, you alone knew if the shoes fit. However, before I even put them on, those shoes had already hurt me countless times.

"Uncle, send me his info. I'll schedule the registration now," I told him.

Marriage was a decision between two people, so I had to take charge of something.

As so happened, when I was about to set the appointment, Tom Weston and Jeff Lawrence heard my words and barged into the hospital room.

They immediately asked me in unison, "What appointment are you talking about? What kind of register are you going to apply?"

I saw no reason to hide it from them, so I answered honestly, "I'm getting married."

The two of them exchanged glances. When they realized neither of them was my groom, they both let out a relieved laugh, "You're making a joke, right?"

I did not pay any attention to them and continued booking my appointment on my phone.

Out of curiosity, they leaned over, as they usually did, to take a look. However, before they could take a good look, Tom's cell phone rang. The sound was mimicking a cat's meow, a ringtone that he had especially set for Lizbeth Collins.

"Tom. I think there's someone in my house! I always triple-lock the door when I leave, but now it opens with just one twist!" Lizbeth said in a panic.

Without a word, Tom jumped up and he and Jeff rushed out together.

While at it, Tom said, "Lizbeth, don't go inside. Wait for us at the usual spot!"

I listened to his panicked voice and the hurried footsteps as they faded down the hallway.

They had not even known each other for a month and they already had a "usual spot" just for the three of them.

I smirked and confirmed the earliest possible date for the marriage registration.

The day I was discharged from the hospital, Tom and Jeff finally showed their face again.

The two of them were on the rush. They constantly urged me to speed up my pace so I kindly told them if they had something more urgent, they were welcome to leave first.

Jeff grumbled at Tom with a gloomy face, "Didn't I tell you to split up? Now Lizbeth is waiting for us and if anything happens to her, you'll regret it!"

Tom shot back at Jeff, his eyes full of anger, "Do you think I want to be here?"

Back then, they would have fought over who got to pick me up from the hospital. Now, I was nothing but a burden to them.

I smiled and hailed a taxi from the street. Seeing this, they pulled me out of the taxi with annoyed faces.

"Joy, what do you think you're doing, huh? Lizbeth had organized a surprise party for you to celebrate your discharge from the hospital, they said.

Without giving me a chance to refuse, they dragged me into their car.

As soon as they closed the door, they immediately dialed Lizbeth's number and chatted animatedly with her the whole ride. I felt I had become invisible so I closed my eyes to rest.

Only when we reached the bar did I realize the so-called surprise for me was actually a birthday celebration for Lizbeth.

With hands filled with beautiful wrapped gifts, Tom and Jeff hurried over toward her. Those were the same presents they had chosen for my birthday this year.

Seeing that the gifts had a new owner and I had no interest in playing as supporting role, I turned around to leave.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a cat lunged at me.

Without a second thought, I kicked it away, sending it flying with a yowl.

Lizbeth, who was still wearing a party hat, stormed up to me.

"Joy, if you have a problem with me, just come at me directly! Why did you have to take it out on poor Lily?" asked Lizbeth.

Meanwhile, the cat that was cradled in Lizbeth's arms, let out a pitiful whimper, as if it had been terribly wronged.

Without any pause, Tom and Jeff immediately scolded me, "Joy! We know that you're allergic to cat fur, but it doesn't give you any right to take it to Lily and Lizbeth!"

As he said that, Tom dumped an entire blister pack of allergy medicine into my hands.

"Maybe you should reflect on why youre the only one who is so sensitive to cats. I dont believe youll still have an allergy if you take this whole pack!"

Did he actually expect me to swallow all those pills? I wondered.

I quickly grabbed just one and forced it down. I told them, "One is enough."

Hearing my words, made Tom and Jeff became even more displeased.

"Lizbeth is right. How can you be severely allergic to cat fur? Looks like your whole hospital stay was just an act!"

His words made the bitterness of the dissolving medicine linger in my throat.

There was a time when if a stray cat wandered within five meters of me, they would be on high alert and treat it like a dire threat. Yet, now, my allergy had become my original sin.

First, they let that cat roam freely in my room, causing me to go into anaphylactic shock. Later, they accused me of faking my symptoms just to get hospitalized.

Now, after the cat almost attacked me, I was the one being labeled as fragile by them.

Lizbeth was crying her heart out beside us, looking at a loss.

"I dont know what I did wrong, but if I made you upset, its my fault. Im sorry! Will you please stay and celebrate my birthday with me, please ." she pleaded.

As she said that, her tears were flowing nonstop with practice precision.

Tom was so heartbroken seeing her like this that he immediately went to wipe her tears, while Jeff couldn't help but drag me aside to reprimand me, "Youve taken the allergy medicine, right? So even if you kiss the cat, it wont kill you!"

With that, he rushed back to join Tom and comforted Lizbeth, "Don't cry, Lizbeth. Let me apologize on Joy's behalf. She has been spoiled rotten since she was a child. So, dont take her seriously."

In their effort to appease Lizbeth, they eagerly listed every flaws that I had.

Right on cue, Lizbeths tears turned into a smile. Then when she glanced at me, her eyes were full of smugness and challenge.

At that time, I realized how little I mattered to them.

As the music started, the two of them rushed to ask Lizbeth's hand to dance.

She chose Tom and left Jeff sulking there. Then Jeff turned toward me in frustration and extended his hand to me to ask me to dance.

I rubbed the itchy rash that was spreading across my skin and shook my head.

It seemed my refusal did not make Jeff upset. Instead, he sat beside me while downing drink after drink as his eyes glued to the couple swaying together on the dance floor.

"Joy, do you think Lizbeth likes Tom?" he asked. There was disappointment and jealousy that I could clearly hear in his tone.

It was obvious to everyone that Lizbeth preferred Tom over him.

My silence pushed Jeff to rise to his feet.

As soon as the song ended, he stormed back onto the dance floor to pull Lizbeth away. I didnt feel like watching the drama of two men fighting over one woman, so I took my leave.

Suddenly, amid the crowds gasps, Lizbeth found me and forcibly dragged me back to the dance floor.

"Joy, please talk to Tom and Jeff! Theyre fighting over me again and I just cant stop them!" Although she pleaded me, it could not conceal the bragging in her voice.

I refused her outright, "If you cant stop them, why do you think I will be able to do it?"

However, the crowd gasped again. This time, Tom had taken a punch and blood was streaming from his nose.

This finally snapped Lizbeth from her acting and made her panic. She yanked me with all her strength, nearly dragging me to the middle of their brawl.

The reason for their fighting was that Lizbeth's neighborhood was not the safest, so they were arguing about whose house she should stay in.

Jeff believed that since Tom had already gotten the first dance, it was his turn to have her stay over at his house.

I had no desire to break up their fight and it was a pathetic sight to watch. Yet, surprisingly, their heated argument turned toward me.

With tears in her eyes, Lizbeth asked me, "Can I stay in your house? What I mean is since you're allergic to cats, you probably haven't had time to tidy up anyway, why don't you let me stay here?

Just then, Tom and Jeff who were fighting harshly, stopped their fight and looked at me in unison.

"You know, Lizbeth has a point. Would you mind staying in a hotel for a few days, Joy? Well cover all the costs.

I considered it for a moment before suggesting, Why dont I just sell the house to Lizbeth instead?

It seemed Tom and Jeff thought I did not want to let Lizbeth stay. They were immediately gaslighting me by reminding me of how she had once saved my life.

The onlookers who didnt know the full story joined in. They encouraged me to pay the favor.

To pressure me into agreeing, both men handed me three hundred thousand dollars in front of the crowd. "Its only for a few days. Consider this money a rental fee, okay?

At this point, it seemed inappropriate for me to refuse. "Fine!"

The three of them immediately cheered, high-fiving each other as if the previous arguments had never happened.

No longer looking at the three who continued to dance passionately, I went home to pack my bags.

On my way back, Lizbeth sent me a message, "Joy, I think that amount of money should be enough to buy your house, right? Why dont you just sell me the house?

What she suggested was exactly what I wanted. I had no plans to return after getting married in Ansel City, so I needed to get rid of the house anyway.

Lizbeth was delighted when I agreed and pleaded with me not to tell Tom and Jeff just yet. Of course, I was more than happy to comply.

Looking around the house, I realized that aside from my parents belongings, there wasnt much I needed to take.

The next day, when Tom and Jeff Jun brought Lizbeth back, the junk removal service I hired had already cleared out everything I did not want. They did not look too happy seeing the nearly empty house. "Joy, we only asked you to lend your home for a few days. Do you really have to make it look like you're guarding against a thief?"

Youre overthinking it. I just cleared out the things I dont need, making space for Lizbeth, I replied calmly.

My explanation seemed to appease them, at least a little. Well, fine. Well help you replace the furniture later.

Lizbeth, who had been watching me nervously, finally relaxed when I agreed without saying more.

I smiled and agreed with the two of them, then pushed my suitcase toward the door.

They insisted on seeing me downstairs and I couldnt refuse, so I let them.

Just as I was about to step into the elevator, the fire alarm blared through the entire building. The next second, the power went out.

Tom and Jeff immediately rushed to shield Lizbeth and guided her down the emergency stairs.

Smelling smoke, I grabbed my suitcase and made my way to the emergency exit in a hurry.

The bulky suitcase made it hard to navigate and I almost lost my balance on the stairs when someone bumped into me. Thankfully, a hand caught me and I fell into a warm embrace.

Watch your step. Are you okay?

The mans deep, magnetic voice brushed past my ear, making my face flush red. I tried to pull my hand away, but he held me securely, shielding me from the jostling crowd.

We finally reached safety and he released me. My face burned as I thanked him.

He looked at me intently, "You don't have to be so formal toward me. After all, we're practically family!"

Startled, I looked up and found myself staring into his dark, obsidian-like eyes.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Keith Adam," he added.

My heart skipped a beat. So, he was the man my uncle had chosen for me to marry.

However, hadnt my uncle said that Keith would not be back until tomorrow, the same day we were supposed to get our marriage license?

Seeing my confusion, he smiled and said, When I heard you agreed to marry me, I wrapped up my work early and rushed back. I couldnt wait any longer to meet you.

His voice, as deep and rich as a cello, paired with that gentle, indulgent smile, set off a spark in my mind.

My eyes traveled all over his body several times and the more I looked at him, the faster my heart raced.

Dammit, Uncle! Why didn't you show me his photo earlier? This man was everything that I've ever dreamt of!

Maybe my gaze was a bit too intense because I noticed a faint blush creeping up Keith's ears.

"Joy," he hesitated. "You youre not having second thoughts about the marriage, are you? Are you unhappy with me?

I quickly shook my head, then nodded emphatically. No, no, Im really happy with you!

Hearing this, the man immediately smiled radiantly. It was so radiant that it seemed like a spring sunlight melting the last patches of snow.

Keith told me that he had pulled some strings to move our appointment to today and I was more than willing to accompany him to the City Hall.

By the time Tom and Jeff arrived with Lizbeth, Keith and I were looking and smiling at each other. At that moment, all I could hear was the pounding of my own heartbeat.

It was not until I heard Tom's familiar voice calling my name that I realized I had been staring at Keith like a lovestruck fool. "Joy! Why didnt you pick up your phone? We were worried sick when we couldnt find you! he scolded.

"Jeff even went back upstairs to look for you and all he found was the cat. You didnt even bother bringing the poor thing downstairs! Shes been shivering non-stop!

Jeff nodded while giving me his piece of mind and complaining about me.

Lizbeth quickly jumped to my defense. Dont be too hard on Joy. We forgot about Lily too, didnt we? Thank goodness, Jeff went back and helped me rescue it.

Her meaning was clear. The only reason Jeff returned to the house was to rescue her cat, not me.

I checked my phone. It had been two hours since the fire alarm went off and sure enough, I saw a single missed call. I swore my phone had vibrated for just a second before the call abruptly ended.

Their supposed concern struck me as ironic.

The smile on Keiths face faded the moment the three of them showed up, especially when he noticed the cat trembling in Lizbeths arms. He quickly pulled me behind him, his tone anxious when he said, "Joy, you're allergic to cat fur. Stay back."

Then he pulled an allergy pill from his pocket. He wanted me to eat it.

His protective actions made the two mens faces darken.

Allergy pills arent candy. You shouldnt just give them out recklessly! Jeff snapped.

I stopped Keiths hand, reassuring him softly that I had already taken my medication that day.

However, he was not convinced. When he saw me coughing a few times while covering my nose, his expression immediately filled with worry.

If youre coughing, then somethings definitely wrong, he insisted. His eyes were sharp as he glared at the group. The three of you and the cat! Stay away from Joy!"

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed my hand and led me away as if they were some kinds of terrible danger.

This was the first time anyone had ever taken my allergy so seriously, especially from a man that I just met. Even if my uncle had warned him in advance, his concern for me far outweighed the so-called care I had received from Tom, who had known me for ten years.

Maybe Keith's sudden appearance set off the alarm bell in Tom and Jeff's hearts because they shouted behind me, "Joy, who is he?"

Before I could answer, Lizbeth asked, in a voice full of curiosity, Is he your new boyfriend, Joy?

Both Tom and Jeff scoffed in unison. No way! This has to be some kind of act. Shes just trying to get back at us for not paying attention to her lately!

I didnt want to explain myself to these two overconfident men, but I also didnt want to cause any misunderstandings with Keith right after we had gotten married.

I squeezed Keiths hand tightly, our fingers intertwining and pulled out the two bright red marriage certificates. Waving them in front of Tom and Jeff, I said, Let me formally introduce you to him. This is my husband.

Their smiles freeze. They were stunned into silence. Then, they burst out laughing as if I had just cracked the worlds worst joke.

Joy, thats not funny at all! they said, almost doubling over with laughter.

However, their laughter died away when I opened the marriage certificates, revealing the unmistakable seal of authenticity.

Panic washed over their faces as if something precious had slipped right through their fingers.

Joy McKenzie, just because we forgot to grab you during the fire doesnt mean you should marry the first guy you see!

Go back to the City Hall and get a divorce. Now!

The Seven-Year Scam: My Daughter is My Husband's Mistress's Child

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 02:13:55 +0800

It took seven years of marriage for me to find out the truth. The girl I carried for ten months, gave birth to, and raised with my own hands for six years was never mine. My husband had used my body as a surrogate for his mistress!

Today, my daughter won an award for an essay called My Most Loved Mom. At the parent meeting, the teacher invited me onstage to read it out loud.

But the mom she wrote about who loves dyeing her hair, loves wearing high heels, has a heart-shaped face, and always smells good? That woman wasnt me.

The other parents started questioning. I practically ran out of the school. Halfway home, a doctor told me: my daughter has zero blood relation to me.

I took hormone shot after hormone shot and choked down bitter meds to carry and give birth to my daughter! How on earth could she not be mine?!

I couldnt fucking believe it, so I went to confront my husband. I caught him holding my daughters hand, taking her into his mistresss filming set.

I heard it myself. How they laughed about tricking me for seven years. How they used me to give birth, raise the kid, pay the bills, waste my time, my body, my money, my life.

It felt like knives tearing through my chest. I couldnt breathe. But even then, I told myself, Fine, my husband is a heartless piece of shit. The kid, though? I raised her for six years. She has to love me, at least a little.

But the next second, I watched as she threw her arms around that woman and smiled so sweetly. She said she liked the pretty mommy. She didnt like me, the ugly, worn-out woman.

That night, my husband slid a document across the table. A divorce agreement dressed up like some bullshit business contract.

He planned to take the mansion, the company, even the gifts I got during our wedding and still expected me to keep slaving away, raising a child for him and his mistress like some obedient idiot!

And just like he wanted, I signed it without asking a single question.

What that asshole didnt know was that I had already changed the terms.

He was going to walk away getting not a damn thing.

My husband doesnt love me. My daughter doesnt want me. Fuck it, I dont want them either.

I picked up the phone and called overseas.

Dad, I said, Im getting divorced. Ill come home. Ill inherit the family estate. And Ill find a man who marries into the family.

Mariahs POV

On the day of my daughters parent-teacher conference, my life completely turned over.

It should have been a happy day. Cruella had won first place in a citywide writing competition with an essay about gratitude toward her mother. As her parent, I was invited to represent the families and go onstage to share my parenting experience.

When I stepped up to the podium, I was still smiling.

But that smile froze the moment I read the first line aloud.

My mom loves dyeing her hair in all kinds of colors. Not long ago, she dyed it brunette again.

Instinctively, I reached up and touched my hair.

Black. I had never dyed it. I tried to calm myself. Maybe children exaggerate.

But then came the second sentence.

My mom loves wearing high heels. She looks especially beautiful when she walks.

I dont own a single pair of high heels. I gave them up completely after getting pregnant.

A sense of unease crept in, but I forced myself to continue.

My mom isnt very tall. She has a heart-shaped face and doe eyes.

My throat tightened. I couldnt go on.

Im 57, broad-shouldered, with a round face.

Nothing in her description matched me.

A parent suddenly spoke up from the audience.

Teacher, may I ask, how authentic is this essay? If it doesnt match reality, is it really appropriate for it to win first place?

In that instant, it felt as though someone had slapped me across the face in public.

I barely held myself together, made an excuse about feeling unwell, and left early.

The moment I sat in my car, I realized my hands were shaking.

A strange, nameless panic rose in my chest.

Before I could sort through my thoughts, a notification popped up on my phone. It was our familys medical checkup report from the hospital.

When my eyes landed on the final line, my entire body went rigid.

[Childs blood type: A]

I checked it again. And again. Three times in total.

My husband, Viggo, and Ione of us is AB, the other B.

No matter how you calculate it, we could never have an A-type child!

My first reaction was that the system must be wrong, so I immediately called the doctor.

After listening, he asked carefully, Has your daughters father always handled her medical checkups?

Yeah, I replied.

There was a brief pause. When the doctor spoke again, his tone was cautious and deliberate.

There is only one explanation.

Either the child was switched at birth or you are not her biological mother.

I heard the last sentence. But I couldnt understand it.

I carried Cruella for ten months. I endured countless shots to protect my pregnancy. I even vomited blood from severe reactions. How could she not be my child?!

I hung up and, almost on instinct, slammed my foot on the gas and drove home.

I needed an explanation from Viggo!

What the fuck is actually going on?!

But as soon as I reached the hallway, I saw him holding Cruellas hand, about to head out.

I heard my daughter say excitedly, Yay! Finally, Daddy, we get to watch Mommy act again! Im so happy!

Viggo reminded her gently, Be good, okay? When we get to the set, dont cause trouble for Mommy.

A set? Acting?

A sharp pain spread through my chest. My first thought was hes cheating.

But what the hell did an affair have to do with Cruella not being my biological child?

She came out of my body!

I needed answers, so I secretly followed them.

The car drove toward a film set on the outskirts of the city.

Viggo led Cruella straight inside.

I called my assistant, and ten minutes later, I walked into the set as well.

Then, I watched with my own eyes as Cruella let go of Viggos hand and ran happily toward a woman.

Mommy!

The woman crouched and scooped her up with practiced ease, her voice soft and familiar.

Why are you running so fast? What if you fall?

The moment I saw her face, I stopped breathing.

Carmilla.

My former college roommate, the one I had fallen out with completely.

Viggo walked over, naturally wrapping an arm around her shoulders, then leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Im late. Did you wait long?

Carmilla smiled and kissed him back, her tone intimate. The last scene just wrapped. Perfect timing. Didnt you say you booked a hotel?

Mm, he replied. Its our tenth anniversary. We cant be careless.

Tenth anniversary?

I stood in the shadows, my entire body turning numb.

Seven years. Thats how long I had been married to him. Nine years. Thats how long Id even known him!

Yet, they didnt hide their affair, speaking without avoiding Cruella or anyone else.

Everyone around them acted like this was old news.

Carmilla pouted playfully. When are you planning to divorce that woman? Im established now. We can finally be together openly. We can make it official.

Viggo replied softly, Not yet. Her fathers money hasnt fully come through.

Carmilla frowned. Seven years of marriage and you still havent squeezed all the value out of her?

He chuckled. Jealous now? Wasnt marrying her your idea? You said she had a strong build, good for having kids. You wanted her to carry the baby so you could focus on your career without worries, right?

Carmilla snorted lightly, her eyes smug. Well, Cruellas already grown. I hate hiding like this. I dont want paparazzi calling me a mistress someday, when I knew you first.

Viggo nodded, his tone soothing. Dont worry. Ive always been careful with her. Shell never get pregnant with my child.

Cruella will be our only child. Ill handle the divorce cleanly and then marry you.

My mind exploded with a loud buzz.

All those years, Viggo had claimed he had weak fertility. He begged me again and again to do IVF. He even knelt and swore he would love me for life. I softened. I agreed.

For an entire year, I endured injections, hormone treatments, and pregnancy preservation. God, I nearly died on the operating table!

All along, it was never about wanting a child, huh?

It was about getting a child without Carmilla paying any price!

They had secretly switched the embryos!

I had unknowingly become their surrogate!

Before I could process this absurd truth, Cruella suddenly hugged Carmillas leg and looked up at her.

Mommy! I like you so much!

I hate the mommy at home!

Shes not pretty, shes always strict, and she forces me to learn so many things I dont even like!

At that moment, my heart went completely empty.

I watched the husband who had always acted like an emotionally clueless straight man fuss tenderly over Carmilla.

I watched the girl I had raised for six years, who had never once said Mom, I love you, cling to another woman and pour out her affection.

I left the set like a walking corpse. Then I called my dad, with whom I had cut ties years ago just to marry Viggo.

My voice, however, came out unexpectedly calm.

Dad.

Ive thought it through.

I want a divorce. This family I dont want it anymore.

Mariahs POV

Are you sure?

Dads voice was low on the line.

This isnt just a spur-of-the-moment decision?

I leaned back against the rear seat of the car and closed my eyes for a second.

Yeah, I said. Ive thought it through, Dad.

He paused, then said, Alright. If youve made up your mind, come back.

Ill get you a lawyer. From here on, everything goes by your call.

But theres one thing you need to understand.

If you come back to run the company, you cant just come and go like before.

From now on, any man you bring in has to be a husband. Marriage, assets, kids? Everything has to be in your name.

He stopped for a beat.

Thats the Victorians rule.

I know, I replied without hesitation. I agree.

A soft sigh came through the phone.

Seven days then, he said. You need to report to the company in seven days.

Alright.

Shortly after, the car pulled up in front of the law firm.

I didnt hesitate. I went straight inside, explained my intention, and asked for a divorce agreement to be drafted.

The receptionist lawyer hesitated, her expression turning awkward.

Maam theres already a divorce agreement under your name, she said. It hasnt been signed yet.

My heart skipped.

Who filed it? I asked.

Sir Viggo Roosevelt.

For a moment, I thought Id misheard, so I asked to see the document.

After verifying my identity, the lawyer handed it to me.

I flipped through it page by page. With every line, my heart grew colder.

The agreement spelled everything out clearly. How Viggo would use my premarital assets free of charge. How the company we built after marriage would be transferred entirely into his personal name. How he even accused me of marital infidelity to claim a larger share of the assets.

In the end, I would walk away with nothing.

Not even the company we had built together. He didnt plan to leave me even a single damn cent!

I couldnt help but laugh.

So thats how it is.

I pushed the agreement back across the table, my tone so calm that even the lawyer froze for a second.

Have my lawyer revise it, I said. When its done, give it back to Viggo.

He wants me penniless?

Oh, Viggo, if you dont end up exactly the way you were before marrying me, with nothing to your name, then I dont deserve the Victorian family name.

By the time I got home, it was already late.

Cruella was sitting in the living room playing with her toys. The moment she saw me, her face darkened.

Bad woman! Why are you home so late?

She frowned, her voice sharp. Were you out fooling around again?

I stopped in my tracks. Cruella

Youre so shameless! She raised her voice. Other kids moms are already home by now. Youre the only one who isnt!

Viggo stood up from the couch, his tone displeased.

Look at yourself, he said. Youre a mother. Do you think this is appropriate?

Coming home this late every day. What kind of example are you setting for her?

I stood in the entryway, my hands slowly curling into fists.

I had heard this lecture for seven years.

Whenever I worked late, hed tell our daughter that women who come home late are restless and improper.

If I woke up late and didnt make breakfast, hed say a good mother would never let her child go hungry.

Under this constant emotional pressure, Id been forced to give up parts of the company, rush home early, juggle being a stay-at-home mom while still trying to build a career.

And yet, nobody ever noticed what I gave. All I got in return was fucking blame!

There was something going on at the company, I said, swallowing my emotions out of habit.

Cruella, go to bed early. You have art class tomorrow.

The words had barely left my mouth when she suddenly screamed.

I dont want to go!

That brat grabbed a cup from the table and hurled it at me.

I didnt have time to dodge. The cup shattered against my forehead. A sharp ringing filled my ears. I staggered, reached up, and my hand came away covered in blood.

I dont want to learn painting! She cried hysterically. I hate it! Why are you forcing me? Youre a bad mommy!

Viggo rushed over immediately and pulled her into his arms.

Alright, alright. Baby, dont cry, he soothed softly.

Then he frowned at me. Whats wrong with you, honey? Why are you putting so much pressure on the child?

Shes only six.

Isnt it better for her to grow up happy?

As I stood where I was, a chill crept up from my feet.

Back then, it was Cruella who loved painting. She begged me for it again and again.

I was the one who thought she was too young and wanted to wait.

It was Viggo who said I was selfish. Who said I wasnt thinking about her future. Who said it would make her fall behind at the starting line.

And now, somehow, it was all my fault.

I wiped the blood from my face, my voice turning cold.

Cruella. Apologize to me.

The living room went silent.

You dared to hit your mother today, I said, staring at her. Tomorrow, will you dare to hit other kids at kindergarten?

I will not accept raising a criminal.

I had never spoken so harshly to her before.

She froze then burst into loud sobs.

Bad mom! Bad mom! Bad mom! I dont want to talk to you anymore!

Why should I apologize to a bad mom?

Viggos expression darkened completely.

Mariah! When did you become this petty?

Its just a little scratch. Is it really worth getting angry at a child over? Right now, you dont look like a mother at all!

I suddenly laughed.

What does a mother look like?

Is this the fucking face I make after giving birth, no milk, forced to drink that nasty-ass medicine?

