PiRead Library

“Smile for the crowd, Ophelia,” he whispered, “You’re my Luna, remember?” Everyone thought our wedding would be the fairytale ending. But behind the vows, there were lies, betrayal, and another woman wearing my dream gown as a ‘bridesmaid.’ I learned too late that my Alpha’s love had always been a performance—one meant to make his first love shine. Now I’m walking down the aisle not as a bride, but as a ghost of the woman I used to be. Because by tomorrow morning, they’ll all realize... The Luna they tried to destroy has already disappeared. Just because I refused to let my Alpha mate’s first love be my bridesmaid at my bonding ceremony, that night, I was drgged and placed unc0nscious, half-n@ked, on a pool table. His friends laughed, measuring my 1egs with cue sticks, some even pouring cold liquor over my body. “One sh0t in!” Someone whistled. “With a beauty as company, my skills are improving!” My mate’s first love, Daphne, held up a phone, maliciously laughing in my ear. “A subst1tute is just a subst1tute. Like now, you're lying there, letting them do as they please—this is your true role!” My Alpha mate, Asher, thought that under the influence of the drg, I wouldn’t remember anything. He spent the whole night humiliating me, all to please his first love. What he didn’t know was that I had a natural resistance to ether-based drgs. When I woke up, I wiped away my tears and scheduled a surgery to get rid of the child. Back then, on the pool table, I gr0aned in pain, and Daphne playfully pouted, “I just wanna live the dream of walking the red carpet with Asher. How dare you, a subst1tute mate, say no!” Asher pulled her closer and rolled his eyes, casually saying, “She made Daphne unhappy, so of course, I had to punish her.” His friends laughed uproariously. “Don’t worry, we’ll make Ophelia beg for mercy! We’re all curious how Asher tames her to be so obedient.” Asher answered lazily, “I bought some toys to spice things up. She thought I cared for her, so she gladly accepted.” “True Alpha, staying so loyal to your true love! But… aren’t you worried Ophelia will find out about you severing the mate bond?” Asher smirked, clearing the last ball with a swift strike. “She dares? She’s just an orphan Omega who signed a bond-sealing deal with me and got pregn@nt. Now, she’s playing around like this. Who else would want her?” “To be honest, a pregn@nt Omega she-wolf smells bad. Every night, I almost puke.” “I disciplined her to make clear that being my Luna doesn’t give her the right to trample Daphne.” Somebody asked, “Alpha, those packages you had delivered to Ophelia... you specifically told the shop not to ship them anonymously, right? That’s why she lost her sh0t at the Top Warrior title. That was for Daphne too, wasn’t it?” Asher ran his hand over Daphne’s waist, smiling faintly. “Although the spot was already decided, if I didn’t ruin her reputation, how could I ensure Daphne wouldn’t be gossiped about after she was granted the top warrior?” Daphne looked embarrassed. “She said I demonstrated the move wrong. That embarrassed me. Asher was just giving her a little lesson!” My heart clenched. A scene in my memory suddenly struck me—dozens of transparent packages had piled up at the pack training ground entrance, and the pack members’ eyes were full of disgust. I felt heartbroken as I watched my beloved students drop my training classes. But I never expected this was all part of his scheme. The laughter continued in the pool hall as my heart sank. Asher seemed to remember something. He pulled a stack of photos from his pocket, and scattered them across my b0dy. “Callen, post these photos in the parent group. I want Ophelia to resign and go home, completely out of Daphne’s way.” “Wow, these were taken in the training field, full-body sh0ts, no face blurred!” “If those parents see this, they’ll go ballistic!” The laughter and shrieks grew louder and louder, and my tears fell without stop. Asher wasn’t like this before. Two years ago, his mother, our pack’s Luna, asked me to assist him before she fell into a coma from a car accident. I gave up my chance to become an Alpha king’s warrior, training our pack’s underage werewolves day and night, hoping they could become excellent warriors too. Asher was kind to me as well, always handing me electrolyte drinks before training. It wasn’t until the night we signed the bond-sealing deal that I learned Asher wasn’t just good in bed, his desires were just as strong. He bought plenty of toys and liked taking me to the training field after school and mak1ng 1ove there. I thought the wilderness excited him, but the real reason was to slander me in favor of Daphne… “Alpha, if Ophelia apologizes to Daphne tonight, should I still post them?” Asher didn’t hesitate. “Of course. You don’t know how upset Daphne was when she got kicked out of the bridesmaid group. She saved my mom from the accident, and I can’t let her be upset!” Daphne lowered her eyes, a faint, forced smile on her lips. Callen’s expression hardened, and he s1ammed the cue stick on the