Or when she stumbled learning to walk, I had to fucking kneel on the floor, teaching her step by step like some damn servant until she could walk?

The more I remembered all the shit I went through before, the colder I felt. I used to endure it all for the love of this damn family. Even if it was bitter, I swallowed it like it was sweet, thinking we were all on the same page.

But now, I knowthe only ones on the same damn page are them, not me.

I endure, I retreat, I play nice, and this fucking family doesnt change a bit.

They just take it all for granted!

Youre still being stubborn! Viggo said coldly. Apologize to Cruella. Or Ill take her to my parents place for a while.

Once upon a time, that sentence used to terrify me the most.

Fear of shit from my mother-in-law, fear of being shot down by my father-in-law, fear that Viggos family would hate me.

But now? Not a damn bit of fear left.

I spoke softly.

Cruella, if you dont want to learn, then you wont. Ill cancel the tutoring classes.

If private school doesnt suit you, Ill transfer you to public school.

From now on, I wont interfere in your life anymore.

Viggo froze.

Before he could say anything, Cruella cheered.

Thats what a good mom is like!

I didnt respond. I just turned around and went back to the bedroom to bandage my wound.

Soon, the door opened.

Viggo walked in, his tone gentler.

Honey, did something happen to you today?

He reached out, trying to help me apply some ointment.

Why did you suddenly cut off Cruellas classes?

I raised my hand and pushed him away, my voice flat and cold.

Isnt this what you and Cruella wanted? Im just letting her grow up happy.

Mariahs POV

My words caught Viggo off guard.

He clearly hadnt expected that response. His expression froze for a couple of seconds before his brows knit together again, his tone slipping back into that familiar Im doing this for your own good voice.

You cant put it that way, he said.

The tutoring can slow down, sure. But how can you just cut everything off completely? Do you know how hard it was to get Cruella into that private school? You spent so much effort back then. Have you really forgotten?

I didnt respond. I just lowered my head and kept tending to the wound.

Standing beside me, Viggo watched my indifference. A flicker of irritation flashed in his eyes, quickly smothered.

If you dont agree, I said flatly, then you can explain it to your daughter yourself.

This was a decision you and she made together.

He clearly froze.

He had never seen me this cold before.

In the past, no matter what he said, Id instinctively smoothed things over for him, cleaned up his messes, never once pushed responsibility back onto him.

The displeasure crossed his face again, gone just as quickly.

As if remembering something, he suddenly reached into his briefcase, pulled out a document, and handed it to me.

Alright, lets drop the Cruella issue for now.

Oh, right. Sign this.

He spoke casually. A deal I just closed today. The process is a bit rushed.

Cruellas issue wasnt urgent. He didnt really believe Id stop caring about her anyway. He just assumed I was saying things out of anger.

This so-called deal, on the other hand, mattered.

If this were before, I wouldnt even have opened the contract.

I never interfered in his career. I just signed, transferred money, and took responsibility when things went wrong.

This time, I didnt bother reading it either.

Because I already knew that this wasnt a goddamn business contract at all.

It was a fucking divorce agreement dressed up as one.

Judging by his reaction, he probably hadnt realized yet that the contents of that agreement had already been revised.

When he saw me sign, his shoulders visibly relaxed. His voice softened immediately, compliments spilling out.

If this goes through, well make a lot of money.

Honey, when its done, Ill make it up to you. A proper wedding this timebig, formal, invite everyone.

Youve always regretted not having one, havent you? Ill make it up to you.

Seven years ago, when we got married, he had nothing.

No wedding. No rings. Our parents hadnt even formally met.

Over the years, every time he needed my support, he dangled the word wedding in front of me like bait.

And damn, I always believed him.

Even now, knowing he was divorcing me for Carmilla, when he used that familiar, practiced tactic, my chest still ached.

I blinked, forcing the bitterness down. As I handed the document back, I couldnt stop myself from adding, If we got divorced

I didnt even finish before he cut me off, righteous and firm.

How could we get divorced?

His tone was absolute. This family cant function without you. Neither I nor our daughter can live without you.

Youre the backbone of this household. Dont overthink things.

He sounded so certain.

Yet his words and his actions couldnt have been more opposite.

Before I could speak again, I noticed the smile he couldnt quite suppress.

He thought he could trick me into signing the divorce papers and leaving me with nothing.

But soon, he'll understand what it feels like to lose everything.

As if realizing something, he coughed and forced himself back into composure.

Alright. Get some rest. Im going to step out and make a call.

And with that, he hurried out of the room.

He even forgot to finish applying the meds.

I bit down on self-mockery.

Not long after, my phone vibrated.

It was a message from the lawyer.

[Maam, the divorce agreement has officially entered the process.]

I stared at that line for a long time.

And then I laughed.

I laughed and laughed until I finally broke, collapsing onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Nine years of sincerity.

Ill just consider myself blind, terrible at judging people.

After crying, I calmed down quickly.

Silently, I packed my belongings. I contacted the school, canceled all of Cruellas tutoring classes, withdrew her enrollment from the private school, transferred her to a public one, and froze her allowance account.

I had never been speaking out of anger.

As for Viggo, he didnt know yet.

In a few days, the company I brought into the marriage as a wedding gift would return, intact, to my dads name.

Including the house we were living in.

Everything Id bought for this so-called family of three over the years, I sorted through it all. What could be thrown away, I threw the hell away.

When I came back again, the door was shut.

I opened it and saw Carmilla.

She was sitting on the living-room couch, sunglasses and a mask on, her suitcase beside her.

Cruella hovered around her, looking up at her like a little chick, chatting eagerly.

In the kitchen stood Viggo, hands that had never touched housework, wearing an apron, making her a late-night snack.

At the sound of the door, Carmilla removed her sunglasses and mask and smiled at me.

Mariah! You remember me, right?

Her tone was casual, as if nothing were wrong.

We were roommates in college.

My hotel in Glendale got exposed by paparazzi. I cant go back right now.

I thought about it, and you and Viggo are the only people I know here.

She gestured around.

This neighborhood has good privacy. Ill just stay for a bit.

Then, as if remembering something, she added warmly, Were old classmates. You wont mind, right?

Viggo walked out of the kitchen holding a bowl of soup.

He didnt even look at me.

Of course not, he answered on my behalf. Were old classmates. Whats wrong with staying a few days? The house is big.

Mariahs POV

My nails dug deep into my palms.

The divorce wasnt even finalized, and Viggo had already brought Carmilla into my home!

Everyone there, except little Cruella, knew exactly what a shitstorm Carmilla and I had gone through.

Back in college, that bitch spread some rumors that I wore fake crap, that I could only have this much money by screwing some old man.

She even spread rumors that I was selling myselfmade a price for a nightflooding my phone with harassment messages asking if Id fuck them.

I had always considered her a close friend, trusted that fucking snake, until I could bear it no longer and investigated, only to find all the rumors came out of her lying mouth.

Later, she broke up with Viggo to pursue her entertainment debut.

And I, completely unaware of their past, was the one Viggo chased after.

After graduation, I found out the class had labeled me the other woman. They said I stole him. That I forced Carmilla into show business. At that time, I felt unbearably fucked over.

Viggo held me then and said, People only see whats on the surface. We just need to live our own lives.

Looking back now, the only dumbass was me.

In the living room, the three of them acted like I didnt exist.

Cruella eagerly served Carmilla a bowl of soup.

When Carmilla flinched from the heat, Cruella immediately grabbed her hand, full of concern.

Mom, I mean, Auntie, Ill blow on it for you.

Viggo hurried over with burn ointment.

Meanwhile, the wound on my temple was still bleeding, and not a single fucking person looked at it.

I let out a sarcastic laugh and stepped forward.

I lifted my hand and smashed that bowl of soup onto the floor.

Sorry.

I looked at them, my tone calm.

This is my house. No outsiders are allowed to live here!

Viggo and Cruella both froze.

Before the sound of the bowl finished fading, Viggo had already stepped in front of Carmilla, his tone a mixture of shock and anger.

Have you lost your mind?! he snapped.

Cruella snapped out of it too, rushing over and shoving me hard.

How can you be so cruel?! MomI mean, Auntie Carmillais just staying for a few days! What is wrong with you?!

I stumbled back, my spine slamming into the edge of the table. The pain shot through me, but it was nothing compared to the icy ache spreading through my chest.

Maybe I had swallowed too much for too long.

At that moment, I was done swallowing shit.

Listen carefully. Both of you.

I straightened slowly, staring at them, enunciating every damn word.

This house is mine. If you want to let some outsider stay here, fine.

But then the two of you can get the hell out with her.

The air went dead silent.

Viggo stared at me like Id grown another head. Then he let out a furious laugh.

What did you just say?

Weve been married all these years. The house belongs to both of us. Who the hell are you to decide alone?

This is my home! Cruella shrieked. Mine and Daddys!

Only then did Carmilla speak, all slow and soft, playing the saint.

Its okay, she sighed lightly. If Mariah really doesnt want me here, Ill leave.

That fake, delicate retreat made me look like the villain.

I turned my gaze to Viggo, cold as ice.

She can stay, I said coolly. Ten thousand a day.

If you dont pay, Ill leak her location to her fans tomorrow.

Carmillas face changed instantly.

She clearly hadnt expected me to go that far.

For a moment, Viggo hesitated, too.

But then he looked like he remembered that the divorce agreement had already been signed. It would be finalized in a few days.

In his mind, ten thousand a day, seven daysseventy thousand. Compared to a house worth tens of millions? A fucking bargain.

He discreetly squeezed Carmillas hand, thinking I wouldnt notice.

Then he turned to me, his voice softening.

I know you mind that shes my ex.

But thats all in the past.

Mariah, if this makes you feel better, ten thousand it is.

Ill pay. Okay?

I didnt respond. I simply held out my phone.

Transfer it.

His jaw tightened, but he wired the money anyway.

The moment the payment notification chimed, I turned and walked upstairs.

The house felt filthy to me now.

Tomorrow, Id move out.

And soon enough, it would be sold.

That night, I woke up out of habit to use the bathroom.

The space beside me was empty.

I hadnt wanted to share a bed with him in the first place. He insisted, saying the guest room was for Carmilla, so he had to stay with me.

When he tried to touch me earlier, I shut him down.

As I passed Carmillas door, I stopped.

They werent even trying to be quiet.

Her laughter drifted out, smug and teasing.

Being with a big star feels different, doesnt it?

Viggos reply was low, casual.

Of course.

Shes different.

She doesnt have a waist as soft as yours. Youre fucking lethal.

Carmilla chuckled.

These few days, youd better keep coaxing her.

Cruellas still hard to handle at this age. Once she starts elementary school, itll be easier. Then you can dump that woman.

Viggo answered without hesitation.

Alright. Whatever you say.

Thats when I finally understood.

Why the divorce agreement was signed, yet he hadnt acted.

He was waiting for me.

Waiting for me to keep serving as their free nanny. Waiting to squeeze out whatever value I had left before discarding me.

A silent, bitter smile touched my lips.

I pulled out my phone and recorded everything.

Then I sent the file to my assistant.

[Seven days. Send this to Carmillas biggest rival.]

If this was the entertainment industry, you solve problems the entertainment way.

They're so smug now, so pleased with what they think is their perfect plan. But in the end, the one who will suffer won't be me, but them.

Mariahs POV

Back in my room, I lay awake all night.

I thought about every time Viggo and I had been intimate over the years. Every single time, it was over before it even began.

I had tried initiating. Tried pleasing him. Tried warming something that always felt cold.

He always said he was just tired. That he didnt have the energy.

Turns out it wasnt about energy.

He just wasnt interested in me.

I wiped the dampness from the corner of my eyes and forced them shut.

When I woke up the next morning, the house was already empty.

I didnt bother wondering where theyd gone.

I went straight to the company under my name. I wanted everything settled cleanly.

But the moment I walked into the lobby, I saw Viggo. Beside him was Carmilla, wearing a mask. There was also Cruella, her hand held tightly between them. They were strolling through the lobby like a family.

I had never seen him look this openly triumphant.

Like a rooster showing off its prize.

All these years, everything he had, his position, his status, had come from me.

In front of me, he always had to lower his head, restrain himself, and pretend.

In front of Carmilla, he finally felt whole.

I was busy. I didnt want to acknowledge them. I just wanted to finish my work and leave.

But Carmilla called out anyway.

Mariah! Youre here! She smiled. Its been so many years. I didnt expect youd still be this impressive, building a company this big with Viggo.

In just a few sentences, she lightly brought up college, brought up dating, and casually mentioned the past.

Back then, Viggo and I were together. Then you suddenly appeared.

She tilted her head slightly. Maybe you two really were meant to be.

I just wasnt lucky enough.

In just a few sentences, she painted me as the shameless intruder.

But she misjudged her audience.

Aside from a few new hires whispering among themselves, the long-time employees, people whod followed me for years, turned around and walked away with a blank expression.

Viggo was pleased.

He leaned in and said quietly, Carmilla hasnt seen the company before. Im just showing her around.

Dont overthink it.

Cruella chimed in, too.

Mom, dont be jealous.

Thats what bitter women do.

I didnt look at them again.

I handed the reviewed contract to my assistant and turned to leave.

Id just reached the end of the corridor when the floor jolted beneath my feet.

At first, it felt like a brief imbalance like an elevator misfiring.

Then the entire floor began to sway. Ceiling lights rattled violently, metal screeching.

The earthquake alert sounded.

My first instinct wasnt to run. I turned back.

Everyone evacuate immediately! I shouted toward the office floor. Follow the drill routes. Dont push!

The veteran employees moved almost on reflex, grabbing emergency kits, shielding one another as they headed for the stairwells.

But the new hires Viggo had brought in clearly hadnt been trained.

They panicked, screaming and stampeding toward the exits.

Stop running! I tried to stabilize the chaos. Stay against the wall! Move in order!

But no one listened.

In the confusion, Viggo scooped up Cruella with one arm, grabbed Carmilla with the other, and bolted for the exit without looking back.

I had just taken a step when he shoved me hard.

Move!

I wasnt prepared for that. I slammed into the edge of a desk. Pain tore through my lower back. Before I could steady myself, another desk was knocked over by the crowd and crashed down on my leg.

I let out a muffled groan. I was trapped in place!

Above us, a ceiling light broke free, falling straight toward Carmilla.

Carmilla!

Viggo reacted on instinct.

He released Cruella and lunged forward, throwing his body over Carmilla.

The light fixture smashed into his back. Blood soaked through his shirt almost instantly.

But he didnt make a sound. He only held Carmilla tightly and said in a rushed, hoarse voice, Its okay. Dont be afraid.

Cruella, left behind when he let go and left her where she stood.

She fell to the ground, her face pale, crying without sound. Her limbs were weak; she couldnt even stand up.

I saw her. No matter what, she was still the child I gave birth to.

My leg was pinned. My back throbbed so badly I could barely breathe. But I still clenched my teeth and dragged myself over.

Cruella dont be scared.

Panting, I pulled her into my arms. Hold onto me.

I dragged her toward the exit inch by inch. Dust and debris kept raining down. My throat burned from the air.

Thankfully, the shaking eased quickly.

Rescue staff rushed in and lifted the desk off my leg.

I had just steadied myself and hadnt even had time to breathe in relief when Cruella suddenly shoved me away.

Dont touch me!

Mariahs POV

Cruella scrubbed at her face in disgust. So gross! Thats disgusting!

Before I could react, she stumbled toward Carmilla and threw herself into her arms.

Mom! Are you okay? I was so scared I was so scared

Carmilla burst into tears, clutching her tightly.

Viggos back was torn open, blood soaking through his shirt, but he didnt spare himself a glance. He lowered his head, checking Carmilla over and over.

Where does it hurt? Did you get scared?

In that moment, love and indifference stood in stark contrast.

I stood off to the side, something lodged in my chest so tightly I could barely breathe.

For weeks Id told myself to stay calm. To harden my heart. But when you finally understand that you are not the one being chosen it still hurts. It hurts so badly your whole body trembles.

I didnt understand how it had come to this.

I used to believe Viggo had loved me, at least once.

Seven years ago, during the cruise ship fire, he never left my side.

We drifted at sea for three days and three nights. He fed me his own blood to keep me conscious and begged me not to give up. When we were rescued and I burned with a high fever, he ignored his own weakness and took care of me for an entire week.

Back then, I thought I would marry no one but him.

My dad called me foolish. He threatened to cut ties with me. And I accepted it without hesitation.

But now, with something to compare it to, I finally see the truth.

He did save me. It just wasnt love.

It was a carefully packaged debt of gratitude.

And that life-saving favor? Over these past few years, Ive repaid it in full.

We owe each other nothing now.

At the hospital, I had just finished getting my wounds treated when the door to my room was kicked open.

Viggos parents stormed in.

You curse! his mother shrieked, pointing at me as if I were something rotten. She even tried to claw at my face. If it werent for you, how could he be hurt this badly?

What kind of company building collapses like a condemned house? Lights falling from the ceiling?! Are you kidding me?

I looked up at them, cold and steady.

My building meets top-tier safety standards. No one controls an earthquake. Your son got hurt because he chose to save someone. Why is that my fault?

She froze, clearly not expecting me to talk back.

Her face flushed red. Clutching her chest dramatically, she grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door.

Youre coming with me. Youre going to apologize to Viggo!

But when we reached his hospital room, they suddenly stopped.

Viggo had settled Carmilla onto the bed. He was feeding her medicine himself.

When he saw his parents, he didnt even glance in my direction.

She was really shaken up, he said. Mom, can you massage Carmillas head? She says its killing her.

His parents expressions changed instantly. They rushed over to her bedside.

Oh, dear, whats wrong? Why are you so pale?

Then, as if on cue, they turned and snapped at me again.

This is all because your company isnt safe! You bring nothing but bad luck, making everyone miserable!

Cruella ran over and hit me.

You built a bad building on purpose! You wanted to hurt my mom!

Carmilla spoke weakly from the bed.

Cruella, dont blame Mariah. No one can predict an earthquake.

Viggos eyes reddened with tenderness. Right in front of me, he brushed her hair back and kissed her gently on the cheek.

Im sorry you had to go through this.

Cruella threw herself into Carmillas arms again. Mommy worked so hard.

His parents sighed along.

If hed married Carmilla back then, none of this wouldve happened.

As if the earthquake were something I had personally caused!

As if only Carmilla had been injured, and I hadnt been hurt at all.

I stood there, expressionless.

But inside, it felt like thousands of ants were gnawing at my heart. The pain spread and spread until I could barely stand. Until I nearly broke.

The in-laws Id bent over backward to please adore Carmilla.

The husband and daughter I gave everything to didnt recognize me. Didnt love me. Didnt even ask about my injuries.

I was a complete joke.

I turned and walked away without another word.

I asked the nurse to start my discharge paperwork.

It wasnt even finished when someone blocked my path at the corner of the hallway.

Mariah.

I looked up.

Carmilla stood a short distance away.

Her makeup was gone. A strip of gauze was taped to her forehead. She looked pale, fragile. In her hand, she held a cup of warm water, like shed been waiting for me.

I wanted to apologize, she said softly. Back at the company I didnt expect Viggo to act so impulsively.

Mariahs POV

I didnt respond. I turned and started to walk away.

Honestly, the way he rushed over like that scared me, too.

She continued behind me, her voice calm, not loud, but every word landed clearly.

I didnt even have time to react. He was already standing in front of me.

Dont misunderstand, she added lightly. It was just instinct. He saved me first without thinking. After all, no matter how much you have, you still cant win a mans heart.

The words were naked provocation. A quiet boast.

My steps slowed, but I didnt turn around.

Then, suddenly, a dull thud sounded behind me.

A womans sharp gasp. The sound of a body hitting the floor.

A bad feeling surged up my spine.

I spun around.

Carmilla was sprawled on the ground, her forehead smashed against the sharp corner of a cabinet. Blood streamed down from her temple.

She lifted her head, eyes red, voice trembling.

Mariah why did you push me?

For a split second, my mind went completely blank.

Then the hospital room door flew open.

Viggo rushed in.

He saw the blood and Carmilla on the floor.

His face darkened instantly.

Mariah!

He crossed the room in a few strides and slapped me across the face.

The sound was sharp and loud. My head snapped to the side. My ears rang.

Have you lost your mind?! he roared. Shes an actress! How could you hurt her face?!

If youre angry, take it out on me!

Is this because my parents dont like you, so you lash out at someone else?

I spoke on instinct. I didnt push her

Before I could finish, he cut me off with a cold laugh. You didnt?

He looked at me with open contempt. So you expect me to believe that an actresssomeone who treasures her face more than anythingwould smash her own head into a cabinet just to frame you?

Mariah, he said slowly, deliberately, do you really think youre some pampered heiress having a princess meltdown?

You enjoy taking your anger out on others that much?

At that moment, every urge I had to explain vanished.

He had already decided I was guilty. Nothing I said would change that.

I lifted my head and looked straight at him.

A pampered heiress?

I repeated softly.

Yeah, I said, suddenly smiling. I am.

I gave up being one for you. I walked away from my dads wealth, brought you a wedding gift, married you, and built everything from the ground up by your side.

Anyone else can accuse me of having a princess complex, I said, locking eyes with him. But you, Viggo? You dont deserve to.

As the last word fell, I slapped him back. Harder than he had hit me.

The sound echoed through the room.

Viggo completely lost control. He never imagined that I, the woman who had always swallowed everything, would raise a hand against him.

He lunged forward, but Carmilla grabbed him tightly.

Viggo, dont, she cried, shaking her head. Forget it. Im fine.

That sentence snapped him back to reality.

He hadnt gotten all my money yet. This wasnt the time to lose his head.

He took a deep breath. His face was still ugly, but the pretense of tenderness was gone.

Lets go.

He bent down, lifted Carmilla into his arms, and turned to leave.

Before walking out, he tossed over his shoulder,

Mariah, Im taking Cruella to stay with my parents for a few days. When you finally realize you were wrong, then Ill come home.

He thought it was a killing blow.

He thought Id do what I always did. Llower my head, apologize, cry, beg him to come back.

But I never would again.

I wiped away my tears and took a deep breath.

Then I booked the earliest flight out.

All that packing over the past few days, sorting through my belongings, closing out the company, was just me being reluctant to leave a place Id lived in for years. A home I hadnt fully let go of.

But really, as the Victorianss eldest daughter, what couldnt I buy again? What company couldnt I rebuild?

The reason I hadnt left right away was never about those worthless things.

And now, none of it mattered.

At the airport, my lawyers message came through.

[Maam, all divorce procedures have been fully completed.]

[The terms of the divorce agreement are being enforced, and your ex-husband is about to lose everything.]

With a faint smile playing on my lips, I transferred the funds from my bank account to the law firm. I snapped a screenshot and sent it to my lawyer: "Thank you for your help. Please find the receipt for my legal fees attached."

Moments before the plane took off, I found the contact info for Viggo and his family and blocked them for good.

"Happy divorce, Viggo. Soon enough, you'll realize that the one leaving with nothing isn't meits you."

Three days later, thinking everything was settled, convinced he still had me under control, Viggo smirked as he called the house landline.

He was waiting for me to cry, to apologize, to beg him to come home.

Instead, a stranger answered.

Hello, this is a real estate agency.

The property has already been sold. Please return as soon as possible to collect your personal belongings. Otherwise, they will be disposed of in the community trash area.

At the same time, Carmilla, face mask on, voice lazy, drawled from beside him.

Honey, when can we move back into the big house?

Mariah still hasnt apologized yet?

After Her Divorce, She Inherited the Mafia Empire

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 01:20:29 +0800

My husband's courier had been bleeding my family accounts dry like they were her personal tribute, and she'd had the audacity to call me a useless ornamental bride right there in the private dining room of La Maschera Nerathe most exclusive establishment in Cresthaven's territory.

The disrespect was so brazen it stole the breath from my lungs.

So I made a single phone call. Had her access revoked on the spot. Left her without a cent of clean cash to settle the bill. The managera man who understood exactly whose territory he operated inheld her there for an entire day and night. By morning, every made man and associate from here to the harbor knew Silvana Ferro had been kept like a common debtor, weeping mascara onto white linen.

When Enzo found out, he merely traced a finger down the bridge of my nose, his touch deceptively gentle.

"You." His voice carried that particular warmth he reserved for moments when he thought himself clever. "A grown woman, jealous over a little courier? And now the whole organization is laughing at her."

He didn't blame me. Acted as though the incident had never occurred.

Until my birthday.

When he escorted me to La Maschera Nera himself, his hand possessive at the small of my back.

He ordered dozens of coursesthe kind of excess that announced power to anyone watching. Bottles of wine older than our marriage. He mentioned that associates from allied families would be joining us to pay their respects.

"Tesoro mio," he murmured against my temple, his lips brushing my hairline. "I need to step out for a moment. Family business. I'll return before the first toast."

I waited.

The candles burned down to pools of wax. The kitchen staff began their closing rituals, the distant clatter of copper pots echoing through the emptying restaurant. His associates never arrived. His chair remained cold.

When I finally reached for the card he'd given methe one linked to the Gambetti family accountsthe manager's face shifted like clouds sliding across the moon.

"Signora Gambetti." His voice had lost its earlier deference. "This account has been frozen."

"Frozen?"

Enzo had pressed that card into my palm himself before we'd left the compound. He'd even taken my personal funds, claiming that a husband should provide for his wife on her birthday. That it was a matter of honor.

I'd been moved by the gesture. Quietly proud of myself for securing such a thoughtful matcha man who, despite his brutality in business, showed tenderness in private.

Now the leather seat across from me sat empty. I'd called his private line seventeen times. Each call rang into the void.

If this account was dead, I was exposed.

The manager's expression completed its transformationfrom polished courtesy to barely concealed contempt. In this world, an unpaid debt was more than an inconvenience. It was a crack in the armor. A sign of weakness that invited predators.

"Signora." His tone had hardened. "Do you have another means of payment?"

"I should remind youLa Maschera Nera does not extend credit. You of all people should understand this, given what occurred here last month."

Oh, I remembered.

Last month, Silvana Ferro had swept through this very establishment with Enzo's blessing, spending tribute money like water, draped in silk she hadn't earned. And when I'd arrived to collect my husband for a sit-down with the Marchetti family, she'd looked me up and down with those calculating eyes and laughed.

"The ornamental bride," she'd called me. "Pretty enough for photographs. Useless for everything else."

A cold understanding settled into my bones like frost creeping across glass.

This was Enzo's revenge. His payment for the humiliation I'd dealt his precious goomah.

The sharp percussion of stilettos echoed from the entrancea rhythm I recognized. Deliberate. Theatrical.

I turned.

Enzo stood in the doorway, his arm wrapped around Silvana Ferro's waist with the proprietary ease of a man displaying a new acquisition. Her face was a mask of triumph, lips curved in a smile that belonged on a cat watching a mouse realize the trap had already sprung.

Behind them filed a procession of familiar facescapos, associates, men who had toasted my health at family gatherings. Every single one of them watched me with the anticipation of spectators at an execution.

"Celestina Valente." Silvana's voice cut through the silence like a blade drawn from silk. She used my maiden name deliberatelya reminder that in this room, tonight, I was no longer under Gambetti protection. "You do so enjoy watching people squirm when they cannot pay their debts. Let us see how you handle the shame."

The whispers erupted like brushfire.

"I heard she came from nothingsome minor family barely worth mentioning. Only caught the Boss's eye because of that face. And now her own husband brings his woman to watch her crawl."

"This is what happens when you try to climb the hierarchy on beauty alone."

"Exactly. How long does a pretty face buy loyalty? The moment a powerful man finds someone younger, someone usefulyour protection evaporates like morning fog."

My nails bit crescents into my palms. Humiliation seared through my veins like acid.

Just as I'd suspected. Enzo had orchestrated this entire eveningthe romantic dinner, the promises, the carefully frozen accountsall of it staged for his courier's satisfaction.

He guided Silvana to the most prominent table in the room, pulled out her chair with exaggerated gallantry, and settled beside her like a king taking his throne. His hand rested on her thigh, visible to everyone.

"Don't trouble yourself, bella." His voice carried deliberately, pitched for the audience. "However she humiliated you that day, I will repay her double. This I swear on my name."

Silvana's face illuminated with vicious joy. She turned and pressed her painted lips to his mouth in a kiss that lasted long enough to make a statement.

"Thank you, Enzo." Her voice was honey poured over broken glass. "Mio protettore."

Then her gaze found mine, sharp as a stiletto.

"Celestina." She rose from her seat, wine glass in hand. "You are nothing but a pretty face. An ornament. A waste of the family's resources. What gave you the right to freeze my access? To humiliate me in front of men who matter?"

She lifted one of the bottles from the tablea vintage worth more than most men earned in a yearand hurled it at my feet.

The crystal shattered against marble with the sound of a gunshot.

Crimson wine erupted upward, splashing across my white silk dress, my face, my carefully styled hair. I stood there, dripping, looking every bit as pathetic and powerless as they wanted me to look.

"Che patetica." Silvana's laughter rang through the room like a death knell. "Worthless. I have Enzo to cover whatever I break, whatever I take, whatever I desire." Her smile widened, showing teeth. "But you?"

She stepped closer, close enough that I could smell her perfumesomething expensive that Enzo had undoubtedly purchased.

"You are finished, Celestina. The walk of shame awaits. Perhaps you can crawl back to whatever forgotten corner of the city spawned you."

Enzo watched me with that same mocking smile carved into his face like a death mask. "Stop looking at me like you're planning where to bury the body, cara mia. If you've got the cash, settle up and walk out of here with whatever's left of your dignity."

"Ha! What cash? She couldn't cover this tab if her life hung in the balance."

"The food, the wine they've already openedshe'd choke on the number before she could speak it."

"She's been living off the Gambetti family's tribute this whole time. Without the Boss, she's nothing but a pretty face with empty pockets."

To ensure my degradation was absolute, Enzo rose from his chair with a cold laugh that echoed off the private room's mahogany walls. His gaze swept across the assembled guests like a blade across throats.

"Anyone who helps Celestina out of this mess becomes my enemyand an enemy of the Gambetti Family."

The words hung in the air like gunsmoke. Everyone in Cresthaven knew the Gambettis controlled half the city's territory. No one with a survival instinct would dare cross the Acting Boss in his own domain.

A few associates I'd cultivated relationships with over the years shifted in their seats, hands moving toward their breast pocketsready to step forward, to show respect where respect was owed.

But the moment Enzo's threat landed, they froze. Their hands retreated. Their eyes dropped to their plates. Terrified he might remember their faces.

"See? The Boss doesn't make idle threats."

"He's protecting his little courier harder than he ever protected his own wife."

"Exactly. I thought being his legitimate bride would count for somethingthat this was just a message, a warning. But this? This is a severance."

"After that declaration, who's going to risk their standing for her?"

I lost control. I crossed the room in three strides and seized Enzo's arm, my fingers digging into the fine wool of his suit. "Enzo, are you really going to humiliate me like thisin front of everyonefor some scheming puttana who climbed out of the gutter and into your bed?"

Enzo's lip curled. His hand moved faster than I could track.

Crack.

The backhand sent me stumbling. My cheek burned like he'd pressed a lit cigarette to my skin.

"Yes."

I turned back to face him, my vision swimming, barely able to comprehend what had just happened.

Three years of marriage. Three years of playing the devoted wife while the Gambetti name rose from street-level enforcers to one of Cresthaven's most feared families. We were famous for being the perfect couplethe ruthless young Boss and his elegant bride.

He was the one who pursued me when I first arrived in Cresthaven. Relentless. Obsessive. He'd sent flowers every day for six months. Had his men shadow me "for protection." Showed up at my door with a ring and a promise that felt like a blood oath.

At our wedding, surrounded by capos and consiglieri from a dozen allied families, he'd made vowsswore on his mother's grave that he'd be faithful until they put him in the ground beside her. That I was his and he was mine until the end of all things.

And now? Three years later, every promise, every whispered devotion, every memory of the man I thought I'd marriedshattered by the cold cruelty in his eyes.

Just like the old wives always warned: marry into a Family with nothing but beauty and a false name, and you'll never have true standing. The moment someone younger and hungrier crawls into his bed, your life as a Boss's wife is finished.

But Enzo had no idea. When I married into the Gambetti clan, I wasn't after their territory or their tribute. I married him because I loved himthe man I thought existed beneath the violence.

Facing my bloodshot eyes, Enzo pulled a silk handkerchief from his breast pocket and turned away with deliberate dismissal. He wiped the hand that had struck me as though cleaning off something distasteful.

"You knew I valued that courier. You knew she was under my protection. And you still had to push."

He tucked the handkerchief away and met my gaze with eyes as cold as the obsidian floors of his father's study.

"Celestina, if you can't settle this bill, I'll have the manager strip you bare and throw you into the street like a common sgualdrina. Let all of Cresthaven see what becomes of a woman who forgets her place."

The room erupted in murmurs. Every eye fixed on mesome filled with mockery, others with a darker hunger.

"The Boss is really going all outmaking his own wife crawl out naked for the new girl."

"Can you believe it? A public degradation. This is a message."

"She won't be his wife by sunrise. After tonight, she's nobody. Less than nobody."

"Silenzio. Let's just watch."

The older capos leaned back in their chairs, amusement playing across their weathered faces. One of thema man who controlled the docks and had shaken my hand at a dozen family dinnerslet his gaze travel down my body with undisguised interest.

"I want to see if she's got the curves to match all that pride."

My face burned with humiliation so complete it felt like drowning.

Enzo had taken my spending rights before we left the estate, catching me completely off guard. A casual request to "hold onto" my access to the family accounts. I'd thought nothing of it.

All I had was the designer gown on my backsilk and lace worth more than most people earned in a month, but utterly worthless as currency. I had no way to pay.

And my phone was dead. The battery had been full when we left. That's when the final piece clicked into placeEnzo had planned every moment of this evening. The dinner. The guests. The timing. Even the dead phone.

This wasn't a lover's quarrel. This was an execution.

Silvana's painted lips curved into a smile of pure triumph from her place at Enzo's side.

"It's getting late, Celestina." Enzo's voice carried the bored finality of a man pronouncing sentence. "The restaurant is waiting for you to settle your debt so they can close for the evening. Unless you'd prefer the alternative."

"Don't tell me you can't even scrape together enough to settle the tab."

"What a beautiful disgrace that would be." Silvana's lips curled around the words like a snake savoring venom. "Detained by the Feds for skipping out on a billisn't that exactly the kind of public humiliation you once arranged for me?"

She withdrew a slender cigarette from a silver case, placed it between her painted lips, and struck a match. The flame illuminated the cruel satisfaction in her eyes before she extinguished it with a flick of her wrist. She exhaled slowly, deliberately, sending a plume of Turkish tobacco smoke directly into my face.

Her expression dripped with the arrogance of a woman who believed herself untouchable.

I couldn't stop myself. My hand shot up and connected with her cheeka crack that echoed through the private dining room like a gunshot.

The table went flying. Crystal shattered against marble. Chaos erupted.

Enzo rushed to Silvana's side, cradling her face with a tenderness he'd never shown me. Then his eyes found mine, cold as obsidian, and he snapped his fingers at his enforcers. Before I could react, two men in dark suits grabbed me by the arms and threw me to the ground.

The impact drove the air from my lungs. The cold floor bit through the silk of my dress.

"Celestina, that's enough!"

"Oh, so your goomah can torment people all she wants, but no one's allowed to fight back?"

I glared up at Enzo, my eyes burning with a fury I'd suppressed for three long years. The Gambetti Family's meteoric rise from small-time operators to one of Cresthaven's most respected syndicates? That was me. I'd leveraged every connection my bloodline commanded to clear their path. The rival clans who wanted to carve up Gambetti territory backed off. The Feds who sniffed too close suddenly found themselves reassigned. The protection agreements that should have taken decades to secure fell into place within months.

All because of who I was.

Tonight, on my birthday, I'd planned to finally tell Enzo the truth. That I wasn't some orphaned nobody he'd taken as a trophy bride. That I was the hidden heir to the Valente thronethe most feared of Northport's Four Founding Families.

I was going to bring him home to meet my parents. To formally unite our bloodlines.

I never imagined his loyalty could rot this fast.

I'd misjudged him. Overestimated his honor.

"Enzo." My voice was steady despite the enforcer's grip bruising my arms. "Are you really going to make me walk out of here humiliated? On the anniversary of our blood pact?"

Enzo let out a cold laugh that held no warmth, no recognition of the woman who had built his empire from the shadows. "What else? You think I arranged all this just for show?"

Silvana, emboldened by the wall of muscle surrounding her, stepped forward and swung her fist into my face. The copper taste of blood bloomed across my tongue.

"You worthless kept woman." She crouched down to my level, her perfume sickeningly sweet. "Here are your options: get hauled off by the Feds for failing to pay, or strip naked, hold this steak in your teeth, and crawl out of here on all fours like a dog begging for scraps."

She grinned, revealing teeth too white, too perfect. "Oh, and the difference? Option one, you keep your clothes. Option two, you lose your clothes and every shred of dignity you've ever possessed." She checked her diamond-encrusted watch with theatrical impatience. "So hurry up and pickI'm getting bored."

Dozens of eyes watched me from the shadows of the private roommade men, capos from allied families, their wives dripping in blood money jewels. I was tonight's entertainment. The fall of the Gambetti Don's ornamental bride.

I clenched my fists until my knuckles went white, my gaze fixed on Enzo without a shred of emotion.

"Fine." My voice cut through the silence like a blade. "If this is the path you've chosen, then when the Gambetti Family loses its protectionwhen your territories are seized and your alliances crumble to ashthat's on you."

The moment the words left my mouth, Silvana burst out laughing. The sound was shrill, mocking.

"Ha! Did you hear that?"

Murmurs rippled through the assembled guests.

"Does she think she's living in some fairy tale? Playing the secret Donna?"

"She's clearly lost her mind."

"Three years as a trophy wife and she thinks she has power?"

Enzo's eyes flashed with cold fury. He thought I was bluffing tooa desperate woman grasping at phantom leverage.

He grabbed a plate of braised veal and hurled it at me. The porcelain shattered against my shoulder, sauce streaking down my ruined dress like blood. "Stop talking nonsense. You're going to bring down the Gambettis? Who do you think you are?"

I wiped the sauce from my cheek with deliberate calm. "Worry about your own problems first."

Enzo's jaw tightened. "Manager!"

The restaurant's manager materialized from the shadows, flanked by security in crisp black suits. His tone was cold but professionally neutralthe voice of a man who knew better than to take sides in Family business.

"Signora Gambetti, will you be settling the account in clean cash, or is someone coming to cover the tribute?"

I scanned the room, my gaze cutting through the sea of hostile faces until it landed on a woman I'd worked with beforea minor player in the shipping business I'd helped negotiate on behalf of the Gambettis.

I started walking toward her, my heels clicking against the marble like a countdown.

The second she saw me coming, she scrambled out of her velvet chair and backed away, nearly knocking over a waiter.

"Celestina, stay backI can't pay for youI don't have that kind of access"

"Relax." I kept my voice low, controlled. "I'm not asking you to pay. I just need to borrow your phone."

She hesitated, fear warring with something else in her eyesperhaps a distant memory of the respect my presence once commanded.

"Please. I'm calling a friend to bring the money."

Silvana's laughter cut through the room like breaking glass. "Oh, this is rich! Who in all of Cresthaven would dare come to your rescue now?"

She waved dismissively, settling back into her chair like a queen on a stolen throne. "Fine, let her make her little call. We'll give her thirty minutes." Her eyes swept across the room, landing on a cluster of heavyset capos who'd been watching the spectacle with undisguised hunger. "If nobody shows up with the tribute by then"

She gestured at them with a lazy flick of her cigarette.

"these gentlemen can strip her themselves. A woman who's shared the bed of Cresthaven's most powerful Don must be worth sampling, wouldn't you say?"

The men's laughter was low and predatory.

I took the phone from the trembling woman's hand, my fingers steady as I dialed a number I'd memorized years ago but never thought I'd need.

Thirty minutes.

That was all the time in the world.

Silvana turned toward the cluster of heavy-set men who had been watching me throughout the eveningtheir eyes crawling over my skin like rats in a cellar.

At her signal, the business associate slid her phone across the table toward me.

The moment the cold metal touched my palm, I dialed. My voice was steady, but beneath the surface, desperation coiled like a viper. Thirty minutes. I needed someone here with tribute in thirty minutes.

The seconds bled into one another, thick and slow as spilled wine. Ten minutes remained.

Silvana could contain herself no longer. She rose from her seat, silk dress whispering against her thighs, her painted lips curling with theatrical disgust.

"Madonna mia, I'm such a fool. I actually believed this puttana? Like her pathetic little friend is going to walk through those doors with clean cash?"

"She's stalling," one of the Capos agreed, his gold pinky ring catching the chandelier light. "Playing us for time."

Silvana snapped her fingers at the managera thin man with the hollow eyes of someone who had seen too much and said too little. "Have your men break her arms and legs first. No one in this city is stupid enough to cross the Gambetti Family by helping her. Stop wasting everyone's time."

The manager nodded once. His security detailmen with scarred knuckles and dead expressionsmoved toward me like shadows detaching from the walls. Their faces promised violence without pleasure, simply business.

I raised my hand, palm outward. "Hold."

My voice cut through the tension like a blade through silk.

"I still have ten minutes."

"When those ten minutes are up, someone will walk through that door with the money."

Silvana's laughter rang outsharp, cruel, the sound of a woman who believed herself untouchable. "That's stronzate and you know it. When those ten minutes are uphell, I'll give you an extra ten on top of thatif nobody shows up with cash in hand?" She spread her arms wide, playing to her audience. "I'll get on all fours and crawl out of this restaurant like a dog with my tail between my legs."

Something flickered in my chest. Not hopesomething colder. Certainty.

"You said it." My eyes locked onto hers. "Remember those words, Silvana. Remember them well."

"Yeah, I said it. E allora? Everyone in this room is my witness."

The private dining room erupted with the sounds of men who smelled blood in the water.

"Che spettacolo! I'm not going home tonight."

"Who knew a simple dinner would come with entertainment?"

The minutes bled away. One of the heavy Caposa man whose neck spilled over his collar like risen doughcouldn't contain himself any longer. His thick fingers reached toward me, grazing the bare skin of my shoulder.

"Non mi toccare." I slapped his hand away with enough force to make his rings clatter. "Don't touch me."

His laugh was wet, obscene. "Heh heh heh. Those curves, that bodyI don't even need to touch to know it's bellissima."

He turned toward the head of the table, toward the man who had once sworn to protect me before God and the Family.

"Don Gambetti, why don't you just give her to me? Consider it a gift between friends."

Enzo drained his wine in one smooth motion, the crystal catching light like frozen blood. His other hand toyed with a silver lighterflicking it open, closed, open, closedthe rhythm of a man utterly bored by the proceedings.

"Why not?" His voice was casual, dismissive. "If she can't pay the tribute she owes, you can do whatever you want with her."

"Ha! Then I'm claiming first rights."

The room shifted. The pretense of civility evaporated like morning fog over the harbor. These menmade men, Capos from allied families, men who had kissed Enzo's ring and sworn Omertstopped caring whether I consented. They began closing in, a circle of expensive suits and predatory intent.

My voice dropped to a temperature that could freeze blood in veins. "You think this is amusing? I'm about to make every single one of you the punchline."

I memorized each face. The shape of their jaws. The pattern of their scars. The greed gleaming in their eyes.

"And you." I turned to Silvana, letting her see something in my expression that made her smile falter for just a heartbeat.

She recovered quickly, spitting at my feet. "Rip her dress off. Time's up. No more stalling"

Silvana snapped her fingers at Enzo's personal enforcers, her smirk returning. "Hold her down. Pin her so these maiali can have their fun."

"S, signora." The bodyguards surged forward, surrounding me completelya wall of muscle and violence.

I looked at Enzo. My husband. The man I had elevated from a street-level associate's son to the Acting Boss of a respected Family. The man whose empire was built on foundations he couldn't even see.

My heart didn't break. It simply... froze. Turned to obsidian in my chest.

We were still boundby blood oath, by the sacred vows spoken before the old Dons. And he was letting other men put their hands on me. This was his honor being dragged through the gutter. His rispetto being trampled.

But he didn't care.

"Don't look at me like that." He lit a cigarette, the flame illuminating the cruel beauty of his face. "I'm not helping you."

"I just want Silvana to feel better. She's been so stressed lately."

With the Boss's blessing given, the pigs began their chorus.

"Come with me, bella! I'll treat you right."

"I've got tributeI can pay your debt!"

"No, no, come with me. I've got more territory than him, and I'm easier on the eyes too."

They ordered the enforcers to hold me down. Rough hands gripped my arms, my shoulders. Thick fingers began tearing at the fabric of my dressthe sound of ripping silk obscenely loud in the charged air.

I fought. Dio, I fought. Every self-defense lesson, every moment of training, every ounce of strength I possessed. But there were too many of them, and they only laughed harder at my resistance.

"Feisty! I like that."

"Makes it more fun when they struggle."

I stopped fighting. Instead, I looked at each of them in turnslowly, deliberatelyburning their faces into my memory like brands.

"You think this is funny?" My voice was quiet now. Deadly calm. "I'm about to make every single one of you the joke that Northport tells for the next hundred years."

"And you." I turned to Silvana, who was watching with bright, hungry eyes. "Don't forget what you promised."

She rolled her eyes. "Rip her dress off. Time's up. No more stall"

The words died in her throat.

The doors didn't open. They exploded inward.

Men in black suits poured into the private dining roomnot the cheap muscle that passed for security in this establishment, but professionals. Their movements were precise, economical, brutal. Military. The kind of men who had been forged in wars that never made the newspapers.

They cut through Enzo's bodyguards like scythes through wheat. One by one, the enforcers fellnot killed, but neutralized with surgical efficiency. Wrists snapped. Knees shattered. Throats struck just hard enough to silence.

The Capos who had been pawing at me scrambled backward, their bravado evaporating like spit on a hot stove.

And then she walked in.

Carlotta Marchetti.

The Consigliere. The Clean Hand. The woman who controlled the flow of laundered money for all Four Founding Families of Cresthaven. She answered to no oneexcept, as the whispers said, to old blood. True blood.

She strode into the room carrying a leather briefcase, her silver hair swept back from a face that had negotiated with presidents and ordered the deaths of men who crossed her. Her expression was carved from graniteabsolute, immovable, terrifying in its gravity.

The room fell silent. Even Enzo's cigarette had frozen halfway to his lips.

Carlotta stopped before me. Her eyes swept over my torn dress, the red marks on my arms where the enforcers had gripped me, the circle of stunned men who moments ago had thought themselves untouchable.

Then she inclined her headjust slightly, but unmistakablyin a gesture of rispetto.

"Miss Valente." Her voice carried through the silent room like a funeral bell. "I've brought the tribute. I trust I'm not late?"

My Sister Pretended to be the Billionaire's Wife

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:51:01 +0800

To become the wife of the richest man in the city, my sister did something unthinkableshe kidnapped Wallace Jacobsons beloved wife.

Then she turned to me.

Help me, she said, eyes gleaming with madness. Perform plastic surgery to make me look exactly like Mrs. Jacobson.

I tried to talk her out of it. I warned her that Wallace was no ordinary manhe was powerful, dangerous, and utterly obsessed with his wife. If he found out the truth, it wouldnt just be her downfall. It would be a bloodbath.

She smiled sweetly and nodded, pretending to accept my advice.

That night, while I was asleep, she crept into my room and slashed my face with a fruit knife.

"You bitch!" she screamed, her eyes wild. "You didnt want to help me, did you? Youve always hated me!"

"If I cant become Mrs. Jacobson, then you dont deserve to live!"

The pain was unbearablebut death came quickly.

Or so I thought.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day she first came to me with her insane request.

This time, I wouldn't beg her to stop. Since she was so eager to die, Id grant her wish myself.

"Sister," she said with excitement, just as before, "I kidnapped Wallaces wife. Hurry and give me surgery to make me look like her. I want to replace her and become Mrs. Jacobson!"

She was practically trembling with anticipation.

My sister already bore a 70% resemblance to Mrs. Jacobson. Every time she saw headlines of Wallace showering his wife with luxury, shed scowl and mutter bitterly, We look almost the same. Why is she living in a mansion while Im crammed into a subway with a bunch of losers?

In my past life, I thought she was just venting.

I had no idea she was planning a real kidnapping.

After the crime, she came straight to me, demanding I reshape her into Mrs. Jacobsons mirror image. She said it like she was asking for a manicure. Like it was reasonable.

I was stunned by her madness.

I tried to explain: even if she looked like Mrs. Jacobson, their personalities, habits, even the way they walkedeverything was different. Wallace wasnt a fool. He would find out.

And when he did, he would destroy her.

He was infamous for his cruelty, especially when it came to his wife. Rumor had it, once Mrs. Jacobson ate something spicy and coughedthe next day, the chefs teeth were all pulled out and he was soaked in chili water for three days.

Another time, she caught a cold, and Wallace personally dragged all the nannies into a freezer, furious that they hadn't protected her better.

If he ever learned someone dared kidnap and impersonate his wife

My sister nodded as if she understood, praised me for my "reason."

Then she butchered my face that night.

And now, reborn with the knowledge of her betrayal, I agreed to her request without hesitation.

I arranged her surgery at the clinic where I worked. As we prepped the operating room, every news channel was broadcasting the same thing:

Mrs. Jacobson has disappeared. A two million dollar reward has been offered for information.

Wallace has issued a chilling warning: Anyone who dares touch his wife will wish they were never born.

The whole city was in a frenzy. Some were terrified. Others were tempted by the reward.

Yet my sister sat there, calm as ever.

I glanced at her, unable to hold back my unease. "Arent you afraid Mrs. Jacobson will be rescued? If she is, shell expose everything."

My sister smirked. She wont say a word. Trust me.

My hand froze mid-disinfection.

Something in her tone told me everything I needed to knowMrs. Jacobson wasnt just kidnapped.

She was in danger. Real danger.

I never imagined my sister would go this far, just to live a life of luxury.

"Why are you zoning out?" she snapped. "Hurry up and start the operation!"

Then she smiled cruelly. "When I become Mrs. Jacobson, Ill reward you with a job as my nanny. Thats good enough for someone like you, right? Youll be able to brag about it to your little friends for years.

I looked down at her face, calm and expectant.

And I smiled.

She had no idea what was coming.

As if already living the dream of being the wife of the richest man, the corners of my sisters mouth curled upward in triumph. I didnt hesitate any longerI sedated her quickly and began the operation.

My dear sister. Since youre so eager to die, Ill grant your wish.

She bore an uncanny resemblance to Mrs. Jacobsonsame build, same facial features. The surgery was straightforward. Just a few delicate tweaks, and she looked exactly like her.

After the procedure, we returned home together. The moment we stepped through the door, my mother gasped in delight and rushed to my sisters side.

So alike... so alike! I always knew my Mary was born to be a rich mans wife!

She shoved me aside like I was nothing, her eyes glued to my sisters face, as if she were admiring a priceless artifact.

My father shot me a look of disgust, then turned to Mary, grinning from ear to ear. Mary, youre identical to Mrs. Jacobson now. Later, well call Wallace and tell him weve found you. Once you take her place, well receive tens of millions in reward!

His eyes gleamed with excitement, lips trembling with joy. My parents had always believed Mary was destined for wealth and privilege. Since childhood, she was treated like a precious jewelfed the finest food, dressed in luxury, showered with everything she desired.

And me? I lived on her leftovers.

In my past life, after my sister murdered me, my parents didnt even flinch. They cremated me without a second thought and covered up the truth by claiming I committed suicide.

I thought they were merely biased. I never expected them to be this monstroushelping her do something so despicable.

I looked at their greedy, deluded faces and couldnt help but speak. Do you really think its that easy to deceive the richest man? That a pretty face alone can fool him? Chase money blindly, and youll end up losing more than you bargained formaybe even your lives.

My mother slapped me hard across the face.

Who are you trying to scare, you useless coward? Youre just jealous well be living the high life while you rot in that pathetic little hospital of yours!

She sneered. What have you even accomplished in your miserable life? The only good thing youve done is give your sister a new face. Honestly, raising a dog wouldve been more worthwhile than raising you!