table. “B, how dare you bully the Alpha’s precious! You deserve to suffer!” Pain sh0t through me, and I passed out. The next morning, I woke up in my bed, my pajamas intact. Asher had already gone to the pack meeting. On the nightstand, as it had been for three unbroken years, sat a warm cup of electrolyte water. I hid under the covers and cried, then shakily called Mia, the pack member in charge of the ceremony. “Keep what Daphne ordered, and cancel my segment.” Mia paused for a moment. “Are you sure, Ophelia?” No wonder she was surprised. The bridesmaid dress Daphne ordered was larger than mine, decorated with rhinestones. The so-called bridesmaid even insisted on a 14-carat Oppenheimer pink diamond. At first, I didn’t know who she was. I asked Asher’s friends and learned she was his childhood sweetheart and first love. When I rushed to the pack’s planning room, I coincidentally walked in on Daphne proposing a “memorial for the first love” during the ceremony. Mia looked at me with hesitation. “Asher said our memories are too precious to not share at the ceremony. He’ll regret it for life if we don’t.” Daphne intentionally emphasized “for life,” ‘accidentally’ slipping a faded photograph from her bag. In the photo, young Asher was kissing the top of her head. While in these three years, he rarely kissed me. I stared at it, my chest tight, and gritted my teeth. “This isn’t appropriate. There’s no need for Daphne to be a bridesmaid.” Daphne didn’t get angry; instead, she smiled. “No worries, there will always be ‘surprises’ at the bonding ceremony, right?” As I left the planning room, my hands shook. That night, Asher comforted me, “You are right, the ceremony should go as you wish.” But when he thought I was asleep, he lowered his voice and made a call. “Go along with her. I’ll make her regret it. Daphne, don’t cry.” I froze. But if Asher liked Daphne so much, why did he keep saying that he loved me? That he only wanted to mark me and seal the mate bond with me for life? I suddenly recalled a conversation at a pack gathering when Gamma Leo had been drvnk. “Ophelia? If not for her assistance in securing Asher’s Alpha position, an Omega like her would never be a warrior trainer in our pack.” “Exactly, if Luna Isla hadn’t stopped Daphne from becoming our Luna, Ophelia wouldn’t have had a chance.” My heart twisted, aching so badly I could barely breathe. No wonder I was always the one handling the daily training, and Asher and Daphne were sent to visit with other packs. The public lessons I spent nights preparing were given to Daphne to showcase, becoming her capital for fame. I fled home and dialed a number. “Is the Lycan joint training program still looking for warriors? Tristan, I want to sign up.” Tristan’s voice sounded surprised. “Ophelia, you were always the best warrior in training camp. We’ve been hoping to recruit you!” After paused, his tone turning cautious. “But this program is in the Lycan region of Europe, requiring at least six months of residency. Are you sure about this?” I clenched the phone tightly, glancing at the bonding ceremony invitation Asher had casually thrown on the coffee table—Daphne’s name had been added back to the bridesmaid list. The scums who had humiliated me were also in the groomsmen group. The embossed letters burned into my eyes. “I’ve made up my mind. The sooner, the better.” After hanging up, I began packing my bags. When my collection of silk scarves spilled out, I realized, they were just the matching items Asher bought for Daphne’s bags. I snorted, throwing them all into the trash. When Asher returned home, he saw me curled up on the couch and frowned slightly. “What are you doing here? Are you feeling sick?” The sting on my body reminded me that what happened in the pool hall wasn’t a dream. I lowered my head, exhausted. “Asher, cancel all the orders online. I don’t want them anymore.” Asher paused, then realized, looking at the trash can filled with the little gifts he bought for me. “Honey, didn’t you say you liked how thoughtful I am?” His voice was soft, placating. I finally lifted my gaze to look at him. “I didn’t sleep well last night. My whole body hurts. Do you know why?” With three years of relationship, our mate bond, and the little life inside me, I’m giving him one last chance. Asher’s eyes flickered, and then he cooed, “Maybe it’s just pregn@ncy fatigue, honey. I’ll have the pack doctor come check on you.” I laughed hysterically, smashing the anniversary couple clay sculpture he made with my hands. Asher stared at a broken piece for a long time before hesitantly speaking, “Is it the pregn@ncy... making you feel this way?” I shook my head and slid the bond-breaking deal into a pile of training plans, pushing them toward him. He signed without looking, then gently massaged my head with his thumb. “Would you like me to run you a warm bath to relax?” A wave of nausea rose in my st0mach. It was those very hands, the ones that spread my indecent photos in the pool hall. It was that very mouth that spat out mean words and called me a used Omega. “I