My father scoffed and added with contempt, Youre destined to be poor forever. Worthless. When Mary becomes Mrs. Jacobson, the entire Jacobson Group will be ours!

Mary gave me a cold glance and said mockingly, Some people are just bitter nobodies who know nothing but how to envy others.

Then she smirked. Did you really think I wouldnt be ready for this?

She strode into her room and came out wearing a limited-edition Herms dress, its scent rich with high-end perfume. It didnt take a genius to realize it had once belonged to Mrs. Jacobson.

My mother practically circled her, eyes glowing. Now that shes dressed up, she looks even more refined. That auraits like she is Mrs. Jacobson!

My father nodded with pride. That woman just got lucky. Our Mary is smarter, more deserving. Once she replaces her, the richest man will fall even harder in love.

To them, it was as if Mary had already stepped into the shoes of Mrs. Jacobson. They laughed wildly, drunk on delusion.

I could only shake my head.

Mary turned to me, lips curling into a smug smirk. Then, in a voice chillingly identical to Mrs. Jacobsons, she spoke:

"I've been studying her every dayher posts, her photos, her routines. I know what she eats, how she smiles, even the way she breathes."

"From this moment on, I am the only Mrs. Jacobson in this world."

"Youll always be beneath meout of reach."

Her performance was eerieflawless, even. And that only made the scene more grotesque.

My mother clapped her hands with delight, eyes shining with pride.

"Our Mary is amazing! She can mimic anyone! Even the voiceit's exactly like hers!"

My father nodded in agreement.

"That tone, that attitudeits spot on! Like Mrs. Jacobson herself is standing here!"

They were bursting with pride and ambition, completely intoxicated by their twisted fantasy.

But to me, they looked utterly insane.

Did they really believe this would work? That Wallacea man known for his obsession with his wifewouldnt notice something was off? He knew her every expression, every inflection, every breath. My sister's cheap imitation wouldn't fool him for a second.

And yet, they continued rehearsing their grand deception.

Mary turned to them and instructed calmly, like a director briefing her actors:

"Later, call the bounty hotline. Say you found me unconscious on the roadside and brought me home out of kindness. When the time comes, Ill thank you personally, and Wallaces ten million will be in your hands."

My mothers grin stretched ear to ear.

"Dont worry, well act our hearts out."

She turned to Mary with pride swelling in her voice.

"My brilliant daughter, one move and youve made us millionaires!"

Mary arrogantly lifted her chin.

"From now on, call me Mrs. Jacobson."

Without hesitation, my mother bowed slightly, as if greeting royalty.

"Yes, Mrs. Jacobson. Our future depends on you."

Even my father, usually reserved, was practically trembling with excitement. He wiped his hands on his pants before dialing the number on the reward poster. With a composed voice, he gave them our address, just as rehearsed.

When he hung up, the house burst into excitement. My parents began fantasizing about mansions, cars, and lavish dinners.

I watched them, my face cold.

They had no idea the hell they were summoning.

In the eyes of someone like Wallace, they were nothing but ants trying to impersonate a god. Once he uncovered the truthand he wouldtheir fates would be far worse than they imagined.

I had already died once because of them. I would not let them drag me down again.

While their backs were turned, I quietly packed my things. My only goal: get out before the storm broke.

Just as I reached for the door handle, my father stepped in front of me.

"Where do you think youre going?"

I forced a steady voice.

"The hospital sent me on a business trip. I have a flight to catch."

Marys gaze locked onto me, cold and sharp. She sneered.

"Sister, youre not thinking of betraying me, are you?"

Before I could answer, my mother lunged forward and gripped my arm, her nails digging into my skin.

"You ungrateful wretch!" she hissed. "If you dare say a word, Ill kill you myself!"

She raised her hand to strike me.

But before it fella knock at the door.

Everything stopped.

The room fell into dead silence, the air thick with fear.

Mary instantly dropped her mask of arrogance and assumed a weak, innocent expression.

My mother forced a gentle, welcoming smile, while my father straightened up and tried to look harmless.

He opened the door slowly.

There, standing tall and imposing in the doorway, was Wallace.

He was dressed in a tailored black suit, his face expressionless. Behind him stood a row of bodyguards like shadows, ready to strike.

His eyes scanned the room, cold and razor-sharp.

Then his gaze landed on Mary.

And it didnt move.

Marys eyes reddened instantly, and she called out in a trembling voice,

Wallace

But Wallace didnt move. He didnt speak. His eyes, cold and unreadable, remained fixed on her.

Sensing the silence, my father quickly stepped forward, hands rubbing together nervously as he forced a smile.

Mr. Jacobson, when we found your wife, she was unconscious by the roadside. We were worried something might happen to her, so we brought her home.

He chuckled awkwardly.

Luckily, we saw the newsor we wouldnt have realized she was Mrs. Jacobson.

My mother chimed in eagerly, her smile stiff.

Yes, it was pure luck we crossed paths. If not, who knows what terrible things mightve happened to her out there alone.

Wallaces gaze didnt waver from Mary. His eyes narrowed, scanning every inch of her face like a hawk dissecting prey.

Then, slowly, he turned to my parents and asked in a low, cold voice,

Youre sure this is my wife?

His expression was unreadable. But the chill in his tone sent a tremor down my spine.

Still blind to the danger, my parents laughed nervously, mistaking his quietness for confusion.

Of course! my father said quickly.

Yes, just look at her temperament and features, my mother added. Even when she was unconscious, she kept murmuring your name. Isnt that right?

There was a long pause.

Then Wallace raised his hand.

Without a word, a pair of bodyguards stepped forward, wheeling in a stretcher covered with a white sheet.

The room fell into dead silence.

With a flick of his wrist, Wallace pulled back the cloth.

Gasps filled the air.

Lying on the stretcher was a womans lifeless bodybloodied, bruised, and clearly tortured beyond recognition. But despite the horror of it, I recognized her instantly.

Veronica. Mrs. Jacobson.

Even in death, her features held a tragic elegance.

Mary staggered back, her face drained of all color.

Then Wallace finally spoke, his voice low but deafening.

If she is my wife he said, his eyes locked on Mary, then who is this?

My Husband Used Surrogacy to Keep His Mistress Close

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:03:18 +0800

My best friend Aubrey Madeleine disappeared for two months until one day, she posted an Instagram updatea photo of her bulging belly with hands cradling it.

Her caption read: [Three months along. My besties scared of the pain, so Im having the baby for her! I must be the best friend in the world!]

The hands resting on her belly were adorned with a wedding ringone... that matched mine.

My finger slipped, accidentally clicking the heart button, and before I realized it, I already left a comment.

[Thats really thoughtful of you.]

Before I could process what I'd just seen, the post had been deleted. And then, not even a minute later, my husband River Holland called me.

"If you hadnt said you were scared of giving birth, do you think I'd ask her to get pregnant with my child? The plan's so simple: she carries the baby, the kids born, and you get to be a mom without experiencing the pain of childbirth! Isnt that better for everyone?"

I let out a scoff and ended the call, realizing Id been too kind to both of them for too long.

A few months ago, Aubrey moved to Canada after her husband passed away. She had nowhere else to go, so I offered her a place to stay at one of my other apartments.

One time, I invited her to dinner with my husband. While we were reminiscing about school days, she teased me about how I used to cry over the smallest scrape during PE class.

"Youre still scared of pain, huh? Dont tell me thats why you havent had kids yet."

I didnt think much of it at the time. Thought it was just casual banter between friends.

I was about to mention that we were actually already planning for kids when River wrapped an arm around my shoulders and chimed in.

Well, my wife's my princess. Shes scared of pain, so Id never make her go through that. If anyone wants to have a baby for her, theyre welcome to it."

Aubrey gave us a teasing look and rolled her eyes.

Alright, you two, enough already! Its just having a baby. Don't make it too romantic!"

Looking back, Rivers sweet words carried a whole other meaning.

He always acted like the steady, nurturing type, but it turns out he didnt mind letting his waters flow into someone elses garden.

After that dinner, I noticed my necklace was missing, so I asked the restaurant to check their surveillance cameras.

I didnt find my necklace, but I did see something elseunder the table, Aubreys foot was rubbing against my husband's leg.

I remember sitting there, smiling like a fool despite what I saw.

When we got home, I confronted River, and we had a massive fight, but he swore that nothing was going on.

I didnt say anything because I knew you wouldnt believe me! I knew you would think I was trying to mess with your friendship!"

Aubrey also played innocent, saying she hadnt noticed anythingthat she thought it was the corner of the table.

Trish, its fine if you misunderstand me, but I really hope this doesnt affect your marriage with River.

After that, she moved out of the apartment, and we stopped talking.

I kept an eye on River for a while but didnt find anything suspicious.

He acted as loving as ever, so I let it go.

Until now. Aubrey had been away for two months, and she was three months pregnant?! Oh wow.

Since they gave me such a big surprise, I thought Id return the favor.

When River came home that night, I had just finished showering.

My hair was still wet when he walked in and, out of habit, he grabbed the blow dryer.

Youre gonna get sick if you dont dry it."

I stepped away from him, ignoring his outstretched hand, and walked straight to the bedroom.

He followed me, wrapping his arms around me from behind and burying his face in the crook of my neck.

Trish, nothing happened between us. It was artificial insemination. We went to the hospital

I pried his hands off my waist without turning around. Don't bother explaining.

'Cause the more he talked, the more disgusted I felt.

Sensing my mood, his tone shifted instantly.

Im giving you a way to save face, and youre not taking it? Youre the one too scared to have a baby! Now that someone else is willing to do it for you, why are you acting like this?

You know what? Ive been way too easy on you. This kid is my blood toowhat difference does it make who gave birth? I just borrowed her womb for a while, and here you are acting all outdated and narrow-minded. Honestly, Trish? Im disappointed in you."

He was standing behind me, snapping. Then, before he stormed off, he said, I dont want to have a fight with you. Think it over and calm down.

The door slammed, and he went out, and I let out a cold laugh.

First time in my life Id seen someone spin shamelessness into something that sounded almost noble.

Honestly, this was on me. Back when we went on a blind date, he seemed decent enough, and with my family nagging me to settle down, I went along with it.

River didnt come home that night. The next morning, I saw Aubrey's new post on Insta.

The picture? Her belly, with a shiny gold pendant resting on it.

The caption? [Every baby deserves a dad's love. We cant wait to meet you!]

The post was from the middle of the night, so there were already plenty of comments by the time I saw it. All from Rivers buddies.

[@johnny_25: Bro, I thought you were joking about this. Didnt think youd actually do it! Damn!]

[@itsyoboyzach: Damn, my guy moves fast! Did it start that Truth or Dare night?]

[@chasethechaos: Congrats, congrats! So do we start calling her the second sister-in-law now? Haha!]

And, of course, River's comment was right there too.

[@catchtheriver: Shut up, boys. Shes just helping me out. If my wife sees this and divorces me, itll be on you!]

I liked the post. A few minutes later, the whole comment thread was gone.

Then my phone started buzzing. It was him: Trish, they were just joking around. Dont take it seriously

But I cut him off. River, lets get a divorce.

There was silence for a moment, then he snapped. Youre seriously divorcing me over this?! Can you stop being so petty, Trish?!"

I just said, Ill send you the papers soon.

No point wasting breath on someone like him. I hung up and went straight to work.

"Hey, can I cancel that transfer request I submitted to move off fieldwork?

My editor looked confused. I thought you were planning to take it easy and try for a baby?

Well," I explained, "I changed my mind.

I pulled my transfer request out and shredded it right there.

Two years of marriage, and honestly, life with River had been fine. He took good care of me, and we didnt fight much. The whole no-kids thing was just because of my jobIm a field journalist, and its tough to manage both. I figured Id switch roles, then start trying.

But now, if someone else was willing to have his kid, why should I be the one giving up my career?

I pulled out my phone and made a quick call Find someone for me. ASAP.

Later that day, I had an interview at the mall with one of the executives. I got there early, so I wandered around to kill some time.

As I came down the escalator, guess who I ran into? My husband, walking out of a baby store. His arms were loaded with bags of baby stuff, and he was carefully holding onto my best friend with his other hand.

He looked startled to see me, but his surprise quickly turned into mockery.

Whats this? Having second thoughts? Following me around now?"

Before I could say a word, Aubrey clung to River's arm, putting on this fake apologetic smile.

Trish, are you divorcing him because of me? Im so sorry! River and I just didnt want you to go through the pain of pregnancy, thats all. We thought this would be easier for you. I swear I never meant to ruin your marriage!

I yanked her hand off.

No, its because you two are perfect for each other. Best wishesmay you and your dog live happily ever after."

I raised my hand to slap her, but River grabbed my wrist mid-air.

Trish! What the hell's wrong with you? When did you become so nasty? Trying to hit people now? Youre acting like a total psycho! Apologize to her. Right now!

He yanked my hand away so hard I stumbled. Just then, a kid walked by holding an empty skewer from a candied fruit snack.

The sharp stick scraped across my arm, leaving a gash, and blood started dripping instantly.

For a moment, River froze, clearly panicking.

Trish, I didnt mean to Let's go. Ill take you to the hospital.

Before I could even respond, the malls fire alarm went off. The loud screeching was followed by an announcement telling everyone to evacuate.

It was packedweekend crowds everywhere. People started panicking, shoving their way toward the exits.

River grabbed my hand, then Aubreys, and pulled us along. I wasnt about to argue. This wasnt the time to act stubbornsafety first.

But Aubrey suddenly winced and clutched her belly.

I I cant run anymore. River, you take Trish and go. Dont worry about me and the baby. If we dont make it it just wasnt meant to be. This childs probably not lucky enough to have a dad like you.

He hesitated for maybe two seconds before letting go of my hand. Then he picked Aubrey up like some kind of hero and pushed through the crowd.

Dont say things like that. The baby will be fine. Trish, keep up with me!

I'm a petite woman, and with him holding me, I got shoved from all sides. Someone stepped on the back of my heel, and I nearly fell face-first.

Thankfully, this stocky middle-aged woman next to me grabbed my arm before I hit the ground.

Careful, sweetheart! Here, hold onto my arm!"

Thanks, I muttered, still trying to catch my balance.

When we finally got outside, I saw River helping Aubrey into a cab. She turned to look at me, and I swear, the triumphant look on her face was infuriating.

A moment later, the mall announced it had all been a false alarm. Someone had accidentally triggered the fire alarm. Just a pointless scare.

The blood on my arm had already dried by then. After thanking again the woman who helped me, I took a ride to the hospital to get it cleaned up.

On the way there, a text came in from River. [Aubrey was scared because of the baby, so I took her home first. Dont overthink it.]

I stared at my phone for a second, then got my wound treated. Afterward, I finally replied, [I booked a table for tomorrow night. Bring Aubrey. We need to talk about the baby.]

His reply came almost immediately.

[Glad to see youve finally calmed down. Clearly, you cant manage without me.]

If he could see my face, hed know my eyes just rolled all the way to the back of my head.

I hung up and started making some calls, inviting friends and family to tomorrows little celebration.

The next day, I got to the hotel early to set everything up.

I even hung a big, bold banner that read: [Congratulations to the Holland family on their precious addition! We have especially organized a baby shower for the youngest Holland!]

One by one, old high school classmates started showing up, all looking a little confused.

Wait, Trish, are you pregnant?

Whoah, congrats! If Id known, I wouldve brought a gift! I thought we were just having dinner.

Baby shower? Really? You guys are going all outworried the kid wont know their parents or something?

I forced a smile.

No gifts, dont worry. I just wanted everyone to meet someone today.

Meet someone? Wait, did you already have the baby? No wayI saw you last month. You didnt look pregnant!

Is this a godparent thing? Why didnt you ask me? You promised in high school Id be the godmother!

Before I could respond, Rivers parents walked in. They saw the banner, and their faces lit up.

Trish! Are you pregnant?

You silly girl! Why didnt you tell us? How far along are you?

I hesitated for a second, then gave them a faint smile.

Three months. Give or take.

Rivers parents were all smiles, telling me to sit down.

Wheres River? Youre pregnant, and hes letting you do all the work? Dont worry, Ill have a word with that man later!"

I checked the time. The very important guest should be arriving soon, so I invited everyone to sit down. Lets wait until River gets here. Ill explain everything then.

Not long after, River walked in with Aubrey by his side. He froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the crowd. Trish, whats all this about?

I smiled at him. Its just a little gathering to make things official. Since theres a baby involved, its only right to let everyone know. And, of course, we need witnesses.

The others, noticing River and Aubrey arriving together, didnt think too much of it. They even started teasing him.

River, whats the matter? This is good news! Or are you scared we'll make you broke?"

Hey, Trish, dont tell me Aubreys going to be the godmother? I always knew you two were close, even back in high school. You couldnt go to the bathroom without each other!"

Yeah, I totally forgot about Aubrey! Guess Ill wait for the second baby to be the godmother instead.

River looked completely lost. What godmother? he asked.

But Aubreys face changed. She realized what was happening and tried to make a run for it. Oh, uh, I just remembered I have something to do. Ill head out first

I grabbed her hand and gently pushed her back into her seat. Since everyones here, lets get straight to it.

I looked around the room and said calmly, So, the thing is, Im not the one pregnant. I had planned to get pregnant, but River said he was worried itd be too tough for me, and he didnt want me to go through the pain of childbirth, so he asked my best friend to carry the baby for me."

My Alpha Mate Killed Our Babies For His Love

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:38:04 +0800

Willow's POV

I used to beg him to love me. But now? I was done begging.

Hello father, Im ready to get married to Alpha Alastair. Send someone to pick me up in three days after I finalize my divorce. I said immediately my father picked the call.

My father was silent for a moment. Divorce? I thought you were hopelessly in love with Alpha Silas? Why the sudden change of heart?

I was just being a foolish child then. But Ive grown up now! I said coldly.

My father didnt hesitate. Good. I have always told you that you were too good for that bastard.

I released a bitter laugh. I think I just realized that now.

After the call ended, I gripped the phone tighter, my chest aching.

Six years.

Six years wasted on someone who never wanted me.

Silas never loved me, and I knew that. He married me because his parents told him to. I stayed because I was hopelessly in love with him.

I thought if I gave enough or waited long enough, he would see me.

Until I overheard his conversation with his Beta, John, some hours ago.

I had gone looking for him because I had news to sharenews that I thought might change everything.

Willow doesnt know that her miscarriages have been helping Ana. Silass voice cut through the air like a knife.

I froze in place, my heart pounding hard.

Silas, Johns voice was low, You used three of her pregnancies. Are you sure she wont find out?

Silas scoffed. Shes too na?ve. She thinks they were natural miscarriages. She doesnt know I gave her those herbs that caused the miscarriages because we needed to harvest stem cells from the babies.

The blood drained from my face.

My stomach twisted, and my heart stopped. I couldnt breathe.

Stem cells? John asked.

Silass voice dropped. Anastasias womb was damaged. She couldnt carry a child. But the healers said that stem cells from a fetus with alpha lineage will help in the healing process. Willows miscarried pups have been perfect for that.

I couldnt breathe. My hands trembled.

He always told me Anastasia was just a distant cousin, and I had believed him. But the whole time, he was lying to me.

John whistled in shock. Thats twisted, Silas. Youre using your own unborn children like lab samples

I dont care, Silas snapped. I need an heir. A real heir, and Ana is the only woman I want to bear my heir. Shes finally pregnant, thanks to those treatments.

My breath hitched, and a wave of nausea surged through me.

Damn. John said quietly in shock.

Silas scoffed. You think I stayed married to Willow for love? I only kept her around long enough to repair Anas womb, and it worked.

I couldnt hear anything else after that. My ears rang, my throat tightened, and my vision blurred. It couldnt possibly be true, right?

Silas kept saying over and over that Anastasia was only a distant cousin, someone he grew up with. And I believed him like a fool.

So what will happen now that Ana is pregnant? John asked.

Silas chuckled coldly. Simple. I will reject Willow, after Anas next blood test comes back. If shes truly healed, then Willows job is done.

My knees gave out, and I almost dropped to the ground.

I had thought the miscarriages were natural. I had even blamed myself several times for them, thinking something was wrong with me.

All that stress, all that pain, and exhaustion.

Silas had done that to me to help another woman carry his legacy.

I had given him everything, my loyalty, my body, my heart. And he was planning to throw me away like garbage.

I didnt even remember walking back to the house. I just remembered hitting the floor as soon as I stepped inside. My legs had given out. My heart was racing, and I couldnt stop shaking.

I had been nothing but loyal to him. I had defended him, cooked for him, stood by him while he ignored me.

I blinked, when I realized that I had been sitting there, replaying it all in my head.

Thats when I remembered why I had gone looking for him in the first place.

My fingers trembled as I reached into my pocket, and I pulled out the small white stick.

Two pink lines.

Positive.

I was pregnant with his child.

I had come to tell him, to share the news that maybe, just maybe, things could change.

But now?

I stared at the stick, tears falling silently.

This baby wouldnt be born into love. It wouldnt be safe. It would be harvested like the others.

My hand moved to my belly, cradling it protectively.

Im so sorry, I whispered, and my voice broke. But I won't allow you to be another sacrifice for him.

I wiped my tears away with a shaky breath and picked up the phone again, standing slowly to my feet.

Hello, this is the Blue Moon Pack Clinic. How can I help you today?

I I need an appointment, I said softly. For an abortion.

The receptionists voice was gentle. Of course. Can I ask how far along you are?

A few weeks.

What is your name?

Willow Reed. I replied, using my maiden name.

Okay, Ms. Reed. We have an opening in two days.

I nodded as tears ran down my face. See you in two days.

Willow, what's happening in two days? Silas asked as he walked into the living room.

Willow's POV

I stiffened at the sound of his voice.

There was a time when just hearing Silas say my name made my heart flutter. Now? I felt sick.

I didnt turn around. My eyes were probably red and swollen, and I didnt want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me like that.

Nothing important, I said, wiping at my cheeks with my sleeve. My voice cracked, so I cleared my throat and added, Just making a call.

Silas stepped farther into the room. I could feel his eyes on me, studying me. You look like a mess. Have you been crying?

A lump formed in my throat.

Something got into my eyes, I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. Probably dust.

He didnt believe me. I could tell by the way he stared, but he didnt press, because he didn't care.

His phone rang.

I didnt need to look. I already knew who it was.

Anastasia.

Because of that stupid, soft ringtone he only used for her. It was a gentle tune, like a soft lullaby. He never had a special ringtone for me.

Silas glanced at the screen and his whole face changed. The stiffness in his face melted into something warm.

He stepped into the hallway and answered with a very gentle and tender voice. It sounded like he had switched personalities.

Hey, Ana yeah, I just got back.

I turned away, pretending not to hear anything, pretending I didnt care.

He laughed at something she said. The kind of laugh he never shared with me. I stood there, frozen in place, wondering how I never saw it.

The man I had spent six years loving blindly was already in love with someone, someone he claimed was his cousin.

Silas glanced back at me briefly as he continued speaking to her. Yeah, Ill be there soon. I just need to take care of something here.

He hung up and slid his phone into his pocket. I need to head out for a bit. I want grilled lamb and mashed potatoes for dinner, with that rosemary sauce you make. he said to me.

That was it. No how are you? No what were you crying about?

He had only just come in, and he was already going

As he turned to leave, I called him.

Hold on, before I forget, I called, pulling out divorce papers from the drawer beside me. The council sent these over earlier. Theyve been asking for your signature all week.

He groaned impatiently. More damn paperwork?

Just a couple of pages, I said, handing him a pen. It won't take time.

Without even going through the document, he signed on the marked spots and handed it back in a hurry. Tell the council I handled it.

I will, I said quietly, placing the document back.

Have dinner ready by the time I get back.

Silas didnt wait for a response. He rushed to the door and left.

I clenched my fists tightly as I stared at the door. I couldnt help it, a bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat.

How hadn't I noticed all these while?

As I turned, my shoulder bumped the edge of the bookshelf, and a wooden box fell.

I crouched and picked it up. I recognized that box.

Silas had warned me once, months ago, to never touch that box. He claimed it contained sensitive pack documents.

He had snapped at me the day I touched it like I had tried to steal from him.

Back then, I had apologized and backed away, but now, I unlocked the box without hesitation using the key Silas thought he had cleverly hidden under a false bottom in his drawer.

Inside the box were documents and photos that were arranged neatly.

The first thing I noticed was a folded sheet with an official stamp. I opened it, and my eyes widened.

Mating Registration for Alpha Silas Pine and Luna Anastasia Dean.

I froze.

Silas had already been planning a future with her, while he was still married to me.

My hands shook as I set the paper aside and picked up the next document.

My stomach twisted as I stared at the contents of the document.

It contained everything about the miscarriages.

The dates, the dosages, the samples, everything.

My name was listed as the donor, and Ana as the recipient.

Termination successful stem cells harvested womb responding to treatment.

My hand covered my mouth.

I felt sick.

This was evidence of everything Silas had done to me.

I clenched my fists tightly as I stared at the documents before me, and my eyes blurred with tears.

After staring at everything for several minutes, I calmly stood up and returned everything back exactly as I saw them.

Then I walked to the closet, pulled out a suitcase, and I started packing.

I packed my clothes first. I folded them neatly and placed them in the bag. I picked up the things that we had collected over the years, the gifts, the decorations, the photos, and I tossed them all away.

The necklace he gave me on our first anniversary? Into the box.

The framed picture from our wedding ceremony? Gone.

The candle he once said smelled like me? Gone.

I lost track of time until I heard the door open again.

What are you doing?

Silas stood in the doorway looking at the room in surprise.

I didnt even look up as I replied. Im reorganizing my closet.

He stepped inside, slowly. What about these ones here? He asked, pointing towards the box I was using to thrash things.

I shrugged casually. Im getting rid of old things.

Youre throwing all this out? He asked in surprise.

I nodded. Yeah. I dont need them anymore.

He reached into the donation box and picked up a small stuffed wolf I used to keep by the bed. He had gifted this to me. Even this?

I nodded. Its old.

He looked at it like he didnt understand. You loved this so much.

He was right, I had cherished it so much. I shrugged. Things change. People change. Love fades.

He frowned, like he wanted to say something else, but before he could, a voice called from the hallway.

Silas? Where are you?

His body tensed.