agreed to let Daphne be the bridesmaid.” When Asher heard this, he froze. “Why the sudden change of heart?” “I thought about it. Maybe I was too petty.” I forced a smile. “Besides, she’s your mom’s savior. I shouldn’t be so selfish.” Mentioning Luna Isla, Asher hesitated no more, holding me tightly and saying, “Ophelia, you’re so considerate! If Daphne hadn’t walked ten kilometers to get help for my mom, she might have been gone, instead of being in a vegetative state now…” I furrowed my brow, silent. After the accident, Luna Isla had been in a coma, and the details of that day were still unclear. “Don’t worry. I’ll take time off to be with you for the birth, take care of you and the pup.” Just then, Asher’s phone buzzed twice. He let go of me and quickly walked to the balcony. On the balcony’s monitor, Asher whispered, “Daphne, I told you I’d make your wish come true. No need to post those photos now.” A syrupy voice came from the speaker. “I don’t think so, Asher. You promised to make me the only excellent warrior trainer. Besides, if those photos go out, Ophelia will quit and stay in the pack house, focusing on you and the pup. It’s better for your little family, and it makes me feel better, isn’t it?” After a long pause, Asher sighed and agreed, “Okay.” Two minutes later, my phone rang like a death knell. I flinched, and the phone, along with my heart, dropped to the floor. [Daphne: Ophelia, what’s going on? Why did you take those disgusting photos?] [Hayden’s father: This is sick! How could someone like this teach our kids? How could she be our future Luna?!] [Mira’s mother: I’m going to Alpha tomorrow! Such unscrupulous trainer needs to be thrown out of the pack!] My teaching career, my reputation, was destroyed in minutes. When Asher returned to the living room, he glanced at the group chat and sighed. “Ophelia, I believe you. Tomorrow happens to be Daphne’s award ceremony. I’ll go with you to explain, okay?” I kept explaining, but the insults kept growing. A wave of exhaustion overtook me. “I don’t want to go.” Asher was surprised by my refusal, looking at me in disbelief. Then his gaze shifted to the mate ring on the coffee table, and he smiled knowingly. “You don’t have to worry about our bonding ceremony. The invitations have been sent, and it will be held as planned the day after tomorrow.” “You’re the Luna. If you don’t show up, the pack will talk. What will they think of Daphne? She’ll face suspicion because of you.” The next day, Asher dragged me to Daphne’s ceremony. As soon as we entered the pack hall, whispers filled the air. “There she is, sh@meless!” Asher’s friends ogled me, their eyes lingering on my waist and hips. My face flushed as I tried to turn and flee. “Ophelia, pregn@nt ones have bigger 1ust, I hear! If Alpha’s too busy, come find me, I’ll make sure you enjoy it.” “Ophelia, those photos were so creative. Teaching with a pup? You should be teaching performance art!” Asher seemed to ignore it all, staying silent. Daphne linked her arm through Asher’s, deliberately raising her voice. “I’m so glad Ophelia could come! I was worried that after those photos, she’d be too embarrassed to show up.” Gamma Leo immediately jumped in, “Hey, Ophelia, why bother wearing clothes when going out? That’s way too formal! It’s not like we haven’t seen it!” Laughter erupted around the room. Suddenly, a sharp female voice cu//t through, “It’s her! This sh@meless b seduced my son!” Before I could react, the she-wolf s1apped a diary page across my face. [The teacher let me touch her while giving private lessons... I couldn’t sleep at night.] Daphne gasped and covered her mouth. “Oh my goddess! Isn’t this Finn’s handwriting? He’s Ophelia’s student!” The she-wolf grabbed my hair and y@nked me toward her. “My son is only 16! You’re so desperate?” I trembled, staring at Asher, “It wasn’t me!” He knew I would never give private lessons to kids. All he had to do was speak up... But he glanced away, not even attempting to defend me. My heart died in silence. Daphne looked at Callen, who nodded slightly. In the banquet hall, a distorted m0an suddenly blasted out! My voice was processed by AI, twisted into an obscene mess, mixed with Asher’s friends’ whistles. I rushed toward the speakers as Asher stood up and walked toward me. “I don’t believe Ophelia would do something so indecent!” Just as Daphne shouted, she suddenly staggered back as if something had shocked her. “Ophelia, why did you push me?” Without hesitation, Asher turned and caught Daphne. When he looked back at me, all the guilt had disappeared from his eyes. “Daphne’s award ceremony has been ruined by the disgusting things you’ve done!” “Do you know she has heart problems? When she wakes up, you should apologize to her immediately!” Asher picked up Daphne and, before leaving, gritted his teeth at Callen, “Handle this.” Callen grinned, blocking my path and making a gesture to the female parent. My hair was y@nked painfully, and tears flowed uncontrollably. As they dragged me away, the bvttons on my clothes popped off. “The Alpha said to give Ophelia some dignity.” Callen fiddled with his lighter, the flame licking at my skirt. “Dignity… for a public shaming.” “I heard she even ordered sx toys for the pack’s training field. She doesn’t deserve to be a teacher, nor a future Luna!” Asher’s friends egged him on, “Str1p it off and let us see. She’s played around so many times, why pretend to be a v1rg//n?” I was violently touched and rubbed by the thugs, claws digging into my f1esh. I struggled with all my might when someone pushed me hard from behind, and my abd0men s1ammed into a metal flower stand. The sharp pain spread through my body, and warm liquid began to trail down my th1gh. “Asher!” I instinctively called out, but despair filled me when I realized he was already gone. “She’s b1eeding!” Amidst the screams, my c0nsciousness began to blur. When I woke up, the nurse told me the pup was gone. I felt a wave of sorrow. The surgery was scheduled for today. It seemed the pup also refused to be born into such a tragic family. My phone buzzed with dozens of messages from Asher. [Ophelia, where are you? I heard you made a fuss and broke a cup. You’re carrying a child, you should control your emotions! Daphne’s not feeling well, and I need to take care of her. The bonding ceremony will go on as planned. You should come to the venue.] The last message was half an hour ago. [How dare you not answer my calls? Know your place. You should be grateful I’m willing to hold a bonding ceremony for you, so stop acting up!] I deleted all the messages and called Tristan. “Tristan, I’ll be on time for the flight tomorrow.” On the day of the bonding ceremony, Daphne walked around in her rhinestone-encrusted bridesmaid dress, acting like the hostess. Asher kept glancing at his watch, his face growing darker. Guests began to whisper, wondering where his future mate was. His friends exchanged knowing glances. “Alpha, after the ceremony, can we have some fun? Ophelia in a mate dress would be great.” Asher’s face darkened. He roared, “Enough! After today, she’s my mate, your Luna. Don’t bring up the past.” Seeing some guests starting to leave, Daphne’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Asher, Ophelia’s late. She clearly doesn’t want to be your Luna. Why not let me take her place as your mate?” She quickly walked toward the Luna’s waiting room. Asher opened his mouth to stop her but was interrupted by the sudden ring of his phone. It was the pack doctor calling. After picking up the phone, Asher eagerly asked, “What? My mother woke up? After three years in a coma?”

“Smile for the crowd, Ophelia,” he whispered, “You’re my Luna, remember?” Everyone thought our wedding would be the fairytale ending. But behind the vows, there were lies, betrayal, and another woman wearing my dream gown as a ‘bridesmaid.’ I learned too late that my Alpha’s love had always been a performance—one meant to make his first love shine. Now I’m walking down the aisle not as a bride, but as a ghost of the woman I used to be. Because by tomorrow morning, they’ll all realize... The Luna they tried to destroy has already disappeared. Just because I refused to let my Alpha mate’s first love be my bridesmaid at my bonding ceremony, that night, I was drgged and placed unc0nscious, half-n@ked, on a pool table. His friends laughed, measuring my 1egs with cue sticks, some even pouring cold liquor over my body. “One sh0t in!” Someone whistled. “With a beauty as company, my skills are improving!” My mate’s first love, Daphne, held up a phone, maliciously laughing in my ear. “A subst1tute is just a subst1tute. Like now, you're lying there, letting them do as they please—this is your true role!” My Alpha mate, Asher, thought that under the influence of the drg, I wouldn’t remember anything. He spent the whole night humiliating me, all to please his first love. What he didn’t know was that I had a natural resistance to ether-based drgs. When I woke up, I wiped away my tears and scheduled a surgery to get rid of the child. Back then, on the pool table, I gr0aned in pain, and Daphne playfully pouted, “I just wanna live the dream of walking the red carpet with Asher. How dare you, a subst1tute mate, say no!” Asher pulled her closer and rolled his eyes, casually saying, “She made Daphne unhappy, so of course, I had to punish her.” His friends laughed uproariously. “Don’t worry, we’ll make Ophelia beg for mercy! We’re all curious how Asher tames her to be so obedient.” Asher answered lazily, “I bought some toys to spice things up. She thought I cared for her, so she gladly accepted.” “True Alpha, staying so loyal to your true love! But… aren’t you worried Ophelia will find out about you severing the mate bond?” Asher smirked, clearing the last ball with a swift strike. “She dares? She’s just an orphan Omega who signed a bond-sealing deal with me and got pregn@nt. Now, she’s playing around like this. Who else would want her?” “To be honest, a pregn@nt Omega she-wolf smells bad. Every night, I almost puke.” “I disciplined her to make clear that being my Luna doesn’t give her