A second later, Anastasia stepped into the room like she owned it. She rested a hand on Silass arm casually and possessively. Her lips curled into a smug smile as she stared at me.

Oh. Am I interrupting something?

Silas didnt even hesitate.

No, he said smoothly, as if nothing about this was strange. Youre not interrupting anything.

I didnt react. I just turned away and continued folding a shirt, pressing it down into the suitcase like I couldnt hear them.

Silas cleared his throat, trying to get my attention. Actually, Willow I meant to talk to you about something.

I continued folding, totally ignoring him.

He continued anyway.

Ana will be staying here with us for the time being.

Willows POV

I paused for a moment as I processed his words, then I picked up another blouse and folded it.

Ana needs support, Silas added. And its better for her baby if shes somewhere stable. You know how hard its been for her.

I scoffed quietly at his words.

Silas stopped talking.

Willow. His tone shifted slightly. He was getting annoyed. Are you even listening to me?

I turned around, slowly, and met his eyes.

Im listening, Silas, I said, my voice flat and even. Do whatever you want. Its your house, after all.

Silas gaped for a moment, then his face darkened slightly.

I don't like your tone, Willow. He growled.

I lifted an eyebrow at him. What tone? I asked, feigning oblivion.

You know what I'm talking about. Im trying to be civil, and you're making this harder than it needs to be, Silas snapped.

I folded a blouse gently and placed it carefully into the suitcase before turning to him. My expression was calm, and blank.

She needs support, he continued. Shes pregnant and alone. Im just trying to help.

Why Silas? I asked quietly. Is she pregnant with your child?

Silas froze.

His jaw clenched, but no words came out at first. His mouth opened, then closed again.

He looked at Anastasia briefly, then back at me. Shes my cousin, Willow! Does it have to be my child before I help her? he asked finally, his voice instantly becoming defensive, like I had accused him of a crime.

I gave him a bitter smile. No, but it would explain a lot.

Silass eyes darkened. Why are you so heartless, Willow? he snapped. I have told you several times that theres nothing between us. Ana is just my cousin, and she has no one but me!

I turned away, calmly folding the last of my clothes into the suitcase. You dont need to explain anything to me, Silas, I said softly. Its your house. You can do what you want.

Silas paused, breathing heavily.

Silas Anastasia stepped forward, her voice was soft with fake concern. Maybe I should go. I dont want to cause any more tension. Its clear Im not welcome here. And besides She glanced at Silas. Shes your mate, and Luna.

Silass arm instinctively reached out to her. Youre not going anywhere, he said firmly. This is my house, you're family. I don't give a damn if she's my Luna. If theres anyone who shouldn't be here, its her.

I couldn't help it, I flinched at his words, but I quickly composed myself. They werent going to see me cry.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Silas turned to me, frowning. Wheres dinner?

I blinked. Dinner?

Yes, he said slowly, Grilled lamb, mashed potatoes, and rosemary sauce. I told you before I left.

Oh, Silas, Anastasia gasped in delight, Thats my favourite meal! You remembered!

My chest tightened, and my eyes watered slightly.

Silass face melted into a wide smile. Yes, yes I did. How can I forget?

Then he turned to me. So? Where is it?

Oh. I said blankly. No. I didnt make it.

His eyes flashed with irritation, and he scowled Why not?

I was a little busy today, I said flatly, Maybe Anastasia can cook something instead. Since shell be living here and all.

Anastasia stiffened slightly, and her smug smile disappeared.

Silass face turned red, and his eyes blazed with rage.

You ungrateful, bitter little he spat. Is this how pitiful you are? You cannot do the one thing you are good for.

I clenched my jaw and my fists, but I didnt let myself react.

They werent worth my pain anymore.

Silas looked at Anastasia, then he sneered at me. Forget it. Ana, lets go eat out. Im not staying here while shes like this. She can figure herself out.

Anastasia nodded sweetly, slipping her hand into his. Maybe its best to give her some space.

The door slammed behind them.

I stood there, staring at nothing as tears slowly ran down my face. It was only a matter of time. I was leaving soon, then all these would end.

I woke up late in the night to get some water. I glanced at the time. It was 12:43 AM.

As I walked towards the kitchen, I could hear sounds coming from the guest room. The one Silas said Anastasia would stay in temporarily.

I froze.

I knew what those sounds were. I didnt want to go near to confirm what I already knew deep down, but I did, because a part of me needed to see it, so that I could burn all shreds of hope into ashes.

I walked slowly and quietly towards the guest room. The door wasnt fully shut.

I peeked through the narrow opening, and instantly regretted it.

Silas was on top of Anastasia.

Willows POV

Silas's mouth was on her neck, and his hands moved over her body like he couldnt get enough of her.

God, Ana... I always loved your body. He moaned. You feel so good. No one else can ever feel like this. No one can make me feel this way.

That was enough.

My heart didnt break, it shattered completely, but I didnt scream or confront them. Instead, I just closed the door softly, and slowly, like I didnt want to disturb them.

I turned away, my heart pounded heavily as I stumbled back toward my room. I barely reached the bathroom before I dropped to my knees and threw up everything.

I sat on the cold floor, shaking.

They didnt just betray me. They did it in this house, under this roof, without shame, like I was nothing.

I leaned back against the wall, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

My mind flashed back to the last miscarriage that I had gone through.

It started early that morning. I woke up with intense pain in my lower stomach, and when I pulled back the sheets, they were soaked with blood.

I called for Silas, but he didnt come. He was busy celebrating Anastasias birthday.

I was able to contact one of the omegas who rushed me to the clinic.

Hours later, when he finally showed up, he didnt ask if I was okay. He didnt hold my hand. He just stood there, crossing his arms.

Again? He said coldly.

Like it was my fault, like I was the problem.

He didnt comfort me. He barely looked at me.

When the doctor called it another unexplained miscarriage, Silas just nodded and left the room.

I thought he was disappointed in me. I blamed myself.

But now I knew better.

He wasnt disappointed. He was satisfied because that baby, like the previous ones, had served its purpose.

He got me pregnant, drugged me, waited for the miscarriage, and took what he needed for Anastasia, and I had apologized to him, I actually said sorry.

I didnt sleep after that. I kept arranging everything for my departure until the sun began to rise.

Eventually, I walked to the kitchen when I got very hungry.

I made a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and tea, just for myself. I sat at the dining table alone and ate in silence.

My phone buzzed with a message. It was from my father.

Dad: I hope you havent changed your mind again, because preparations have begun.

Me: Never.

Footsteps came down the stairs, but I didnt look up.

Mm, something smells good, Anastasia said lightly.

I didnt react in any way. They walked in together without any shame.

I hope you slept well, Luna. Anastasis continued with hidden mockery in her tone. I had an awesome night, thanks to Silas here.

Silas cleared his throat. Willow, he muttered, clearly uncomfortable. What Ana is trying to say is that she couldnt sleep alone last night, so I had to stay with her so she could fall asleep.

A small smirk crossed Anastasia's lips, and her eyes gleamed with triumph. I continued eating, completely unfazed.

Anastasia glanced at the table. There was only one plate. Her brows lifted with false surprise.

Oh. No breakfast for us? she asked, her voice sugary sweet. Guess were on our own now.

I kept chewing. I didnt say a word.

Silas looked at me now, his tone was full of irritation. Willow, wheres our breakfast?

I took a sip of my tea, calmly. I didnt make it, I said flatly.

There was a pause.

What do you mean, you didnt make it? he asked slowly. His voice hardened, and his eyes darkened.

I shrugged.

Silas stepped closer. Youre the Luna of this house. Your job is to support your Alpha and this home, and that includes cooking. Or is that too hard now?

I stood and rinsed my plate quietly, ignoring him.

I said, is it too hard? His voice rose, his eyes gleamed as his wolf rose to the surface in anger.

I turned around slowly. You can always eat out, like last night.

He stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. What is wrong with you lately? Youve been acting like a spoiled brat and it's getting very annoying.

I didnt respond. I picked up the glass teapot filled with hot water, but Silas snapped.

He snatched the glass teapot from me, and slammed it down hard with a growl. The scalding water splashed straight across my hand and wrist.

I hissed and stumbled back.

The teapot shattered, and a large shard flew into my forearm. Blood welled up instantly. I cried out in pain.

Silas blinked, he hadnt meant to do it. When he saw the blood, his face softened. for a brief second.

For one stupid second, I thought maybe he would care.

But it didnt last, because immediately Anastasia whined from behind him.

Theres no breakfast, and Im starving Silas. I think Im feeling dizzy.

Silas gave me a cold look, silently blaming me. He glanced at my injured hand with a scowl on his face. Youre a werewolf. Youll heal. He said dismissively.

Remember that the Full Moon Celebration is this evening by 8pm. Get dressed, I will come pick you up by then. He added.

I pressed a kitchen towel to my arm without a word.

Silas didnt apologize. He didnt even look guilty as he walked out with Anastasia.

An hour later, the moving truck came.

The movers were quick. I stood by the window as they carried out all my boxes and everything that had to do with me.

The remaining were thrown into the trash.

When they were done, the house looked like I had never been here.

When Silas came back to prepare for the party, he barely even noticed that anything was missing, and I preferred it that way.

Before we left, I glanced around the room for the last time because I had already made my decision.

Tonight was the last night I would spend in this pack.

After the celebration, I would leave, for good.

He wont even realize Im gone until its too late.

Willows POV

I had to painfully endure the car ride to the Packs Central Hall.

Silas didn't say a word to me the entire time. Anastasia sat beside him in the front seat, giggling about something, like they were mates, and I was the outsider. No one wouldve guessed I was Silass mate.

Pack members turned their heads as we arrived, but they werent looking at me.

They looked at Anastasia.

She was dressed regally in a gold dress. Her hand was around Silass arm as they walked in together like a royal couple. She waved and smiled at everyone like she belonged here, like this was her kingdom.

Honestly, it was the truth.

I followed quietly behind them..

Everyone was staring, and I could hear the murmurs.

Isnt Willow the Luna?

Why is Silas walking in with Anastasia?

Honestly, Willow doesnt really look like a Luna compared to Anastasia.

My jaw tightened, but I didn't react.

I watched as Silas paraded her like she was his Luna. He introduced her to elders and warriors with pride, and his arms around her like she was his mate.

The moment that sealed everything came during the Alpha-Luna opening dance.

Every Full Moon Celebration, it was tradition for the Alpha to have the first dance with his mate. It was symbolic.

I stood still, waiting. Silas glanced at me, but before he could walk towards me, Anastasia slipped her hand into his.

Dance with me, Silas, she said softly, her voice was loud enough for those nearby to hear. Im sorry for asking, I just dont want to feel lonely tonight.

Her eyes flickered with a glint of false sadness.

Silas hesitated for a second, then he nodded without even glancing at me

And just like that, Silas walked her to the center of the floor as the slow, ceremonial music began to play. Her hand rested proudly on his chest, and he held her gently.

My heart didnt break this time. It was already broken.

All I felt was shame.

People watched, whispering and murmuring.

I stood there like an abandoned ornament. The real Luna was left to rot in a corner while another woman stole the show.

Anastasia tilted her head, resting it on Silass shoulder like his lover.

Someone near me whispered, She fits him better, honestly.

I didnt flinch.

When the song ended, the pack members clapped. Silas smiled faintly, nodding at Anastasia. She grinned.

Then finally, he turned to me and walked over.

Willow, he said, holding out his hand. Lets have our dance.

I looked at him, and at his outstretched hand. The same hand that had held Anastasia a few seconds ago like she was his everything.

Silence fell around the people near us. They were waiting for me to say yes.

I scoffed internally. No, thank you, I said flatly.

Surprise flickered through his face, and his eyes narrowed. Excuse me?

I said no. My voice didnt shake, because I was calm inside.

His face hardened, and his tone dropped. Willow, dont make a scene.

I smiled bitterly. You started it.

Silas snarled at me. Why are you being so jealous all the time? It was just one dance! I didn't want her to feel left out! Do you have to make everything about you? He snapped.

I gave him a cold look. You dont want her to feel left out, but you dont care that youre neglecting your own mate.

He scowled at me. You should be glad you even have a mate, you ungrateful

Anastasia cut in. Please, dont make a scene because of me. She said softly.

I scoffed at her. Stop pretending, its irritating. I snapped.

She gasped dramatically, but I didnt wait, I turned away from them, ignoring the looks that followed me.

I pushed open the nearest door and found myself in the bathroom. I needed air and space. I needed to stop pretending I was okay.

I slipped into one of the stalls and sat down, trying to calm my thoughts.

Two women entered the bathroom, discussing among themselves.

"Did you see how she just stood there? Like some maid.

I tensed.

The other woman sighed. Poor thing. But honestly, what did she expect? Alpha Silas clearly doesnt want her.

I heard she forced the marriage because she was hopelessly in love with the Alpha.

One of them giggled. It makes sense. I mean, look at Anastasia. Shes practically glowing. No one in their right mind would ever choose Willow over Anastasia.

I opened the stall and walked out quietly. The women went silent instantly, and their eyes widened in shock.

Luna Willow

Good evening, Luna

They didnt wait for my response as they quickly hurried out, averting their gaze in guilt.

I stood there in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection.

Maybe they were right.

I inhaled sharply, trying to compose myself before I went back to that hellhole.

The door creaked open again, and I turned to see who it was.

It was Anastasia.

Her lips curled into a slow smirk.

Well, she purred, You look like shit.

Willow's POV

I didnt answer her.

I didnt even blink.

My fists clenched slightly at my sides, but I refused to give her the reaction she wanted. Instead I just stared at her, expressionless.

She tilted her head, clearly disappointed that I didnt react.

Really? No reply? she teased, coming to stand beside me.

I stayed quiet, washing my hands silently.

Oh, come on, Willow. She leaned on the sink. Dont act like you didnt see us that night. You were standing right there watching us.

Still, I said nothing.

She continued with a cruel laugh. You should have heard him last night. He was crazy for my body. I really hope you learnt a thing or two from yesterday night.

I dried my hands calmly, and turned to walk away without saying a word.

She was getting irritated at my lack of reaction, so that made her push harder.

Oh, I know whatll crack you, she said maliciously. Lets talk about your babies.

I froze instantly.

Those poor little things, she whispered from behind me. But they didnt die for nothing, you know. Thanks to them, my womb is finally strong enough to carry his heir.

I turned slowly.

She leaned closer with triumph burning in her eyes. You couldnt carry his child but I will. And Silas will finally have what he always wanted with me.

Something inside me snapped at her words.

I shoved her hard, and she stumbled backward, gasping as she caught herself on the wall.

She looked at me in shock for a moment. And then, slowly she smiled.

Youll regret that, she murmured.

Before I could ask what she meant, she faced the wall, and slammed her head into it.

I blinked in horror and disbelief.

Then she did it again and again.

Blood stained the wall.

She released out a loud piercing scream, then she dropped to the floor, sobbing and clutching her head like I had done it.

The bathroom door burst open almost instantly.

And several pack members burst in.

Someone call the healer!

Anastasia!

Lunawhat happened?

I stood there, frozen, my hands trembling, and my heart pounding in my chest.

Silas rushed in with two guards behind him.

He saw the blood first, then he saw her, then me.

Willow? His voice was sharp with fury.

Anastasia whimpered weakly, curling on the floor.

Sheshe attacked me, she sobbed. I came to apologize to her for the dance, and she just snapped. She pushed me and slammed my head against the wall. II think Im bleeding.

Silas stared at me, his face twisted with rage.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Shes lying, I croaked out when I finally found my voice. Shes lying. I didnt touch her. Shes doing this to frame me.

Silass eyes blazed with fury. So now youre calling her a liar?

She slammed her own head against the wall, I said, firmer this time. I didnt

Enough! he roared.

My heart pounded.

The pack members gasped and murmured. I could feel their eyes judging me.

Shes insane, someone whispered.

I always knew there was something off about her, another voice muttered.

Poor Anastasia.

Silas turned to his guards. Teach her a lesson.

The words froze the blood in my veins, and my heart stopped.

Before I could move, the two warriors stepped forward and grabbed me.

Nowait! I cried, but it was too late.

The first blow landed hard against my stomach. I doubled over, gasping for air.

Another came against my back, sending me crashing to the floor.

I curled in on myself, wrapping my arms around my belly.

Pleasestop, I cried.

But they didnt.

They kept kicking and punching mercilessly as I screamed.

I tried to shield myself, especially my belly, but it was useless.

Then I felt it.

A sharp pain twisted through my abdomen, followed by a familiar rush down my thighs.

Blood.

I choked on a sob as I looked down. Blood soaked through my dress.

The guards faltered, and they stepped back, looking shaken.

Alpha, one of then said, hesitating, shes bleeding

Silas stepped forward, his rage turned into confusion. He saw the blood.

I met his eyes with tears running down my face. Please... I whispered.

He hesitated for a single moment, then Anastasia whimpered from the floor, her voice was soft and pitiful, Silas... I don't feel so good...

That was all it took.

Silas turned away from me and knelt beside her. Ive got you, Ana, he murmured, lifting her into his arms gently.

She held him weakly. As her eyes met mine over his shoulder, she smirked.

Silas didnt even glance at me as he walked out of the room carrying her.

At the doorway, he finally spoke.

I hope youve learned your lesson, Willow. His voice was cold. Get yourself to the clinic.

Then he was gone.

Leaving me there on the bloodstained floor, severely injured and half-dead.

I tried to move, but the pain was just too much. My body shook, and my vision blurred.

I dragged myself slowly on the floor, until I reached the corner where my bag had fallen earlier. I pulled out my phone with great difficulty.

Then I called my father.

Willow? He already sounded worried. Whats wrong? Where are you?

I couldnt hold back the tears anymore. My lips trembled as I tried to speak.

Dad... please, I whispered hoarsely, trying hard not to break down. Come take me home...

Where are you right now? He asked immediately.

I gave him the directions as best as I could.

He cursed under his breath. Im sending someone right now. Dont move. Dont speak. Just hold on, okay? You'll be fine.

Comequick I managed to mumble before the phone fell from my hand.

The last thing I heard was my father calling my name over and over as the darkness took over.

Forced Into Marriage to Save the Woman He Loved

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:54:04 +0800

Three years ago, my mother went under the knife in what shouldve been a routine operation.

Except the surgeon assigned to herValeriahad shown up drunk after a party.

Worse, shed been laughing about it. Shed even made some sick little wager with the other doctors, bragging that she could still save a patient while alcohol was still in her system.

All it took was one wrong incision. One careless slip of her hand.

And instead of my mother waking up healed she never woke up at all.

She was left in a coma.

My brother Inigo, a lawyer, refused to let it go. He filed a case against the hospital and against Valeria. He fought like hell, demanding justice for our mother and for our family.

But the hospital had money. Connections. Power.

And so did Valeria.

Somehow, everything flipped.

Evidence vanished. Witnesses changed their stories. Documents were altered. Overnight, Inigo was no longer the victims son fighting for his motherhe was painted as a liar. A troublemaker. A man making false accusations.

They charged him with defamation.

They dragged his name through every courtroom and every headline, calling him unstable and reckless.

And in the end, Inigo was the one who got locked up.

He lost his license.

He lost his freedom.

While the real criminal walked away untouched.

I couldnt accept it.

So I did the only thing I had leftI went public. I spoke to the media. I told them what Valeria had done. I begged people to listen, to care, to see what kind of monster she really was.

But instead of support, I got ridicule.

They called me bitter. They called me dramatic. They said I was just trying to destroy the reputation of a brilliant doctor.

And as the story spread, the damage didnt stop at my familys name.

It bled into our business.

Investors started backing out.

One after another, they pulled their support until the company my father had built from nothingthe empire hed poured his blood intostarted collapsing right in front of my eyes.

I was drowning.

And that was when Darian appeared.

He was rich, influential, untouchable and worst of all, he was someone Id secretly admired long before my life fell apart.

When he acquired our company, he didnt just take over the business.

He offered me a deal.

Marriage.

No wedding. No romance. No vows. Just paperwork. Just his surname stamped onto mine.

He promised me security.

He promised my mothers treatment would continue.

He promised no one would dare touch me again.

But in return, he wanted my obedience. My submission. My silence.

And I said yes.

Because even if it was a cage, it was still better than standing there and watching my family get crushed piece by piece.

I convinced myself I could endure it.

I told myself I could be a proper wife, even if love was never part of the arrangement.

And then today came.

Our third anniversary.

I stared down at the pregnancy test in my hands, my lips trembling into a small smile.

Positive.

Two faint pink lines, but they felt like the first real hope Id held in years. I brushed my fingers over them, heart pounding.

Darian had always wanted an heir. Someone to carry his name.

Maybe this would finally change something.

Maybe this would make him look at me differently.

I imagined his expression softening. Imagined him reaching for me, holding me like I matteredlike I wasnt just a bargain hed signed.

I was in the middle of planning the surprise when something caught my eye.

A sparkle on his desk.

A necklace.

Not just any necklace, but the exact Audrey Hepburn-inspired gold set Id been quietly dreaming about for months.

My breath hitched.

He remembered.

For the first time, I let myself believe hed actually bought something for me. Something thoughtful. Something that meant hed been paying attention.

My hands shook as I fastened it around my neck.

I stared into the mirror.

And for the first time in years, I didnt look like a woman surviving.

I looked pretty.

I looked wanted.

Then the door opened.

Darian walked in.

His gaze snapped straight to the necklace.

And his face turned cold.

What the hell are you doing wearing that?

I blinked, startled. I I thought it was mine. For our anniversary

He crossed the room in two long strides and yanked it off so violently the chain scraped my skin.

This is not for you, he said, voice dripping with contempt. Dont get ahead of yourself. Why would I spend something this pricey on you?

My chest tightened as if his words had physically stabbed me.

But I thought

You thought wrong. His tone was sharp, cruel. Do you have any idea how much Im paying to keep your mother alive? That alone is more generosity than you deserve.

Then he turned away like the conversation bored him.

As for the anniversaryforget it. Cancel it. Im busy. His eyes flicked over me with disgust. Stay here. Take care of your mother. Scrub the floors. Thats all youre useful for.

My eyes burned, but I forced the tears back down.

Darian my voice cracked. I wanted to tell you something. I have a surprise

I dont care.

His words were pure ice.

He grabbed his coat, already halfway out the door.

Im not coming home tonight. Dont wait up. He paused just long enough to throw one last warning over his shoulder. And dont touch anything that isnt yours again.

Then he left.

The door slammed so hard the walls seemed to shake.

I dropped to my knees.

My whole body trembled as sobs tore out of me, ugly and uncontrollable.

But the next day, I still went.

I went to the riverside restaurant anyway.

It had always been a small dream of mineto eat dinner by the Golden Bridge, to watch the lights shimmer on the water like stars scattered across the river.

Even if he didnt show.

Even if I sat there alone.

I just wanted to feel like a human being again.

When I arrived, the hostess greeted me with a soft smile.

Right this way, maam. Your VIP room is ready.

The room was stunning, with a private balcony overlooking the river.

The view stole my breath.

I ate quietly, forcing myself to believe this could still count as something. That I could still find peace, even if it was only in small moments like this.

Then I heard a laugh.

A laugh I knew too well.

From the balcony next to mine.

My entire body froze.

Darian.

My pulse thundered in my ears as I moved closer, careful, slow, praying I wouldnt be noticed.

And then I heard another voice.

Soft. Feminine.

Unmistakable.

Valeria.

The drunk surgeon who ruined my family and Darians childhood friend.

His lover.

The same woman whod disappeared three years ago, the same woman Darian had once sworn he would make pay.

My hand flew to my mouth as if I could physically stop myself from making a sound.

Are you sure this is fine? Valeria asked, her voice gentle. It is your anniversary, isnt it?

Darian chuckled like shed said something adorable.

Its not important. His tone was lazy, dismissive. Ill buy her some cheap trinket later. Shell take it and smile like she always does.

Then his voice lowered, smoother.

Now that youre back, Im divorcing her. She was just convenient. I needed their company. He laughed softly. You know I only married her so she wouldnt have the nerve to go after you again.

Valeria hesitated. I I do feel bad about her mother.

Oh, please. Darian sounded amused. Even if you hadnt been drunk that day, her mother wouldve ended up like that eventually. She was weak. Theyre all weak.

I felt sick.

Then he continued, calm as if he was discussing business over coffee.

Once I move the billion-dollar account using her designssince investors still trust her fathers nameIll take everything. His voice turned colder. After that, Ill pull the plug on her mother.

My blood ran cold.

And her brother? he added with a shrug in his voice. Let him rot in prison. When theyre finally gone we can be together for real.

My knees buckled.

My vision swam.

I clamped my hand harder over my mouth, biting down on my own sob so I wouldnt scream.

No.

No, no, no.

This couldnt be happening.

But it was.

I stumbled out of the restaurant, barely able to see through the tears. My body shook so violently I could hardly breathe.

I didnt think.

I didnt plan.

I only knew one thing.

Run.

Just run.

I didnt even notice the headlights until it was too late.

A sharp screech.

A burst of blinding light.

Pain tearing through me.

And then

Nothing.

Only darkness.

When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing that hit me was the ceiling.

It wasnt mine.

The white was too clean, too sterilebright enough to sting. For a second, I just stared, disoriented, and then my heart slammed against my ribs as I jolted upright.

Pain tore through my body like lightning.

I hissed, clutching at the sheets as panic rose so fast it nearly choked me.

Where where was I?

Maam, please. A gentle voice cut through the silence.

I snapped my head to the side and saw a maid standing near the corner of the room, hands folded neatly in front of her.

You need to lie back down, she said softly. Youre still injured.

My fingers tightened around the blanket. Where am I? My voice came out hoarse, cracking with fear. Where did you bring me? Andmy baby. My breath hitched. Wheres my baby? Tell me!

The maids lips parted like she wanted to answer

But a low laugh rolled in from the doorway, slow and mocking.

Oh, for Gods sake, Vivienne. Relax. Youre not in danger anymore.

My blood went ice-cold.

That voice.

I turned, slowly, like my body already knew what my mind didnt want to accept.

And then I saw him.

Inigo I breathed.

He was leaning against the doorframe like he owned the air in the roomarms crossed, eyes full of amusement, that smug, arrogant smirk on his face like it had been carved there since high school.

Of all people.

It had to be him.