the right to trample Daphne.” Somebody asked, “Alpha, those packages you had delivered to Ophelia... you specifically told the shop not to ship them anonymously, right? That’s why she lost her sh0t at the Top Warrior title. That was for Daphne too, wasn’t it?” Asher ran his hand over Daphne’s waist, smiling faintly. “Although the spot was already decided, if I didn’t ruin her reputation, how could I ensure Daphne wouldn’t be gossiped about after she was granted the top warrior?” Daphne looked embarrassed. “She said I demonstrated the move wrong. That embarrassed me. Asher was just giving her a little lesson!” My heart clenched. A scene in my memory suddenly struck me—dozens of transparent packages had piled up at the pack training ground entrance, and the pack members’ eyes were full of disgust. I felt heartbroken as I watched my beloved students drop my training classes. But I never expected this was all part of his scheme. The laughter continued in the pool hall as my heart sank. Asher seemed to remember something. He pulled a stack of photos from his pocket, and scattered them across my b0dy. “Callen, post these photos in the parent group. I want Ophelia to resign and go home, completely out of Daphne’s way.” “Wow, these were taken in the training field, full-body sh0ts, no face blurred!” “If those parents see this, they’ll go ballistic!” The laughter and shrieks grew louder and louder, and my tears fell without stop. Asher wasn’t like this before. Two years ago, his mother, our pack’s Luna, asked me to assist him before she fell into a coma from a car accident. I gave up my chance to become an Alpha king’s warrior, training our pack’s underage werewolves day and night, hoping they could become excellent warriors too. Asher was kind to me as well, always handing me electrolyte drinks before training. It wasn’t until the night we signed the bond-sealing deal that I learned Asher wasn’t just good in bed, his desires were just as strong. He bought plenty of toys and liked taking me to the training field after school and mak1ng 1ove there. I thought the wilderness excited him, but the real reason was to slander me in favor of Daphne… “Alpha, if Ophelia apologizes to Daphne tonight, should I still post them?” Asher didn’t hesitate. “Of course. You don’t know how upset Daphne was when she got kicked out of the bridesmaid group. She saved my mom from the accident, and I can’t let her be upset!” Daphne lowered her eyes, a faint, forced smile on her lips. Callen’s expression hardened, and he s1ammed the cue stick on the table. “B, how dare you bully the Alpha’s precious! You deserve to suffer!” Pain sh0t through me, and I passed out. The next morning, I woke up in my bed, my pajamas intact. Asher had already gone to the pack meeting. On the nightstand, as it had been for three unbroken years, sat a warm cup of electrolyte water. I hid under the covers and cried, then shakily called Mia, the pack member in charge of the ceremony. “Keep what Daphne ordered, and cancel my segment.” Mia paused for a moment. “Are you sure, Ophelia?” No wonder she was surprised. The bridesmaid dress Daphne ordered was larger than mine, decorated with rhinestones. The so-called bridesmaid even insisted on a 14-carat Oppenheimer pink diamond. At first, I didn’t know who she was. I asked Asher’s friends and learned she was his childhood sweetheart and first love. When I rushed to the pack’s planning room, I coincidentally walked in on Daphne proposing a “memorial for the first love” during the ceremony. Mia looked at me with hesitation. “Asher said our memories are too precious to not share at the ceremony. He’ll regret it for life if we don’t.” Daphne intentionally emphasized “for life,” ‘accidentally’ slipping a faded photograph from her bag. In the photo, young Asher was kissing the top of her head. While in these three years, he rarely kissed me. I stared at it, my chest tight, and gritted my teeth. “This isn’t appropriate. There’s no need for Daphne to be a bridesmaid.” Daphne didn’t get angry; instead, she smiled. “No worries, there will always be ‘surprises’ at the bonding ceremony, right?” As I left the planning room, my hands shook. That night, Asher comforted me, “You are right, the ceremony should go as you wish.” But when he thought I was asleep, he lowered his voice and made a call. “Go along with her. I’ll make her regret it. Daphne, don’t cry.” I froze. But if Asher liked Daphne so much, why did he keep saying that he loved me? That he only wanted to mark me and seal the mate bond with me for life? I suddenly recalled a conversation at a pack gathering when Gamma Leo had been drvnk. “Ophelia? If not for her assistance in securing Asher’s Alpha position, an Omega like her would never be a warrior trainer in our pack.” “Exactly, if Luna Isla hadn’t stopped Daphne from becoming our Luna, Ophelia wouldn’t have had a chance.” My heart twisted, aching so badly I could barely breathe. No wonder I was always the one handling the daily training, and Asher and Daphne were sent to visit with other packs. The public lessons I spent nights preparing were given to Daphne to showcase, becoming her capital for fame. I fled home and dialed a number. “Is the Lycan joint training program still looking for warriors? Tristan, I want to sign up.” Tristan’s voice sounded surprised. “Ophelia, you were always the best warrior in training camp. We’ve been hoping to recruit you!” After paused, his tone turning cautious. “But this program is in the Lycan region of Europe, requiring at least six months of residency. Are you sure about this?” I clenched the phone tightly, glancing at the bonding ceremony invitation Asher had casually thrown on the coffee table—Daphne’s name had been added back to the bridesmaid list. The scums who had humiliated me were also in the groomsmen group. The embossed letters burned into my eyes. “I’ve made up my mind. The sooner, the better.” After hanging up, I began packing my bags. When my collection of silk scarves spilled out, I realized, they were just the matching items Asher bought for Daphne’s bags. I snorted, throwing them all into the trash. When Asher returned home, he saw me curled up on the couch and frowned slightly. “What are you doing here? Are you feeling sick?” The sting on my body reminded me that what happened in the pool hall wasn’t a dream. I lowered my head, exhausted. “Asher, cancel all the orders online. I don’t want them anymore.” Asher paused, then realized, looking at the trash can filled with the little gifts he bought for me. “Honey, didn’t you say you liked how thoughtful I am?” His voice was soft, placating. I finally lifted my gaze to look at him. “I didn’t sleep well last night. My whole body hurts. Do you know why?” With three years of relationship, our mate bond, and the little life inside me, I’m giving him one last chance. Asher’s eyes flickered, and then he cooed, “Maybe it’s just pregn@ncy fatigue, honey. I’ll have the pack doctor come check on you.” I laughed hysterically, smashing the anniversary couple clay sculpture he made with my hands. Asher stared at a broken piece for a long time before hesitantly speaking, “Is it the pregn@ncy... making you feel this way?” I shook my head and slid the bond-breaking deal into a pile of training plans, pushing them toward him. He signed without looking, then gently massaged my head with his thumb. “Would you like me to run you a warm bath to relax?” A wave of nausea rose in my st0mach. It was those very hands, the ones that spread my indecent photos in the pool hall. It was that very mouth that spat out mean words and called me a used Omega. “I agreed to let Daphne be the bridesmaid.” When Asher heard this, he froze. “Why the sudden change of heart?” “I thought about it. Maybe I was too petty.” I forced a smile. “Besides, she’s your mom’s savior. I shouldn’t be so selfish.” Mentioning Luna Isla, Asher hesitated no more, holding me tightly and saying, “Ophelia, you’re so considerate! If Daphne hadn’t walked ten kilometers to get help for my mom, she might have been gone, instead of being in a vegetative state now…” I furrowed my brow, silent. After the accident, Luna Isla had been in a coma, and the details of that day were still unclear. “Don’t worry. I’ll take time off to be with you for the birth, take care of you and the pup.” Just then, Asher’s phone buzzed twice. He let go of me and quickly walked to the balcony. On the balcony’s monitor, Asher whispered, “Daphne, I told you I’d make your wish come true. No need to post those photos now.” A syrupy voice came from the speaker. “I don’t think so, Asher. You promised to make me the only excellent warrior trainer. Besides, if those photos go out, Ophelia will quit and stay in the pack house, focusing on you and the pup. It’s better for your little family, and it makes me feel better, isn’t it?” After a long pause, Asher sighed and agreed, “Okay.” Two minutes later, my phone rang like a death knell. I flinched, and the phone, along with my heart, dropped to the floor. [Daphne: Ophelia, what’s going on? Why did you take those disgusting photos?] [Hayden’s father: This is sick! How could someone like this teach our kids? How could she be our future Luna?!] [Mira’s mother: I’m going to Alpha tomorrow! Such unscrupulous trainer needs to be thrown out of the pack!] My teaching career, my reputation, was destroyed in minutes. When Asher returned to the living room, he glanced at the group chat and sighed. “Ophelia, I believe you. Tomorrow happens to be Daphne’s award ceremony. I’ll go with you to explain, okay?” I kept explaining, but the insults kept growing. A wave of exhaustion overtook me. “I don’t want to go.” Asher was surprised by my refusal, looking at me in disbelief. Then his gaze shifted to the mate ring on the coffee table, and he smiled knowingly. “You don’t have to worry about our bonding ceremony. The invitations have been sent, and it will be held as planned the day after tomorrow.” “You’re the Luna. If you don’t show up, the pack will talk. What will they think of Daphne? She’ll face suspicion because of you.” The next day, Asher dragged me to Daphne’s