My rival. My enemy. The one person whod made my life a competition in every possible wayacademics, sports, reputation, even our families expectations.

Our fathers had once been close business partners. There had even been talk of engagement years ago.

Id refused.

Id hated him too much to even consider it.

And now here he was, standing over me like fate was playing the cruelest joke.

I swallowed hard. Why am I here? I demanded, voice shaking. What am I doing in your house?

Inigo pushed off the frame and strolled in, unhurried, eyes gleaming. Because you crashed into my car, he said easily. And I saved you.

My my baby. My hands flew to my stomach.

He answered without missing a beat. Safe. The babys fine.

Then his gaze sharpened slightly. But you? Youre a mess. His mouth curved. After what you overheard tonight your dear husband being a traitor and all.

I glared at him, throat tightening. That has nothing to do with you.

Inigo chuckled, dark and entertained. Oh, it has everything to do with me. He tilted his head. Heres a thoughtdivorce him. Then marry me. You shouldve done it in the first place.

The nerve.

Heat rushed through my veins. No! I snapped. Absolutely not. Id rather die. I hate you.

His grin widened, completely unbothered. Still got that temper. His eyes swept over me with lazy approval. Thats what I like about you.

Then he snapped his fingers.

The maid immediately turned on the television mounted on the wall.

My breath stopped.

On the screen, Valeria stood smiling for the cameras, her hand linked with Darians like they were some perfect couple in a romance drama.

The headline beneath them made my stomach twist:

Love is sweeter the second time around.

So this was the truth.

This was why Id been hidden away like some shameful secret. Why there were no anniversaries worth celebrating, no public appearances, no pride in calling me his wife.

He hadnt wanted a wife.

Hed wanted a placeholder.

Someone to keep things steady while he waited for her to come back.

The fight drained out of me all at once, leaving nothing but exhaustion and something sharp and steady underneath it.

I let out a shaky breath. Fine, I said quietly. Ill marry you.

The words felt poisonous in my mouth, but my chest burned with determination.

Inigos brow lifted.

But first, I continued, forcing myself to stay calm, I need to go home. I need to settle things properly. I met his eyes. Come back for me in four days.

He studied me for a long moment, like he was trying to figure out if I was bluffing.

Then his smirk returned. Done.

A few hours later, a limousine drove me back.

The windows were tinted, hiding my face from the outside world, but my heart was pounding so hard I could barely breathe.

As the gates of the Smith mansion came into view, I gripped the seat until my knuckles turned white.

The car rolled to a stop.

The door opened.

And there he was.

Darian.

He was already storming down the front steps, fury written all over him.

Where the hell have you been? he barked. Ive been calling you nonstop! His gaze snapped to the limo. And whose car is that?

My lips curled into a cold, humorless smile. Nobodys.

Nobodys? His eyes narrowed. Dont tell me youre cheating on me.

A bitter laugh ripped out of me. Cheating? I repeated. Me?

His jaw tightened. What is that supposed to mean? Youre acting like this because our anniversary didnt happen? I told you I was busy.

Busy doing what? I shot back, voice trembling with rage.

Before he could answer, a soft sob floated through the doorway.

We both turned.

Valeria stood there with tears running down her cheeks, holding a bouquet of flowers like she was the victim in this story.

Im sorry, she whispered, voice shaking. Are you two arguing because of me? I shouldnt have come back, but I just wanted to confess. I wanted to apologize. About your mother. She swallowed. I know the timing is wrong.

My eyes dropped to her neck.

And my entire body went still.

The necklace.

The Audrey Hepburn gold set.

The one Id put on. The one Darian had ripped from me like I was dirt.

It was glowing against Valerias skin.

Something inside me snapped.

You ruined my mother! I spat, stepping forward. And you think saying sorry makes it okay?

Valeria reached for me. Vivienne, please

I slapped her hand away so hard the sound echoed.

She stumbled back, almost falling.

Vivienne! Darian thundered, rushing to catch her. His face twisted in fury. Have you lost your mind? She came here to apologize, and you dare lay hands on her?

Tears blurred my vision, but my voice didnt break.

I dont want her apology! I cried. Shes disgusting! Shes evil! I turned on him, shaking. You promised me. You swore you would make her pay. So why is she here? Why are you protecting her?

Enough! Darian snapped.

His eyes were sharp, cold, full of contempt.

Ive known her longer than Ive known you, he said. She doesnt deserve your hatred. He stepped closer, voice turning hard. Apologize.

I shook my head. No.

His expression darkened, and his voice dropped into something quiet and deadly.

If you refuse, he said, Ill pull your mothers life support.

My heart stopped.

My whole body went numb.

You My voice came out broken. Youd kill my mother for her?

Darian didnt even hesitate.

Yes.

One single word.

Cold. Absolute. Merciless.

Then he leaned closer, eyes gleaming with cruelty. So kneel. Right now. And kiss her shoes.

Valeria gasped, eyes wide. Darian, notheres no need

But Darian shot her a look that shut her up instantly.

Tears spilled down my face as my knees gave out.

Humiliation burned through me like acid, searing every nerve.

Slowlyso slowly it felt like dyingI lowered myself to the marble floor.

Then I bent forward and pressed my lips to Valerias shoes.

Darian looked satisfied.

Like hed just won something.

He wrapped an arm around Valeria and led her away, leaving me behind like discarded trash.

Alone.

I pressed my fists against my chest and sobbed until my whole body shook.

But even while I broke apart, something inside me hardened.

Four days.

Just four more days.

And Id be gone.

No one would ever get to hurt me again.

I wiped my face, forced myself to stand, and staggered back to my room.

My hands were trembling when I grabbed my phone.

But when the call finally connected, my voice was steady.

Hello?

This is Vivienne Smith, I whispered. I want to file for divorce. Prepare the papers.

I want a divorce from Darian Smith, I whispered into the phone, gripping it so hard my fingers went numb. Draw up the papers.

On the other end, my lawyer let out a long breath, the kind that carried warning and pity all at once. Vivienne you know you cant. What about your mother? Shes still receiving treatment in the hospital Darian pays for. If you leave him now, shell be cut off. She wont survive.

My throat burned, but I forced my voice to stay steady. Then Ill move her. Immediately. Ill spend every last cent I have left if thats what it takes.

Vivienne

No. I cut him off, my tone sharper than Id ever used with anyone. Nobody is stopping me. File the divorce.

I swallowed, then added, each word deliberate. But dont send it yet. Deliver the papers on the day the investors sign. The same day as the design proposal. Thats when I want Darian to see it.

A pause.

Then my lawyer spoke again, reluctant but resigned. Understood.

I hung up before my courage could crack.

My legs felt unsteady as I stood and walked to the closet. Then I started movingfast, mechanical, like if I slowed down even for a second, Id fall apart.

I tore dresses off hangers and shoved them into a suitcase. I grabbed whatever I could reachshirts, coats, shoesand threw them in without folding.

Then I went for the jewelry.

The pieces Darian had bought over the years, just enough to make me believe he cared, just enough to keep me obedient.

I swept them into the trash.

Every last one.

I wanted nothing from him. Nothing that would keep me chained.

I was about to rip the framed photo from the shelfthe picture from our so-called wedding day, which had really just been us signing papers in his office, no ceremony, no vows, no love

When the door flew open.

Darian walked in like he owned the air in the room, not bothering to knock.

Cook, he said flatly. Weve got guests coming tonight.

I turned to face him, my jaw clenched. I dont feel well.

His eyes narrowed. Stop with the excuses. Youre doing it.

Before I could say another word, he placed a firm hand on my shoulder and shoved me toward the hallway.

I stumbled, catching myself at the doorframe, my face burning with humiliation.

As always, my voice meant nothing.

That evening, the mansion filled with noise.

Laughter floated from the living room. Crystal glasses clinked. Expensive heels clicked across the marble floors while champagne poured like water.

And I stood in the kitchen, apron tied around my waist, plating food like a servant in my own home.

When I finally carried a tray out, my arms trembling under the weight, the room went quiet for a heartbeat.

People turned.

A tall man with a sleek smile glanced at me and asked casually, Whos that?

Darian didnt hesitate.

My new maid, he said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

A few people laughed.

The sound rang in my ears until it felt like I couldnt hear anything else.

She looks familiar, someone else said. Wasnt she the one who tried to destroy Valerias reputation years ago? The one who went on TV and accused her?

Oh, thats beautiful, a woman giggled. Darian took her in as a maid. How generous. How merciful.

More laughter.

It crashed over me like a wave, heavy and suffocating.

I tightened my grip on the tray until my knuckles ached, forcing myself not to shake.

Valeria sat beside Darian, elegant and radiant, like she belonged there. Her smile was soft, almost angelicyet her eyes glittered with triumph.

Please, she said sweetly. Dont ridicule her. She pressed a hand to her chest as if she were deeply wounded. This is my fault. I caused her family pain, and Ill always carry that guilt. But shes been so gracious she forgave me.

She tilted her head, voice turning even gentler. And I promise Ill help with her mothers treatment too. She shouldnt suffer anymore.

The room erupted in applause.

Then she should be grateful, a woman sneered. She should kiss Valerias feet. Thank her properly.

My vision swam.

But I didnt move.

I stood there, frozen, staring past them, through them, into nothing. I didnt respond to the laughter, the whispers, the insults.

I simply turned and walked away.

Behind me, the party noise resumed like Id never existed.

The moment I stepped into the hall, Darian followed.

He slammed the door shut behind us.

His voice was cold enough to cut skin. What the hell was that? They were talking to you, and you just walked off?

I spun around, the last thread of control snapping. They were humiliating me, Darian! Cant you see what youve turned me into?

He scoffed. So dramatic. Always acting. His eyes were hard. Do you think I enjoy doing this? Do you think I want you paraded like that?

He stepped closer, his tone shifting into something sickly calm. Im doing it for you. If I dont keep Valeria close, shell come after you. Shell hurt you. Or your mother. Everything Im doing is to protect you.

Gaslighting.

Always.

I shook my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. No, I whispered. Youre doing it for yourself. For her.

He opened his mouth to answer

And then a scream tore through the house.

Glass shattered.

The laughter outside twisted into panic.

Poison! someone yelled. The foodsomethings wrong!

My blood turned to ice as I rushed back into the living room.

Chaos had erupted.

Guests were doubled over, clutching their stomachs, faces drained of color. One woman collapsed onto the floor and vomited violently.

And then Valeria herself bent forward, retching, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Every head turned.

Every eye locked onto me.

The whispers started instantlyfast, vicious, unstoppable.

It was her.

The maid.

The wife.

She poisoned the food.

Within minutes, sirens howled outside. Ambulances arrived. The guests were rushed out in a frenzy.

And just like that, I was in a hospital again.

Bright lights. White walls. The same sterile smell.

My hands shook uncontrollably as I stood in the corridor, mind spinning.

Darian cornered me, his anger radiating off him like heat.

Did you do it? he demanded, his face twisted with rage.

I shook my head so hard it hurt. No! Why would I poison them? Why would I hurt anyone? Darian, I didnt

Liar! he roared, and the sound echoed down the hallway.

You wanted revenge, he snarled. You wanted to embarrass me in front of my investors. Do you even understand what youve done?

I swear to you, I didnt

I didnt even get to finish.

His palm slammed across my face.

The impact sent me stumbling into the cold hospital wall, pain exploding across my cheek.

Hit her again, he barked to the men standing nearby. Teach her what happens when she forgets her place.

And then the beating started.

Fists. Boots. Blows that came too fast to count.

I curled inward, trying to protect my stomach, trying to shield the tiny life inside me, but the pain didnt stop. It didnt slow.

It only got worse.

Until everything went black.

When I woke up, my entire body screamed.

My lips were swollen. My ribs ached with every shallow breath. Blood had dried on my skin, sticky and dark.

My voice came out as nothing but a rasp.

My baby I whispered. Wheres my baby?

The nurse standing nearby looked at me with wet eyes, clutching her clipboard to her chest like she needed it to hold herself together.

Her lips trembled before she finally spoke, soft and heavylike a bell at a funeral.

Im so sorry, maam, she said. The baby didnt survive.

The nurses eyes shone with pity as she hugged her clipboard to her chest. Her mouth quivered before she finally spoke, her voice quietyet it landed like a death knell.

Im sorry, maam the baby is gone.

The sentence sliced straight through me.

My lungs locked. My chest tightened until it felt like I couldnt breathe. My throat burned, but no scream came out. I only stared, frozen, as if my body refused to accept what my mind had just heard.

Then my hands moved on their own.

They flew to my stomach, clutching desperately, as though I could still find the warmth of the life that had been there only hours ago.

But there was nothing.

Empty.

My babymy last fragile thread of hopewas gone.

Not because of an accident.

Not because of fate.

Because of them.

Because of Darian.

Because of the cruelty of the man I had once called my husband.

I never asked for this.

I never wanted to lose my child. I had swallowed humiliation after humiliation, endured the insults, the manipulation, the endless gaslighting, because I thought I could at least keep my baby safe.

I thought that if I held on long enough, if I stayed quiet long enough, if I suffered enough then at least my child would survive.

But now?

Everything was gone.

And the worst part was, even if I hated Darian with every piece of my soul, the baby was not him.

The baby was mine.

A part of me.

A heartbeat.

A life.

And no matter how broken I was, I never wanted that life to be taken from me.

My hands trembled against my stomach as if my palms could somehow undo what had happened. My lips shook, and the words that fell out were so small they barely sounded like speech.

Im sorry I whispered. Im so sorry, baby. I shouldve protected you. I shouldve fought harder. Please forgive me.

Hot tears slid down my face as guilt swallowed me whole.

It wasnt fair.

My baby had done nothing wrongyet paid the price for the monsters surrounding me.

The door creaked open.

I looked up.

Darian walked in.

His face was blank, unreadable, like hed stepped into the room to discuss paperwork instead of the fact that I had just lost my child. His gaze flicked to the nurse for a second, then settled on me with cold indifference.

You need to get yourself together, he said flatly. Theres going to be a press conference. Youll apologize publicly.

I stared at him as if I hadnt heard correctly. My lips parted, trembling. Apologize? My voice came out broken. Why would I apologize when I didnt do anything?

You did, he snapped. You were responsible for the food.

No! I choked out. It wasnt me! The maid cooked it. I only served the plates. I would never poison anyonenever!

Darians jaw tightened. His eyes darkened, sharp with rage. I dont care, he said. The guests are already preparing to sue. If you dont clean up this mess, theyll send you to prison.

My whole body shook. My voice dropped into a cracked whisper. I lost my baby because of you. Tears spilled again. I was pregnant, Darian. Pregnant. And now I

He cut me off with a scoff.

So what? he said, like my grief was an inconvenience. It was just a baby. Dont use that to manipulate me.

His words were poison, each one stripping away whatever was left inside my chest.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice until it was only for me.

If you refuse again, he murmured, breath cold against my ear, then Ill have to kill your mother. Or your brother. Do you want that?

My body went numb.

He always knew where to strike.

My mother.

Inigo.

The only people I was still trying to protect.

A long, defeated breath slipped out of me. My eyes closed for a second, and when I opened them again, there was nothing left to fight with.

Fine, I whispered.

Not long after, a maid entered carrying a plain dress and a compact of powder. She didnt look at me with sympathy. Only obedience. Only duty.

They pulled me to my feet and forced me in front of a mirror.

A comb dragged through my hair too roughly.

Powder was dabbed over my bruises, over the swelling, over the marks on my face as if makeup could erase what Darian had done.

But no matter how much they tried to fix me, the woman staring back didnt look like a wife.

She looked like a ghost.

My dress was lifeless. My eyes were swollen. My body looked fragile, hollow, ruined.

I didnt look human anymore.

I looked like someone who had already died and simply hadnt stopped walking yet.

When I was pushed onto the stage at the press conference, dozens of cameras flashed in my face like knives. Reporters whispered to each other, hungry and eager, waiting for me to break.

A paper sat in my shaking hands.

Darians script.

My throat felt scraped raw, but I forced the words out anyway, reading aloud like a puppet.

I I want to apologize for what happened at the dinner party. It was my fault. I should have been more careful. I never intended to hurt anyone. I take full responsibility. My voice cracked. Please please dont send me to jail. Im begging you.

The room erupted.

Questions flew at me.

Laughter.

Judgment.

Disgust.

I lowered my head, biting my lip until I tasted blood. Tears blurred the letters, but I forced myself to finish.

Because if I didnt

My mother would die.

My brother would die.

When I finally stepped away from the podium, it was already done.

The damage was permanent.

The whispers followed me like blades scraping against my skin.

Shes the culprit.

She tried to poison them.

She should be grateful Valeria forgave her.

By the time I returned to the mansion that evening, I felt like I was walking through a nightmare that wouldnt end.

I stepped into the living room

And froze.

Valeria was sitting comfortably on the sofa, sipping tea like she belonged there. Like the house was hers. Like I was the intruder.

She looked up and smiled warmly, her eyes dripping with fake kindness.

Vivienne, she said, standing as if she was welcoming me home. Thank you for what you did today. I know it must have been difficult, but it was for the best.

Her voice turned even softer, sweet as honey.

Dont worry. Ill do everything I can to make sure your mother is well taken care of.

Her words stabbed deeper than anything else.

I should have screamed.

I should have lunged at her.

I should have ripped that smile off her face.

But I had no strength left.

All the rage, all the grief, all the paineverything inside me had been drained until there was only emptiness.

Instead, I lifted my hand slowly to my finger.

The wedding band.

Darians ring.

The ring Id once worn like it meant something, like it proved I mattered.

Like it made me his.

With steady hands, I slid it off.

Then I stepped forward and placed it into Valerias palm.

Her eyes widened, shocked.

I looked her straight in the face, even as tears threatened to spill again.

Dont worry, I said quietly. You wont have to think about me anymore.

Valeria blinked. Vivienne

My lips curved into a bitter smile.

Because youre never going to see me again.

She stared at me, stunned.

I held her gaze for one last heartbeat.

Enjoy being the wife, I said.

Then I turned around and walked away

Leaving behind the final piece of myself I had ever handed to Darian Smith.

I tore through my drawers like my life depended on itbecause it did.

My hands shook so badly I could barely grip anything as I yanked out files, clothes, envelopesanything that might hide what I needed.

My passport.

It had to be here. My only way out. The only proof I still had a right to leave, a right to choose where my life went next.

But the drawer was empty.

And the lock box I kept it in? Broken. Forced open. The metal latch bent as if someone had crushed it out of pure spite.

No I whispered, my throat tightening as panic crawled up my chest.

I searched again anyway, desperate enough to believe it might magically appear if I just looked harder. I threw papers across the floor, scattering them like fallen leaves. I checked under stacks, behind folders, even inside shoes.

Nothing.

Then a sharp, bitter smell drifted through the window.

Smoke.

My breath caught. I rushed to the glass and shoved it open.

Down in the yard, flames danced wildly, licking at a pile of fabric. My stomach twisted.

Clothes. My mothers clothes.

I bolted down the stairs, nearly tripping over my own feet. The heat hit my face immediately, but I didnt think. I didnt even breathe. I just ran.

And there it was.

Her shawl. Her nightgowns. The soft sweaters I folded carefully every week, the only thing I could still do for her while she lay trapped in a hospital bed.

All of it burning. Turning to ash.

My lungs refused to work. My chest seized.

Beside the fire stood Valeria, arms crossed, smirking as if this was a show she had been waiting for.

What are you doing?! I screamed, charging forward.

A maid grabbed my wrist, holding me back.

Maamplease! she whispered urgently, eyes darting like she was terrified of being caught. It was Valerias order. She said this room is hers now. She doesnt want any of your things left. She said you wouldnt care, because youre useless.

Useless.

Even now, after everything, that word landed like a slap.

I turned to Valeria, fury ripping through me, vision blurring. You had no right! Those were my mothers things! How dare you!

Valeria only shrugged, as if I were throwing a tantrum over something trivial. She tilted her head, amused.

Relax, she said lazily. This house needs renovations. Your clutter was ruining it. Honestly, you should thank me. Once this becomes my room, everything will finally look perfect.

My hands curled into fists. I took a step toward her, but before I could speak, her fingers tangled in my hair.

Then she yanked.

Pain exploded through my scalp, a cry ripping from me.

You still think you can stand against me? she hissed, hot and venomous against my ear. You shouldve died the moment your mother fell into that coma. At least then Darian wouldnt have wasted years pretending with you.

My blood boiled. I lifted my hand, ready to strike

But a shadow fell over us.

Darian.

His eyes were sharp, blazing with anger.

For the first time, hope sparked. He saw it. He finally saw what she was doing.

But the fire in his gaze wasnt for her. It was for me.

What the hell do you think youre doing? he snapped.

She started it! I cried, voice cracking. She burned my mothers clothes! She

He didnt let me finish. His hand clamped around my arm, hard enough to bruise. Then he shoved me so violently I stumbled back into the wall.

You never learn, he growled, dragging me back into the house like I was nothing but a problem to put away. He slammed the bedroom door shut behind us, locking it with a sharp click.

Then his palm cracked across my face. The slap was so hard my head snapped sideways. My cheek burned instantly.

You are not leaving this room unless I say so, he said coldly. And you will finish the designs for tomorrow.

Tears filled my eyesnot from pain, but from humiliation.

Darian I

If you try anything stupid, he cut in, voice like ice, your family dies.

I froze.

His eyes darkened as he leaned closer. Your mother. Your brother. Gone. Do you hear me?

My whole body went numb. I couldnt breathe. Couldnt think. All I could do was nod.

Satisfied, he stepped back. Good.

Then he left.

The sound of the lock echoed in my skull like a prison bell.

I slid down the wall, trembling. My cheek throbbed. My throat burned. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying not to fall apart.

Hours passed.

Then my phone vibrated weakly against the floor. Unknown number. My heart lurched.

I stared at it before answering with shaking fingers.

Vivienne.

My body froze. That voice.

Inigo? I whispered.

Yes. Its me. His voice was rushed but steady. I got out. Inigo helped. Were moving Mother tonight. Shell be safe.

Relief slammed into me so hard I almost sobbed.

Oh my God Inigoplease, get me out. I cant stay here.

I will. Tomorrow. Hang on until then. Just survive.

Ill wait, I whispered.

The call ended.

I wiped my face and forced myself to stand.

If Darian wanted designs, fine. I would give them. But not my future.

I went to the desk and opened every file. Every sketch. Every blueprint. Everything hed forced me to create. My fingers moved fast, copying, saving.

Not just designs. Proof. Evidence. Every stolen transaction. Every forged signature. Every illegal deal hed hidden behind my work.

I transferred it all to a flash drive. Then I sent everything to Inigo. Along with one message: Expose him. End him.

After that, I called the investors myself. My voice came out calm even though my hands shook.

Cancel tomorrows signing. Youll receive proof soon.

The night dragged on. Hunger meant nothing. At one point, I slipped quietly into the hallway, hoping for food or water.

Instead, I heard it.

Moaning. Soft laughter.

Valeria. Darian.

My stomach twisted. Bile rose in my throat. I backed away, skin crawling, returning to my room. I clutched the flash drive and stared at the clock, praying for midnight.

When Darian finally returned, tie loose, expression smug, he found me at the desk.

Who told you to get up? he demanded. Are you done?

Yes, I said evenly. I handed him a flash drive. A copy.

Good. Tomorrow, youll present it yourself. Convince them. If you fail, everything collapses.

The next morning, I woke before dawn, heart racing. Maybe Inigo would get me out before Darian noticed.

But Darian forced me into the same car as him.

Theres a private meeting before tonights signing. Top shareholders. Yacht. Youre coming.

My chest tightened. Cant you go alone?

No. We leave together so I know you wont run.

I texted Inigo quickly: Change of plans. Theyre taking me on the yacht first. Please help.

The yacht gleamed under the sun. I stood by the railing, gripping the metal until my knuckles turned white. The sea stretched endlessly. Free. Vast. Unreachable.

Thinking of jumping?

Valeria.

What do you want? I asked tightly.

She leaned closer. Just reminding you after today, you disappear. Understand?

I turned to her, anger burning so hot it hurt. Why? You already have everything. My fathers dead. My mother is helpless. My brother went to jail. You even have Darian. You ruined my life. What more do you want? My death?

Valeria tilted her head, eyes glittering with cruel amusement. Honestly? Now that you mention it maybe thats not a bad idea.

My blood turned to ice.

She smiled wider. Im the one hes loved since we were kids. You were a placeholder. Darian will always protect me. You cant win. Time to say goodbye.

Before I could moveshe shoved me.

The railing slipped. My body lurched forward. The world tilted. The sea rose to swallow me whole.

The wind screamed past my ears. Cold water wrapped around me, dragging me down into darkness.

I closed my eyes. Finally.

As I sank deeper, I triggered the emergency signal.

A slow smile curved my lips even underwater.

Because I knew I had done it.

Soon, I would be free.

Soon, I would escape this place filled with darkness, control and betrayal.

Cheated, Betrayed, and Left to Fight Alone by My Alpha

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:18:37 +0800

Mireyas POV

Running had never been simple.

Not after everything I lost.

After my familymy clanwas wiped out, there was nowhere left to belong. The Ashbourne name had once carried weight across the territories, spoken with a mix of respect and fear because of the rare gift that ran through our bloodline. But all of that vanished the night we were branded traitors. Accused of betrayal. Condemned without mercy.

The wolves came for us.

My parents didnt survive the purge. They were called murderers. Insurgents. Liars who deserved death. I can still see itthe moonlight catching the red as their blood soaked into the soil. I remember my wolf screaming at me to turn, to fight, to die with honor. But my human instincts overpowered her, forcing my legs to move, dragging me away while my heart shattered behind me.

I fled through trees and mist until my chest felt like it would split open. My brother found me just before dawn. We held each other, shaking, whispering promises we both knew we couldnt keep. He sent me away to hide, disappearing into another city so the hunters wouldnt trace us together.

That was the last time I saw him.

Until not long ago.

After that, I was alone. Branded prey. A wolf without a pack, constantly looking over my shoulder, always waiting for teeth in the dark.

Then I met him.

Alpha Darius Stormfell of the Deathwell Pack.