ceremony. As soon as we entered the pack hall, whispers filled the air. “There she is, sh@meless!” Asher’s friends ogled me, their eyes lingering on my waist and hips. My face flushed as I tried to turn and flee. “Ophelia, pregn@nt ones have bigger 1ust, I hear! If Alpha’s too busy, come find me, I’ll make sure you enjoy it.” “Ophelia, those photos were so creative. Teaching with a pup? You should be teaching performance art!” Asher seemed to ignore it all, staying silent. Daphne linked her arm through Asher’s, deliberately raising her voice. “I’m so glad Ophelia could come! I was worried that after those photos, she’d be too embarrassed to show up.” Gamma Leo immediately jumped in, “Hey, Ophelia, why bother wearing clothes when going out? That’s way too formal! It’s not like we haven’t seen it!” Laughter erupted around the room. Suddenly, a sharp female voice cu//t through, “It’s her! This sh@meless b seduced my son!” Before I could react, the she-wolf s1apped a diary page across my face. [The teacher let me touch her while giving private lessons... I couldn’t sleep at night.] Daphne gasped and covered her mouth. “Oh my goddess! Isn’t this Finn’s handwriting? He’s Ophelia’s student!” The she-wolf grabbed my hair and y@nked me toward her. “My son is only 16! You’re so desperate?” I trembled, staring at Asher, “It wasn’t me!” He knew I would never give private lessons to kids. All he had to do was speak up... But he glanced away, not even attempting to defend me. My heart died in silence. Daphne looked at Callen, who nodded slightly. In the banquet hall, a distorted m0an suddenly blasted out! My voice was processed by AI, twisted into an obscene mess, mixed with Asher’s friends’ whistles. I rushed toward the speakers as Asher stood up and walked toward me. “I don’t believe Ophelia would do something so indecent!” Just as Daphne shouted, she suddenly staggered back as if something had shocked her. “Ophelia, why did you push me?” Without hesitation, Asher turned and caught Daphne. When he looked back at me, all the guilt had disappeared from his eyes. “Daphne’s award ceremony has been ruined by the disgusting things you’ve done!” “Do you know she has heart problems? When she wakes up, you should apologize to her immediately!” Asher picked up Daphne and, before leaving, gritted his teeth at Callen, “Handle this.” Callen grinned, blocking my path and making a gesture to the female parent. My hair was y@nked painfully, and tears flowed uncontrollably. As they dragged me away, the bvttons on my clothes popped off. “The Alpha said to give Ophelia some dignity.” Callen fiddled with his lighter, the flame licking at my skirt. “Dignity… for a public shaming.” “I heard she even ordered sx toys for the pack’s training field. She doesn’t deserve to be a teacher, nor a future Luna!” Asher’s friends egged him on, “Str1p it off and let us see. She’s played around so many times, why pretend to be a v1rg//n?” I was violently touched and rubbed by the thugs, claws digging into my f1esh. I struggled with all my might when someone pushed me hard from behind, and my abd0men s1ammed into a metal flower stand. The sharp pain spread through my body, and warm liquid began to trail down my th1gh. “Asher!” I instinctively called out, but despair filled me when I realized he was already gone. “She’s b1eeding!” Amidst the screams, my c0nsciousness began to blur. When I woke up, the nurse told me the pup was gone. I felt a wave of sorrow. The surgery was scheduled for today. It seemed the pup also refused to be born into such a tragic family. My phone buzzed with dozens of messages from Asher. [Ophelia, where are you? I heard you made a fuss and broke a cup. You’re carrying a child, you should control your emotions! Daphne’s not feeling well, and I need to take care of her. The bonding ceremony will go on as planned. You should come to the venue.] The last message was half an hour ago. [How dare you not answer my calls? Know your place. You should be grateful I’m willing to hold a bonding ceremony for you, so stop acting up!] I deleted all the messages and called Tristan. “Tristan, I’ll be on time for the flight tomorrow.” On the day of the bonding ceremony, Daphne walked around in her rhinestone-encrusted bridesmaid dress, acting like the hostess. Asher kept glancing at his watch, his face growing darker. Guests began to whisper, wondering where his future mate was. His friends exchanged knowing glances. “Alpha, after the ceremony, can we have some fun? Ophelia in a mate dress would be great.” Asher’s face darkened. He roared, “Enough! After today, she’s my mate, your Luna. Don’t bring up the past.” Seeing some guests starting to leave, Daphne’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Asher, Ophelia’s late. She clearly doesn’t want to be your Luna. Why not let me take her place as your mate?” She quickly walked toward the Luna’s waiting room. Asher opened his mouth to stop her but was interrupted by the sudden ring of his phone. It was the pack doctor calling. After picking up the phone, Asher eagerly asked, “What? My mother woke up? After three years in a coma?”