He found me at the edge of his territory, half-starved and bleeding. His presence was overwhelmingcommanding, dangerous. When his eyes met mine under the moon, I was certain that was the end. I thought he would hand me over, earn favor by spilling the blood of a Ashbourne.

Instead, something snapped between us.

The bond. Sudden. Violent. Unavoidable.

He sheltered me. Claimed me. Took me as his mate, then his wife. For five years, I lived believing I was no longer cursed or unwanted. I wasnt a fugitive anymoreI was Luna of Deathwell Pack. His partner. His other half.

Or at least thats what I had convinced myself.

Now I sat across from him, my hands shaking, my wolf curled in pain as a witch prepared to begin her spell.

The Alphas office no longer felt like home. The walls that once echoed with laughter now felt like stone closing in on me. Darius sat behind his desk, rigid and distant, his expression carved from ice. At his side sat Marcella Thompson, perfectly composed, lips soft, eyes gleaming with quiet triumph. She wore the dress Darius had gifted me on our anniversarythe one meant to symbolize devotion, not replacement.

And me?

I was barely holding together.

My body was still weak from the miscarriage that had torn something vital out of me days earlier. The healers had pleaded with him to let me recover, to allow my strength to return. He refused. He ordered me here.

Now I understood why.

The witch spoke, her tone detached and formal. Once the bond is broken, she will no longer hold the title of Luna. She will be expelled from Deathwell Pack.

Expelled.

As if five years of love and loyalty could be erased with a single word.

Darius didnt react. No hesitation. No regret.

I forced myself to look at him. After everything we shared youre really choosing this?

His gaze finally shifted toward me, sharp and impersonal. This is the only logical outcome, he said. Youve proven you cant give me what I need. Marcella can.

Not worthy.

That was what I heard beneath his words.

My wolf growled in fury, but my heart cracked wide open. Was this because my familys gift never awakened in me? Because I failed to become the powerful Luna he wanted? Or because my body couldnt protect our unborn child?

Marcellas arrival months ago had planted doubt in me, and now that doubt bloomed into devastation.

The witch glanced my way. If you fight the spell, Alpha Darius has authorized the loss of everything you possessincluding any offspring.

I swallowed hard. The child is already gone, I said softly. My voice shattered on the last word.

For a split second, the witch faltered.

Darius didnt. He shifted slightly, his jaw tightening, his eyes sliding away as if my pain were an inconvenience. He didnt speak. He didnt comfort me.

Something inside me broke completely.

A bitter laugh slipped from my lips, empty and raw. Go ahead, I told the witch. Finish it.

The chanting began.

The air grew heavy, thick with magic. My heart seized as the spell wrapped around me, tightening like a noose. And then it tore.

The pain was indescribable. White-hot. Savage. The bond ripped through my soul, dragging memories with ithis laughter, his touch, the nights we lay beneath the stars whispering promises. Every moment burned as it was stripped away.

I screamed, clutching my chest, nails digging into my skin until blood welled. I thought my heart would stop. Part of me hoped it would.

Then everything went black.

When I came to, I was alone on the cold floor. The room was empty. They had left me there without a backward glance.

I staggered back to the packhouse, every step agony. Our bedroom still smelled like him. Our combined scent lingered cruelly in the air. The candles I once lit each night were half-melted, forgotten.

Boxes sat against the wall with my name written across them.

A single note lay on the bed.

Mireya,

Youll need to relocate immediately. Marcella is uneasy with your presence. All property and finances remain under my ownership. You are entitled to nothing.

Darius

My hands shook violently.

Five years. Gone.

I slid to the floor, my wolf crying inside me, hollow and lost. I had no family. No mate. No future.

Then I noticed the vial on the table.

Wolfsbane.

A weapon meant for enemies of the pack. Enemies like me.

I picked it up, the glass cold against my skin. My wolf whimpered, torn between survival and surrender. The promise of quietof restfelt tempting.

I sat on the bed, uncorking it with trembling fingers.

Suddenly, warmth surrounded my hand.

I gasped.

Mireya.

I looked up.

It was Dariusbut not the man who had condemned me earlier. This Darius looked younger somehow. Softer. His eyes burned with concern, his touch familiar and gentle, like the Alpha who had saved me years ago.

What are you doing? he asked urgently, pulling the vial from my grasp.

You destroyed us, I whispered through sobs. You erased me.

His face creased with confusion. I would never

Then tell me, I begged. Why am I no longer your Luna?

But before he could answer, the image blurred.

The Darius I lovedthe one who promised foreverfaded into nothing, leaving me alone once more.

Mireyas POV

That night, I drifted into sleep with my fingers wrapped tightly around the small vial of wolfsbane, holding it the way someone might cling to a charm or a prayer. The glass was cold against my skinunforgiving, yet strangely grounding. I didnt drink it. I wasnt ready for that. But keeping it close felt like leaving a door unlocked, a silent promise that if the pain ever became too much, there was a way out waiting for me.

The quiet in my room was oppressive, pressing in on my chest until breathing felt like effort. My eyes kept drifting toward the empty space near the door, half-expecting to see him againthe younger version of Alpha Darius who had appeared before, the one whose gaze hadnt yet hardened with cruelty, whose touch hadnt been poisoned by betrayal. But the room offered nothing. No warmth. No presence. Just dust floating in the dim light and the unmistakable truth that I was alone.

With a weary breath, I forced myself to move. Packing gave my hands something to do when my heart refused to cooperate. I pulled clothes from drawers, stacked books whose pages still smelled faintly of the packhouse, gathered fragments of a life I once believed was permanent. Each folded shirt, each tucked-away memory felt like another quiet goodbye. I wasnt leaving because I chose to. I was leaving because I had been discarded.

As I dragged the zipper across one of the bags, something caught my attention. A flicker. I glanced down at my wrist and froze. Beneath my skin, along the vein, a faint green light pulsed softly, almost alive. My wolf stirred instantly, alert and curious, but before I could reactbefore I could even breatheit vanished, leaving nothing behind.

I blinked hard and shook my head. Exhaustion, I told myself. Grief. Hallucinations born from too much pain and too little rest.

Just a few days, I murmured into the empty room. Thats all. Give me a few days, and Ill be gone. Exactly what he wants.

The bitterness in my voice surprised me, but saying it out loud steadied me somehow. Made it real.

That weekend, a city-wide wolf gathering was scheduled. Normally, I would have stayed far awaytoo many stares, too many unspoken questions. But Anna, one of the few friends I still trusted, wouldnt take no for an answer. She insisted I come, and pride wouldnt let me refuse. I didnt want to look fragile. Not in front of anyone.

The train ride stretched on endlessly, the steady rhythm of metal on tracks almost hypnotic. I nearly dozed offuntil a sudden heaviness seeped into my limbs. My chest felt hollow, as though something vital had been scooped out of me. My strength drained quickly, and my wolf whimpered weakly, curling in on herself.

Alarm prickled at my senses.

I pulled out my phone, hands shaking, and checked my account.

Nothing.

The balance Id had access to for yearsthe funds allocated to me as Luna, the shared account with Dariusevery last coin was gone. It was as if I had never existed.

My vision blurred as tears welled up, the screen swimming in front of me.

Again, that eerie green glow flashed across my wrist, gone almost as soon as it appeared. But this time, it left something behinda dull ache in my chest, a strange resonance I couldnt explain. I clenched my fist, trying to force the feeling away.

I shut my eyes.

And he was there.

The Darius from years ago. Younger. Softer. His hair was shorter, his smile gentle, his blue eyes bright in a way that made my chest ache. My breath caught painfully, and before I could stop myself, tears slid down my cheeks.

Why are you showing up now? I whispered, my voice cracking. After all of this why?

He smiled at me the same way he used to, like I was something precious. Because you still need me, he replied quietly, his voice echoing like a memory Id replayed too many times.

Then he disappeared.

I jolted, eyes flying open as the train continued its journey, the passengers around me unaware that my world was splintering apart piece by piece.

By the time I arrived, I was running on empty. I rented a modest room at a nearby innnothing fancy, just enough to keep me upright until the weekend was over.

The gathering itself was meant to honor the accomplishments of wolves across the territories. The ballroom glittered beneath massive chandeliers, gold light spilling over polished floors. Laughter rang out as wolves in elegant attire mingled, boasting and celebrating. I adjusted the borrowed dress I wore, painfully aware that it clung where it shouldnt and hung awkwardly elsewhere. When I caught my reflection in the mirrored walls, I winced. I looked like an outsider pretending to belong.

Mireya!

I turned just in time to see Anna hurrying toward me, her smile genuine, her arms already reaching. Relief washed over me

And then my eyes drifted past her.

Alpha Darius stood near the center of the room. Marcella Thompson was at his side.

She looked flawless in a form-fitting golden gown that shimmered under the lights. Her hair cascaded in perfect waves, lips painted a bold red. She held onto Dariuss arm as though shed always been there, and his hand rested at her waist with infuriating familiarity.

I looked away quickly, but not before I caught the satisfied curl of her lips.

The program went on. Awards were announced. Applause echoed. Then Marcellas name was called.

She stepped onto the stage, introduced as a healer-doctor being honored for her contributions. My wolf bristled as the room erupted in claps.

Id like to share a presentation highlighting my work over the past year, Marcella said sweetly.

The lights dimmed. The projector buzzed to life.

The screen fillednot with her achievementsbut with documents.

My documents.

Medical files.

The room fell deathly silent.

In stark, merciless text, the words stared back at me:

Patient Name: Mireya Ashbourne.

Diagnosis: Miscarriage.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. My lungs refused to work.

Whispers followed, sharp and cruel.

Ashbourne?

That family was exiled, werent they?

Cursed bloodline.

The Moon Goddess erased the child to end them for good.

The sounds blurred into a single, overwhelming roar. My wolf shrank deep inside me, trembling.

I couldnt stay.

I ran.

I shoved my way through the crowd, ignoring the looks of shock, judgment, and pity. Cold air hit my face as I burst outside, my chest burning as I fought for breath. I didnt stop until I reached the parking lot.

And there he was.

Alpha Darius leaned against his car, calm and composed, as though nothing had happened.

I approached him unsteadily. Alpha My voice broke. Why would you allow this? Why would you let her

She made a mistake, he said coolly. Thats all.

I stared at him in disbelief. You know that isnt true. After five yearsafter everything we shared

You are no longer my Luna, he cut in sharply. And since you seem confused, let me be clear. You have no claim to my assets. I finalized the paperwork last week. Every expense, every resource you used as part of Deathwell Packwe will be demanding repayment. You are now in debt to us.

The words struck like claws.

I staggered back, clutching my stomach. Debt? I whispered. You promised me a life of stability. I gave everything to that packeverything to you. Was that worth nothing?

His gaze hardened. This conversation is over.

I searched his face for the man I once loved. The one who swore he would never abandon me.

He was gone.

And in that moment, I understood something terrifying.

I didnt recognize him anymore.

Mireyas POV

It took a full day before I found the strength to pull myself out of bed. Every muscle protested, heavy with exhaustion and grief, but it was the shamethe quiet, suffocating humiliationthat weighed the most. Still, I knew staying curled up in that room wouldnt undo what had been done. If I stayed still, I would sink. I needed motion. Distraction. A reason to keep breathing that wasnt tied to survival alone.

Before Alpha Darius. Before Deathwell Pack ever became my world.

I had worked oncequietly, steadilyas an assistant in a small clinic outside pack territory. It had been simple work, honest work. When I left five years ago, there had been promises made. A place for me, if I ever needed to return. At the time, I had never imagined I would.

Now, it was all I had.

If that promise still existed, it could be my foothold. A way to earn coin. To slowly chip away at the absurd debt they had dumped onto me like a curse. I didnt need comfort. I needed a beginning.

So I called.

The voice that answered recognized my name. There was hesitation, yesbut also warmth. Familiarity. It reminded me, painfully, that not everyone recoiled at the mention of Ashbourne. I was invited to come in. When I stepped back through the clinic doors, the scent of herbs and clean linen wrapping around me, something in my chest loosened for the first time in days.

Shane saw me almost immediately.

Her eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her face before she rushed forward and wrapped me in a hug. Mireya? By the Goddessits really you. Its been ages. Then she pulled back, uncertainty flickering. Or should I should I call you Luna?

The word sliced straight through me.

I shook my head gently, forcing a smile that felt like it might crack my face in two. No. That title doesnt belong to me anymore. Im just Mireya Ashbourne.

Pity softened her expression, but she didnt argue. She only squeezed my hands and told me she hopedtruly hopedwed be working together again soon.

When I left the interview, I was almost certain the job was mine. My hands still remembered the work: grinding roots, mixing tinctures, recognizing symptoms before they were spoken. I wasnt useless. I never had been. For the first time since everything fell apart, a fragile thread of hope took shape.

It snapped the next morning.

The message was brief. Polite. Final.

I called Shane immediately, panic spilling into my voice before I could stop it. What happened? You said I thought everything was fine. I dont understand.

She sighed, and when she spoke again, her voice trembled. Mireya Marcella Thompson contacted the clinic. She made it very clear that if we hired you, Deathwell Pack would pull all funding and donations. We cant survive that.

The phone nearly slipped from my grasp. I pressed it hard to my chest, as if that could keep me upright. Marcella. Again. She had taken my mate. My home. My future. And nowthis. The last small chance I had at rebuilding something of my own.

A laugh burst from my throat, sharp and unhinged. I clapped a hand over my mouth, but it still escaped, echoing ugly and broken in the quiet room. How pathetic I must have lookedruined, cast out, and still not allowed peace.

When the sound faded, my hands were shaking.

I didnt think. I just dialed.

Theo.

My brother.

Three years ago, after a silence that had stretched unbearably long, he had found me again. Since then, we had spoken regularly, carefully rebuilding something neither of us thought we still deserved. He was the last piece of my family. The only one who truly understood what it meant to carry the Ashbourne name.

I told him everything.

He didnt interrupt. His breathing was the only sound on the line until he finally spoke, his voice low and edged with fury. Three days, Eve. Just hold on for three days. Im coming.

The certainty in his words anchored me. I wasnt completely alone. Not yet.

But before I could leave, there was something I had to do.

I went to the hospital.

The place where my world had cracked open. Where they told me my child was gone. The healers had preserved what remained, waiting for my decision. I couldnt walk away without them. I wouldnt. My baby deserved more than abandonment.

The hallways smelled sterileantiseptic, wolfsbane, grief. Each step tightened my chest as I gripped the claim papers, bracing myself to collect the only part of my child I still had.

That was when I saw them.

Darius. And Marcella.

They stood near the healers ward, too close, too comfortable. I stopped short, breath locking in my lungs as Marcella laughed softly and rested a hand against her stomach.

Then Darius spoke.

This child, he said casually, will replace what I lost with Mireya.

The word hit me like a physical blow.

Replace.

Marcella smiled, radiant and cruel. She leaned into him, her voice sweet enough to rot. And Ill give you the heir you should have had.

A sound tore out of me before I could stop it. I stumbled back, the room spinning violently. They turned at the noisebut I didnt stay to see their faces.

I ran.

The papers crumpled in my fist as I bolted down the corridor. My lungs burned. My wolf screamed inside me, raw and broken. I shoved through the hospital doors, blinded by tears

And slammed straight into someone.

My bag slid from my shoulder, its contents scattering across the floor. IIm sorry, I muttered, dropping down to gather everything with trembling hands.

The stranger knelt beside me, movements careful, deliberate. He helped pick up my things, and when his fingers brushed mine

It happened again.

The green light flared beneath my skin, brighter this time, pulsing along my wrist. My breath caught sharply as I looked up.

Blue eyes met mine. Intense. Focused. As if he saw something no one else ever had.

For one suspended heartbeat, something stirredrecognition, maybe. My wolf reacted instantly, a sharp, startled pulse echoing through me.

Then it vanished.

The glow faded. His gaze dropped. The moment dissolved.

Here, he said quietly, handing me the last item before standing.

Thank you, I whispered, my voice rough.

He was already walking away, disappearing into the crowd of the hospitalleaving me kneeling on the floor, wondering why my heart was still racing.

Mireyas POV

I stopped cold the instant my feet crossed into the packhouse courtyard.

The smell hit me firstthick, acrid smoke that burned my lungs far worse than any open flame ever could. My heart slammed violently against my ribs as my gaze locked onto the fire pit in the center of the yard. Burning cloth. Charred pages. Broken trinkets thrown together without care.

My belongings.

My entire life reduced to embers.

No no, please I staggered forward, the word tearing out of my throat like it had been ripped from me.

One of the omegas stood a few steps away, clutching a metal bucket so tightly her knuckles had gone white. She looked sick with guilt, like a child caught doing something unforgivable. LCLuna she started, then visibly swallowed and corrected herself, Mireya. Im so sorry. Lady Marcella ordered it. She said she said your scent was too strong on your things. That she didnt want it lingering once she left with Alpha Darius.

Something vicious curled inside my chest. My wolf growled low and furious, but I forced my jaw to lock shut. I refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing me break any further.

I dropped to my knees, yanked the bucket from the omegas hands, and hurled the water onto the flames with every ounce of strength left in my body. Steam exploded into the air with an angry hiss as the fire resisted, embers glowing stubbornly before finally dying.

Coughing, eyes stinging, I clawed through what remained. My movements were frantic, desperate. I dragged half-burned clothes from the pile, only for the fabric to crumble and dissolve in my hands. Blackened books split apart when I touched them. My journalsfilled with years of thoughts, fears, hopeswere nothing but soggy ash. Ceremony dresses. Healers aprons. Keepsakes Id once believed I would pass down someday.

All gone.

Oh, Moon Goddess My voice broke into a whisper as tears blurred everything.

Then I saw them.

The letters.

The ones Darius had written to me when our bond was still new, when his words were gentle and full of promises. Letters that convinced me I was chosen. Cherished. Safe.

I reached for one with shaking fingers, but it fell apart the moment I lifted it. Only a single fragment remained intact. One sentence, barely spared by the flames:

I will always stay with you.

The cruelty of it sliced deeper than the fire ever could.

I pressed the scrap to my chest as tears soaked into it. My wolf whimpered painfully, curling inward. For a split secondjust a heartbeatI thought I saw him. The younger Darius. The one who used to smile softly at me. He crouched in my vision, fingertips brushing the ruined letters, touching the gifts he once gave with sincerity.

Then a strange sensation rushed through me.

A faint green light surged beneath my skin, racing along my veins and pooling at my wrist. It flickered like a fragile spark, glowing for a breath longer than beforethen vanished.

My entire body trembled, overwhelmed by grief, fury, longing, and something dangerously close to hatred.

Thats enough, I whispered hoarsely. I wont do this anymore.

Later that night, I sat on the bare floor of what little remained of my room and typed a message to my brother with shaking hands.

Im leaving at dawn. Meet me at the border. Please.

Theo replied almost immediately. Ill be there.

Relief flooded mefollowed closely by dread. Leaving meant surrendering every dream I had once built here. It meant accepting that I was no longer Luna, no longer a wife, no longer part of Deathwell Pack. My wolf shifted restlessly, reminding me that leaving also meant staying alive.

My plan was simple: rise before anyone else, slip away unseen, and never look back.

But plans, Id learned, rarely survive the night.

Sometime before dawn, I woke with my head pounding violently, my vision blurred and burning like grit had been poured into my eyes. My throat felt raw and dry, so I forced myself up and headed toward the kitchen for water.

I didnt make it far.

Soft sounds drifted down the hallwaylow, broken noises that made my stomach drop. At first they were distant, almost indistinct. Then clearer. Too clear.

They came from the Alphas chambers.

The door was partially open.

I didnt want to hear it. I begged myself not to listen. But my wolfs heightened senses betrayed me, dragging every sound painfully into focus.

Marcellas voice slipped into the air, breathless and sharp. Darius Darius

And then his voiceonce warm when it spoke my namenow guttural, careless. The sounds he made were raw, animalistic, and then his words shattered something final inside me.

I got sick of Mireya being dull in bed, he muttered between breaths. She was never enough. Not like you.

Marcella laughed, light and cruel.

And her child, Darius continued coldly. Im relieved it didnt live. I didnt want that cursed blood. This babyour babywill be flawless.

Their laughter tangled with the sounds of their bodies moving together.

My stomach lurched violently. I slapped a hand over my mouth to silence the sob threatening to escape, but tears poured freely down my face. Inside, my wolf screamedhowling for violence, for revenge, for blood.

I couldnt answer her.

I was too shattered.

I stumbled backward, each step heavier than the last, my heart pounding like it wanted to tear free and flee on its own.

When I reached the main hall, my eyes locked onto the enormous portrait hanging proudly on the wall. Darius and I, painted in eternal smiles, looking blessed and untouchable.

I stared at the woman in the paintinghopeful, trusting, blind.

My hands shook as I grabbed a knife from the nearby table. My wolf surged, urging me on. I didnt resist.

With one decisive motion, I slashed a brutal X across the canvas, ripping through our painted faces. The tearing sound echoed sharply, almost soothinglike the last breath of something that should have died long ago.

I let the knife fall and stood there, staring at the ruined image while Marcellas distant moans drifted through the halls.

Goodbye, I whispered.

With nothing left to lose, I walked out of the packhouse carrying only my phone and the clothes I wore. My wolf pressed close, lending me what strength she had left. Each step away felt like breaking another shackle.

The night air was coldbut it tasted like freedom.

At the border, headlights cut through the darkness.

Theos car.

He stepped out the moment he saw me, worry flooding his face. Mireya, he breathed, pulling me into his arms. Gods you look destroyed.

I buried my face against his shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of family. Safety. I cant stay here, I whispered. Please. Get me out.

Ive got you, he said firmly. Youre leaving this nightmare behind.

I looked back oncejust onceat the towering packhouse walls, looming under the moonlight, hiding the laughter of two traitors who thought they had won.

They hadnt.

Because for the first time in years, I was choosing myself.

And one day, when I returnedstrong, whole, unbrokenthey would regret every word, every laugh, every betrayal they had carved into me.

With that vow burning silently in my chest, I climbed into Theos car and never looked back.

He Took His Female Assistant Home, I Made Him Taste His Own Medicine

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:14:16 +0800

After two years of marriage, my husband Jody Graves and I had never shared a room.

Tonight, however, hed prepared the bedroom with candles and soft lighting and I thought he might finally want to close the distance between us, to deepen our relationship.

But as I waited, trying to hold back my nerves, he opened the doorwith his assistant, Lucy Petersen, trailing behind. Without looking at me, he said indifferently, I need to meet a work deadline tonight. Lucy will help me and well be working in my room.

My heart twisted as Lucy shot me a smug, knowing smirk. I felt like a stranger in my own home, reduced to some background character in their little show. I could hear them in the next room, laughing and flirting.

Hours passed before I gathered the nerve to walk in, hand Jody a pillow and force the words out, Its late. Here, so you can share the bed.

A brief flash of guilt flickered in Jodys eyes, but he quickly countered, his voice edged with irritation. Whats that supposed to mean? Were working on a project. If I wanted to do something with her, Id just book a hotel and not take her here!

His shirt was wrinkled and a faint lipstick mark smeared on his collar was enough to give him away. He didnt even care to hide it anymore.

For once, I didnt shrink back. Meeting his gaze, I kept my voice firm. Lets get a divorce.

Without missing a beat, he threw the pillow back in my face and sneered. Not this again, Samantha. Youre always looking for something to fight about. Just go to your bed. I dont want you coming near this room for the rest of the night. Youre nothing but a nuisance.

His words stung, a familiar venom twisting through them as if I were the unreasonable one here.

Lucy stayed on the bed, smirking as if it were all a sideshow for her entertainment. I pulled out my phone, snapped a picture of them and shut the door before Jody could react. I sent the photo to his parents, writing a simple message: [Im sorry, but I cant do this anymore. Jody and I are over.]

It didnt take long for his phone to ring, his mothers voice loud enough to echo down the hallway. He rushed to reassure her, smoothly weaving his lies.

No, Mom! Samanthas just being dramatic again. Of course, Id never do that! Lucy and I are just working. Where else could I take her at this hour? You want me working in the streets?

A few minutes later, he stormed into the room where I was, simmering with anger. Whats wrong with you? Running to my parents over a trivial matter? Im just trying to do my job, but youre too wrapped up in your suspicions. Did you forget that Im the one bringing bread to the table while you do nothing? Grow up!

I stayed silent, watching him walk away, his laughter mingling with Lucys, echoing down the hall.

I went to the closet, pulled out a suitcase and began packing.

This marriage was never about love. Jody and I were childhood sweethearts whod been together for over twenty years. We got married because he felt pressured by his family.

Why dont we get married? hed asked one night, as if solving a puzzle.

For years, I told myself this marriage was a blessing, a twist of fate that brought me closer to the person Id loved since we were kids.

But reality was different.

On our wedding night, hed laid it out bluntly. Samantha, I know you too well. It feels like youre my little sister. Im not even slightly interested. So, is it okay if we sleep in separate rooms?

For two years, I kept my end of the bargain. But the emptiness grew as I watched him build a life without me, indifferent to the toll it took.

Three months ago, Lucy entered our lives and everything shifted. Suddenly, he had a spark, new energy and each day he treated me with more impatience and disdain. Youre boring, Samantha, hed say. Just dull.

At one point, I thought it was my fault and tried to be as tolerant and generous as I could be. But his affair with Lucy became more intense.

This time, hed brought her straight into the master bedroom for hours.

Heartbroken, I stuffed a few belongings into a suitcase, heard him teasing Lucy in the bedroom, her giggles ringing out and resolutely opened the front door, stepping out into the night.

The next morning, I woke up in the guest bed of my parents' empty house to the ringing of my phone. Still half-asleep, I answered, knowing exactly what awaited me.

Samantha, where are you? His voice had that familiar edge of impatience. Youre not around the house and theres no breakfast. Lucy and I are starving.

The nerve of him left me momentarily speechless. After everything, he hadnt even noticed Id left the night before. All he cared about was breakfast.

I steadied myself, keeping my voice calm. Im not responsible for feeding either you or your assistant. Im serious about the divorce, Jody. Ill have the papers sent to you soon.

Silence hung between us, thick with tension. Then his tone dropped, colder. Enough of this nonsense, Samantha. Im the only family you have left. You still want to divorce me?

The words struck like a punch to the chest, reigniting a wound Id just begun to numb.

My parents had died six months ago, their bus crashing on a rainy night on the way to a long-awaited vacation. The emptiness they left was a void Jody knew all too well and here he was, using it against me.

Then, in a swift shift, he softened his voice, as if trying to appeal to my sentiment. Look, I got carried away. Tomorrows the weekend. Lets go to the lodge and you can have a spa day. Itll be good for us.

Months ago, I had suggested we go to that lodge together, hoping a change of scenery might help us reconnect. Every time, he brushed it off, too busy with work. Now, when it was too late, he was finally offering to go.

I rejected him flatly, Not interested.

A pause lingered. Is it because of last night? Samantha, I was just working. Lucy and I are colleagues. Why dont you trust me? Weve known each other for twenty years.

I did trust him. But that trust had shattered long ago. It started two months back, with a call from a womans number saved on his phonesomeone I didnt recognize.

Thinking it was a family member, I picked up, only to be met with a video call from Lucy herself. She was lounging poolside in a swimsuit, clearly posed.

The moment she saw me, she froze and quickly ended the call.

I felt so conflicted that I confronted Jody about it, only to have him explode in anger. Who gave you the right to go through my phone? Dont you have any manners?

Stunned, Id apologized, only for him to dismissively explain, Lucys just learning to swim. She only contacted me for work, thats probably urgent when she call me and you pick up. He said it so nonchalantly, as if that made everything fine.

I convinced myself it was nothing. But soon after, Lucys name became a constant presence in our lives. Either Jody was on the phone with her day and night, or hed leave me behind to go see her, vanishing for two or three days of business trip.

At one point, he even took her on a week-long trip. Every time, he used work as an excuse, treating me like I was oblivious to what was really going on.

Once, I might have fought for him, hoping hed come back to the man I thought I knew. But now, he was already so far gone that there was no point.

It doesnt matter anymore, Jody.

In the silence, I heard a giggle in the backgrounda smug, small laugh that could only belong to Lucy. Hed put me on speaker, letting her listen to everything. I lost any remaining will to continue the conversation and hung up.

Not long after, my phone buzzed with a message from him: Youre hanging up on me? Are you trying to ruin our marriage?

I stared at the message, feeling a hollow ache mixed with the familiar resentment hed left me with. But this time, I didnt respond. I let the silence speak for me.

I reached out to my lawyer to initiate the divorce. This farce of a marriage needed to end. I couldnt bear to pretend anymore, not when everything was already broken. It was time to take control of my own life and put an end to the misery.

That evening, just before finishing work, I received a friend request from Lucy. Surprised, I accepted it, wondering what she wanted. Almost immediately, a message popped up: [Hey Samantha, Jody asked me to move in with you. Can you give me hands?]

The audacity of it. My stomach twisted in an instant. But it wasnt until I heard the voice message that I felt a wave of disgust wash over me. Jodys voice came through, casual as ever, as though nothing was wrong, as though he hadnt just completely discarded me:

[If you dont want to go with me this weekend, fine. But you have to go home and move your things to the guest room. Lucy is going to stay over tonight. Shell use your room since it gets more sunlightshes sensitive to the cold.]

The words hit me like a slap across the face.

Sensitive to the cold? Does he think Im not?

Did he think I wouldnt notice the shift in his words, his priorities? His complete disregard for me was palpable in that message and I felt a sick, bitter laugh bubble up from deep within. It felt like the last shred of dignity I had was being torn apart, piece by piece.

I didnt reply immediately. My mind was racing, trying to make sense of the cruelty, the thoughtlessness. How had I gotten here? What had happened to the man I once loved, the man I thought I knew?

I stood there, staring at my phone, paralyzed for a moment. Then the phone rang. Jody.

Are you dead? he barked, his voice tinged with fury. Did you not get my message? Or is it just that you dont want to make room for Lucy? Shes living in a cramped room now and shes got it worse than you.

I wanted to scream at him, tell him how wrong he was, how much he was hurting me with every word. But I kept it together. His words were like venom and I had to remind myself that I wasnt going to let him control me anymore.

He paused for a moment before his voice took on a sharper, colder edge.

If you havent cleared it out by the time we get there, dont blame me if your things end up on the curb.

I heard the threat loud and clear and it was the final straw. The coldness in his voicethe complete lack of empathy or concern from someone I had shared so much withsent a chill through my entire body.

I exhaled slowly, my frustration threatening to boil over, but I forced myself to remain calm. This was no longer a conversation; it was just him exerting control.

Before I could say anything else, the line went dead. He hung up on me. Too lazy, too indifferent to offer anything more. It was over.

I decided then to return to the house Jody and I had once shared. Id left in a rush the night before, forgetting some things and I needed to take care of a few lingering detailsespecially the wedding photos still hanging in the master bedroom. I wasnt sure what I expected to find, but nothing could have prepared me for the chaos that greeted me.

The moment I stepped into the room, I was hit with the overwhelming sight of disarray. The quilt lay in a heap on the floor, the sheets were crumpled and the sofa had been shoved out of place. A piece of lace was carelessly draped across it and the trash can was overflowing with wadded tissues.

My eyes narrowed and I took in every detail, but it wasnt until I looked closer that the true horror became apparent.

Among the garbage was the unmistakable evidence of what had taken place in my absence: a condom pack, shoved carelessly into the trash, as if it didnt matter.

The air in the room reeked, a mix of stale perfume and something elsesomething far worse. The stench hit me like a physical blow and my stomach lurched.

I couldnt help it. I grabbed the edge of the wall, holding on for dear life as a wave of nausea swept over me. I doubled over, retching uncontrollably, my body shaking with disgust and rage. It felt like the last shred of respect I had for Jody had been completely obliterated and in its place was nothing but contempt.

Jody this is what you call work? I muttered.

The realization struck deeper than Id anticipated. I took out my phone and quietly snapped photos of the mess, capturing every detail. Then my eyes fell on our wedding photo.

We were smiling, holding each other close, as if nothing could ever come between us. I remembered that it was the only picture wed taken together in the past two years. Since then, he hadnt even wanted to be in the same frame as me.

I climbed onto a stool to reach it, took it down and cut it into pieces, including the frame. I tossed the fragments into the trash bin downstairs, feeling a strange sense of relief.

Driving back to my old apartment, I called my old boss. You mentioned needing more staff for the Amberstone project. Is that position still available?

She hesitated. I thought you said you couldnt leave Sunridge. Whats with the sudden decision? Did something happen?

I forced a steady tone. Ive realized that career should be on my first list.

After a pause, she agreed and we arranged for me to leave in two monthsjust enough time to settle the divorce.

When I arrived back at my old apartment, my phone rang again. Jody, his tone immediately accusatory, said, Why arent you back here yet? Lucy just moved in and this is how you welcome her? Youre the lady of the house. Wheres your sense of hospitality?

It was obvious he hadnt noticed the missing wedding photo, nor did he realize Id left for good. Calmly, I replied, I wont be back, Jody. Enjoy your time with Lucy.

Jodys voice came through, laced with annoyance. Why are you acting so immature? Im just trying to help Lucy outshes going through a tough time. I really dont get you, Samantha. Why are you always

I ended the call. I didnt need to hear his excuses anymore. The next day, I sent him the divorce papers, delivered right to his office. For two days, he didnt respond. But Lucys social media told a different story, filled with pictures documenting their sweet life.

In one post, Jody was making her breakfast, a heart-shaped omelet on her plate. In another, he napped while she lay beside him, their faces close enough to touch. They even played cards, with Lucy gleefully showing him removing his shirt piece by piece whenever he lost. To anyone looking, they seemed like newlyweds, while I I was the outsider.

Soon, Id be gone and none of it would matter. Still, I couldnt resist taking screenshots of everything. Evidence, after all, could help when the divorce went through.

After work that day, messages from Lucy appeared on my phone in quick succession:

[Have you seen my posts? Jody would do anything I ask. Do you really think you can compete?]

[By the way, he told me you two havent even shared a bed in ages. Is that true? I mean, I dont blame him. What man would want someone as withered and ugly as you? Just let me have him. He doesnt love you anyway.]

My fists clenched. This wasnt just a failed marriageit was an insult. Steeling myself, I went back to the house, knowing Id find them there.

As I stepped through the door, I saw them in the middle of a yoga session. Lucy wore a revealing outfit, barely holding back her smirk when she noticed me.

Hi, Samantha. Im so glad youre back. Jody and I were just having some fun. Care to join? Her words dripped with sarcasm, her eyes challenging.

Without thinking, I closed the distance, lifting my hand and delivering a slap across her face, followed by another, leaving her lip bleeding.

My Alpha Fed Me Poison So His Mistress Could Bear His Heir

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:09:10 +0800

Serena Voss had not felt this kind of hope in years.

It was fragile, the way hope always was when it had been broken too many times, but it was there all the same a small, quiet warmth unfurling beneath her ribs, as if her wolf were finally daring to believe again.

The council house stood ahead of her, its dark stone walls washed in the pale light of dawn. The pack was only just waking. Patrol wolves crossed the paths in low murmurs, steam curling from their breaths in the cold mountain air. No one paid her much attention anymore not like before, when she had been the radiant Luna who walked beside the Alpha with pride.

Now she was the silent one. The patient one. The woman whose womb had failed too many times to be a miracle anymore.

Serena pressed her fingers against her stomach as she climbed the steps.

Please be real this time.

For weeks her body had felt different. Subtle things the way her appetite shifted, the way the Moon called to her at strange hours, the faint dizziness that bloomed whenever she shifted forms. Her wolf had been restless, humming beneath her skin, refusing to sleep.

Last night, when shed tasted the nightly tonic Rowan insisted she take, her wolf had recoiled.

She hadnt said anything then.

But this morning, something had changed. It wasnt certainty not yet but it was enough that her heart was beating too fast as she reached for the council doors.

She imagined telling him.

Rowan would look at her in disbelief first. Then that slow smile would curve across his mouth, the one he only wore in private. He would take her hands, feel the tremble in them, and say her name the way he used to Serena like it was something precious.

She never made it to the handle.

Erase everything, Rowan said from inside.

Her hand froze mid-air.

The council chamber doors were slightly ajar, light spilling through the narrow gap. Serena leaned closer without meaning to, her breath caught somewhere between curiosity and unease.

I dont care how loyal she was, Rowan continued, his voice stripped of warmth. The scout discovered the treaty drafts. That cant be undone.

Serena felt the first cold tremor slide through her spine.

Scout.

Treaty drafts.

Kellans voice followed, careful, subdued. She didnt even make it back to the den. The body was found near the ravine. But if the council inspects

They wont, Rowan snapped. Burn the trail. List her as a rogue casualty. This pack has lost enough wolves lately that no one will question it.

Serena pressed her palm against the doorframe to steady herself.

The ravine.

Her northern scouts patrolled there. She knew every one of them by scent.

She trusted Luna Serena, Kellan said quietly. Thats why she kept digging. I dont think she meant harm.

There was a brief pause.

Then Rowan spoke again, colder than before.

Thats exactly why she had to die.

The air left Serenas lungs.

Her heart thudded so hard she thought it might give her away, echoing through the stone hall like a drum of war. She imagined the young she-wolf quiet, steady, always bringing reports directly to her lying alone in the ravine while the Alpha ordered her existence erased.

What about the residue she collected? Kellan asked. The moonblood traces. If anyone tests

They wont test, Rowan said. Ive already altered the archive seals. The council will see only what I allow them to see.

Moonblood.

Serena felt faint.

Her moonblood.

The sacred bloodline every Luna carried power that should never be taken without consent.

Taken.

Lyras clan is demanding reassurance, Kellan said. They dont trust that the tonics will hold much longer.

Rowan exhaled slowly, like a man irritated by a minor inconvenience. They will hold. The witch swore they would suppress conception completely. Serenas body will never carry a child as long as she drinks them.

The words struck harder than any blade.

Suppress.

Conception.

Serenas mind reeled, reaching for logic that no longer existed.

The tonics. The nightly silver draughts he made her drink while stroking her hair, murmuring that her womb simply needed time, that her wolf was fragile, that the Moon had not yet chosen them.

They were never meant to heal her.

They were meant to break her.

Lyra is growing impatient, Kellan said.

At the name, something tore loose inside Serenas chest.

Rowan laughed quietly not cruelly, but with weary affection. Tell her to be patient. Once she carries the heir, the Mane clan will secure the eastern territories. Serena will remain useful only as long as she stays childless.

Serena bit down on her knuckle to keep from making a sound.

Serena cant get pregnant, Rowan added flatly. If she does, everything we planned with Lyra falls apart.

The world ended.

Not loudly. Not in flames or thunder.

It ended the way real things do in silence so complete it swallowed every sound, every thought, every memory she had ever cherished.

He never wanted her child.

He never wanted her.

Five years of loss. Five years of bloodstained sheets and whispered apologies. Five years of believing her wolf was broken.

All engineered.

Her hands were shaking so violently she had to clutch the doorframe to remain standing. The warmth beneath her ribs flickered fragile, terrified as if the life she had dared to imagine already knew it was not welcome in this world.

Serena turned away before her knees buckled.

She did not cry as she walked down the council steps.

She did not look back at the chamber where her mate had just buried her future.

She walked into the forest with her heart in ruins and one thought echoing louder than any howl:

The Luna he wanted is dead.

But the woman he made has only just begun.

Rowan left before sunrise.

He kissed Serenas temple like he always did, his lips lingering just long enough to sell the illusion. She stood at the threshold of the den in her pale robe, watching his massive frame stride down the stone steps, cloak snapping softly in the mountain wind.

Dont stay up too late, he said over his shoulder. The summit may last longer than expected.

She smiled at him.

It was the same smile she had perfected over five years soft, obedient, grateful for crumbs of affection. It was the smile of a Luna who had learned that asking questions only led to disappointment.

Travel safely, my Alpha, she said.

Only when the last of the patrol wolves disappeared down the ridge did she finally exhale.

Her body felt hollow, like something vital had been scooped out and left to bleed silently inside her. She waited another ten minutes after the estate fell quiet, listening to the distant howl of shifting guards as they rotated posts.

Then she moved.

Rowans chambers had never truly belonged to her.

The door was smooth beneath her fingertips, cold with old magic, its wards breathing faintly under the carved sigils. She could feel them the way a storm is felt before it breaks a low vibration under the skin, a warning that the threshold was not meant to be crossed without permission.

For years she had passed this door without stopping.

Tonight, she didnt hesitate.

She pressed her palm to the glyph.

Heat pulsed once, sharp and intimate, like the ghost of his heartbeat against her skin. The ward faltered. The lock whispered open.

Serena stood there for a breath too long, listening to her own pulse, before stepping inside.

His archive was hidden beneath the floor a narrow spiral staircase descending into cool darkness. The air smelled of parchment, ink, and old magic. Rows of shelves lined the walls, each holding scrolls bound with pack crests and council seals.

She did not hesitate.

She crossed the room without stopping, drawn to the narrow cabinet beside the desk the one Rowan sealed every night with the same careless confidence he used for everything else. He had never thought to guard the words he muttered in his sleep.

Serena leaned close and whispered them back to the lock.

Something shifted inside the wood. The latch released with a tired breath.

The first scroll was from the eastern border clans.

She recognized the crest immediately but the seal made her frown. It glimmered, just barely, catching the light in a way it shouldnt have. She brushed a thumb across the wax.

Silver dust clung to her skin.

Not elder blood.

Moonblood.

Her hands began to shake as she opened the next treaty.

Then another.

Every treaty. Every alliance forged in the last two years. Each one laced with her stolen power, the sacred bloodline of the Luna imprinted into falsified seals.

She found the ritual logs near the back sketches of circle formations, Lyras name etched repeatedly into the margins, her body positioned at the center of every diagram.

Blood Transfer Phase II: Lyra Mane.

Serenas stomach turned.

The final shelf held leather-bound ledgers. She pulled one free, flipping through the pages until the handwriting changed neat, precise, cruelly clinical.

LUNA SERENA NIGHTLY REGIMEN

Dosage increased: Third Quarter Moon

Conception Inhibition: Stable

Wolf Hormonal Suppression: Effective

Subject remains unaware

Subject.

She dropped the book like it had burned her.

Every missed cycle. Every time her wolf weakened after shifting. Every hollow ache when she knelt beneath the Moon Mother and felt nothing answer.

Not failure.

Sabotage.

Her life had been a laboratory.

She pressed her hand to her mouth as the weight of it crushed her chest not grief, not shock, but something darker.

Betrayal that had calcified into rage.

Rowan had not merely stolen her future.

He had rewritten it.

She left the archive just before dusk, slipping back into the role of the grieving, devoted Luna before the servants noticed her absence. But the woman who reentered the den was not the same one who had stood smiling at dawn.

That night, she did not drink the tonic.

She poured it slowly into the hearth, watching the silver liquid hiss and evaporate like venom exposed to flame.

By midnight, she was already halfway down the mountain.

The witchs den lay beyond pack borders, in a ravine no wolf willingly entered. The air there smelled wrong old ash, bitter roots, forgotten oaths.

The witch did not ask her name.

Severing a mate bond is death, the woman said softly, her blind eyes reflecting the firelight. Not of the body. Of everything you were.

Serena removed her cloak.

Then let me die.

The ritual lasted until dawn.

The witch did not hurry.

She traced the first rune with a blade dulled by centuries, the edge dragging through Serenas skin as if carving her out of the world. The air thickened, old syllables rolling from the witchs mouth sounds no wolf should ever hear, words meant to unmake rather than heal.

When the blade reached Serenas collarbone, the mate mark flared violently.

It did not fade.

It split.

Light tore from the symbol as if something inside her was trying to claw its way free. Silver blood spilled down her chest, hot as molten metal, soaking into the earth while Serena crushed her teeth into her own arm to keep from screaming her name into nothingness.

Her wolf rose in panic, thrashing inside her ribs, ripping at the bond that had defined her existence.

Then it went silent.

Not asleep.

Gone.

Dawn crept across the forest in pale ribbons, touching the clearing like an accusation.

Serena lay in the dirt, shaking, the mark on her skin burned into an unrecognizable scar. No Luna scent clung to her. No mate call echoed in her blood.

The Moon did not recognize her anymore.

The woman who opened her eyes was not Luna Serena Voss.

She was something that should not exist.

Serena had been living off borrowed shadows.

The small mountain town where she hid was the kind humans forgot to put on maps a strip of cracked pavement, two cafs that closed before sunset, and a motel that smelled faintly of old pine cleaner and resignation. No pack territory pressed against it, no Moon-wolves prowled the forests nearby. Even the night felt thinner here, stripped of the wild pulse she had once breathed like oxygen.

She had been there three weeks when the post went viral.

The phone rattled across the cheap motel table like it was trying to escape the room.

Serena came awake with a gasp, hand already reaching for a weapon that wasnt there. It took a second for the fear to fade for her to remember where she was, who she had become. Silence pressed in again, thick and hollow.

Then she saw the alert.

BLACKTHORN BLOOD MOON GALA LIVE NOW

Her thumb hovered over the screen.

She didnt want this.

She touched it anyway.

Light flooded the dark room. The gala unfolded in miniature chandeliers spilling crimson reflections, wolves wrapped in silk and shadow, moving as if the war had never happened. And in the center of it all

Rowan.

His arm was around Lyra Mane, holding her with a familiarity Serena had not felt in years. Lyras gown caught the scarlet light and turned it liquid, clinging to her like she belonged there. They were laughing, heads bent together, careless and unguarded.

The camera drifted closer.

Serena did not look away.

Two fresh bond-marks flared at their throats, glowing red-gold beneath the Blood Moons power.

The room around Serena seemed to vanish.

The Luna pendant at her throat the one she still hadnt found the strength to discard settled against her skin like iron.

Not jewelry.

A restraint.

Like Serena never existed.

She cut the stream and let the darkness close in, sitting motionless until the heater coughed once and died, until the room grew cold enough to hurt. She didnt cry.

She packed.

Rain cloaked her return to Blackthorn the following night, smearing her footsteps into nothing. The witch had taken her scent, but the land still knew her. Every hidden switchback, every fallen log that bridged a creek, every trail that never appeared on council maps her body remembered them all.

The pack hadnt changed.

That was the cruelty of it.

The training ring still bore the scars of a hundred sparring matches. The elder hall sagged on its old stone bones. Her den stood dark at the forests edge, shutters drawn tight, like a house that had chosen blindness.

She came for one thing only.

Her resignation.

The Alphas office door stood slightly open when she reached the council wing. Voices drifted through, low and intimate.

She paused.

Against her better judgment, she leaned closer.

Lyra was perched on Rowans lap, her fingers tracing slow, lazy patterns over his chest. She was laughing softly, breathy and careless in the way of someone who had never known consequence.

I dont want to jinx it, Lyra murmured, but Ive been feeling strange lately. Dizzy. Sensitive to scent. I think I might finally be pregnant.

Rowans answering smile was unguarded.

Serena pulled out her phone.

She didnt argue with herself. There was no time for fear.

Serena lifted her phone and framed the scene with quiet precision Lyras laughter frozen mid-breath, Rowans mouth brushing her ear in a gesture that belonged to no council hall. She pressed record.

One take was enough.

She sent the file from an account that would never lead back to her.

To: Calen Mane.

Lyras fated mate.

Then she placed her resignation on Rowans desk neat, bloodless, impossible to ignore and walked out without closing the door behind her.

Dusk found her at the edge of the old ritual grounds.

Lyras fury arrived before she did, a hot, violent pressure that made the air feel sharp.

You think youre clever? Lyra hissed, her eyes burning. You think this makes you powerful?

Serena faced her slowly, as if she had all the time in the world.

You sent that video to Calen, Lyra spat. Do you have any idea what youve done?

Serena tilted her head.

I told the truth.

Lyra laughed not in humor, but in delight.

Truth? she said. You think you ever earned the truth? Her smile twisted. Rowan never wanted your child. He wanted mine. Your blood is thin, Serena. It always was. You were convenient. Thats all.

Something in Serena slid out of place.

Not shattered.

Unhooked.

You were barren long before the tonics, Lyra continued, voice silky with poison. He just got tired of pretending otherwise. It was humiliating to watch you beg the Moon for something you were never meant to have.

Serena took one step forward.

Lyra didnt notice.

That scout? Lyra went on lightly. Your fault. If you hadnt filled her head with loyalty, she wouldnt have tried to be brave.

Serena raised her hand.

The sound was loud in the quiet glade flesh against flesh, sharp as a gunshot.

Lyra stumbled backward, heel catching on a stone.

She fell into the ritual fire.

The flames answered her aura instantly.

Lyra screamed as power erupted from her skin, scarlet and gold spiraling into the air like a wounded sun.

Serena did not move.

She simply watched the truth burn.

Rowan heard the scream before anyone told him what was wrong.

It tore through the council wing like a blade, raw with magic, sharp enough to make his wolf slam against his ribs. Chairs scraped. Voices broke. By the time he reached the doors, he was already running, lungs burning, the scent of scorched stone and blood pulling him forward.

The ritual grounds were unrecognizable.

Fire crawled over the circle in feral tongues where the brazier had overturned, magic shuddering out of control. At the center of it all, Lyra knelt in the ash, her gown shredded, silver soot streaking her hair and skin as if the flames had tried to claim her and failed.

And a few steps away

Serena.

She wasnt retreating. She wasnt crying.

She was standing there as if she had been carved into the scene.

Rowan didnt remember crossing the space between them. One moment he was staring, the next he was hauling Lyra out of the burning ring, her aura flaring so violently it blistered his arms. He pulled her against his chest, bellowing for healers until his voice shook the trees.

Only then did he look back.

Serena had not moved at all.

Her face was pale, expression unreadable, like she had already stepped outside herself.

What did you do? Rowan roared.

She said nothing.

You jealous, spiteful he spat, advancing on her, Lyras blood smeared across his hands. Youve always been barren, Serena. Broken. Unfit to be Luna. And now you dare to hurt her?

Each word struck like a lash.

Barren.

Broken.

Unfit.

Serena felt them slide into the spaces where her bond had once lived not tearing her open, but hollowing her out until there was nothing left to bleed.

Lyra whimpered in Rowans arms. She did it on purpose, she whispered. Shes always hated me. She cant stand that you chose me.

Rowan didnt look away from Serena. You disgust me, he said quietly.

It was worse than shouting.

Something in Serena loosened.

Not pain.

Freedom.

That night, while the healers chanted over Lyras burned aura and the council convened in frantic whispers, Serena returned to her den for the last time.

She packed nothing.

She only took the pendant Rowan had given her at her first Blood Moon the one engraved with the Luna crest and the cloak her mother had woven for her before the sickness took her voice.

Then she went to the ravine.

The same ravine where her scout had died.

She had chosen it deliberately.

The terrain was unstable, riddled with jagged stone and blind bends where patrol scents tangled uselessly. She cut her palm deeply with a shard of rock and let the blood flow freely, soaking the fabric of her cloak until it was heavy and dark.

Then she shifted.

Her wolf tore free, silver and white, sprinting through the underbrush with calculated desperation. She crashed through brambles, ripped her flank on thorns, and let her scent scatter wildly through the gorge.

When she reached the deepest drop, she tore the cloak from her shoulders and left it tangled on a blood-slicked boulder.

She did not leap.

She slipped sideways into a hidden waterway and let the river carry her down into darkness.

By sunrise, the ravine was swarming.

Search parties howled her name. Scouts traced her shredded trail to the cliffs edge and found only blood, fur, and the Luna pendant lodged between stones.

Shes gone, someone whispered.

Rowan stood at the brink long after the others stepped back, staring into the churning water below.

He felt nothing.

Only inconvenience.

The funeral was held before dusk.

The council chamber was draped in mourning black, incense thick in the air. Lyra sat beside Rowan, her arm wrapped in glowing bandages, her expression carefully stricken.

Luna Serena gave her life in a moment of madness, Rowan declared. Let her death remind us of the dangers of unchecked emotion.

No one questioned him.

By nightfall, emissaries from Lyras clan arrived with condolences and quiet offers of alliance.

And deep in the forest, hidden beneath a strangers scent and a body that no longer answered to a bond, Serena watched the flames of her own pyre from the shadows.

She felt nothing.

Not grief.

Not fear.

Only fire.

If he wanted her gone so badly

He should have made sure she couldnt rise.