“Smile for the crowd, Ophelia,” he whispered, “You’re my Luna, remember?” Everyone thought our wedding would be the fairytale ending. But behind the vows, there were lies, betrayal, and another woman wearing my dream gown as a ‘bridesmaid.’ I learned too late that my Alpha’s love had always been a performance—one meant to make his first love shine. Now I’m walking down the aisle not as a bride, but as a ghost of the woman I used to be. Because by tomorrow morning, they’ll all realize... The Luna they tried to destroy has already disappeared. Just because I refused to let my Alpha mate’s first love be my bridesmaid at my bonding ceremony, that night, I was drgged and placed unc0nscious, half-n@ked, on a pool table. His friends laughed, measuring my 1egs with cue sticks, some even pouring cold liquor over my body. “One sh0t in!” Someone whistled. “With a beauty as company, my skills are improving!” My mate’s first love, Daphne, held up a phone, maliciously laughing in my ear. “A subst1tute is just a subst1tute. Like now, you're lying there, letting them do as they please—this is your true role!” My Alpha mate, Asher, thought that under the influence of the drg, I wouldn’t remember anything. He spent the whole night humiliating me, all to please his first love. What he didn’t know was that I had a natural resistance to ether-based drgs. When I woke up, I wiped away my tears and scheduled a surgery to get rid of the child. Back then, on the pool table, I gr0aned in pain, and Daphne playfully pouted, “I just wanna live the dream of walking the red carpet with Asher. How dare you, a subst1tute mate, say no!” Asher pulled her closer and rolled his eyes, casually saying, “She made Daphne unhappy, so of course, I had to punish her.” His friends laughed uproariously. “Don’t worry, we’ll make Ophelia beg for mercy! We’re all curious how Asher tames her to be so obedient.” Asher answered lazily, “I bought some toys to spice things up. She thought I cared for her, so she gladly accepted.” “True Alpha, staying so loyal to your true love! But… aren’t you worried Ophelia will find out about you severing the mate bond?” Asher smirked, clearing the last ball with a swift strike. “She dares? She’s just an orphan Omega who signed a bond-sealing deal with me and got pregn@nt. Now, she’s playing around like this. Who else would want her?” “To be honest, a pregn@nt Omega she-wolf smells bad. Every night, I almost puke.” “I disciplined her to make clear that being my Luna doesn’t give her the right to trample Daphne.” Somebody asked, “Alpha, those packages you had delivered to Ophelia... you specifically told the shop not to ship them anonymously, right? That’s why she lost her sh0t at the Top Warrior title. That was for Daphne too, wasn’t it?” Asher ran his hand over Daphne’s waist, smiling faintly. “Although the spot was already decided, if I didn’t ruin her reputation, how could I ensure Daphne wouldn’t be gossiped about after she was granted the top warrior?” Daphne looked embarrassed. “She said I demonstrated the move wrong. That embarrassed me. Asher was just giving her a little lesson!” My heart clenched. A scene in my memory suddenly struck me—dozens of transparent packages had piled up at the pack training ground entrance, and the pack members’ eyes were full of disgust. I felt heartbroken as I watched my beloved students drop my training classes. But I never expected this was all part of his scheme. The laughter continued in the pool hall as my heart sank. Asher seemed to remember something. He pulled a stack of photos from his pocket, and scattered them across my b0dy. “Callen, post these photos in the parent group. I want Ophelia to resign and go home, completely out of Daphne’s way.” “Wow, these were taken in the training field, full-body sh0ts, no face blurred!” “If those parents see this, they’ll go ballistic!” The laughter and shrieks grew louder and louder, and my tears fell without stop. Asher wasn’t like this before. Two years ago, his mother, our pack’s Luna, asked me to assist him before she fell into a coma from a car accident. I gave up my chance to become an Alpha king’s warrior, training our pack’s underage werewolves day and night, hoping they could become excellent warriors too. Asher was kind to me as well, always handing me electrolyte drinks before training. It wasn’t until the night we signed the bond-sealing deal that I learned Asher wasn’t just good in bed, his desires were just as strong. He bought plenty of toys and liked taking me to the training field after school and mak1ng 1ove there. I thought the wilderness excited him, but the real reason was to slander me in favor of Daphne… “Alpha, if Ophelia apologizes to Daphne tonight, should I still post them?” Asher didn’t hesitate. “Of course. You don’t know how upset Daphne was when she got kicked out of the bridesmaid group. She saved my mom from the accident, and I can’t let her be upset!” Daphne lowered her eyes, a faint, forced smile on her lips. Callen’s expression hardened, and he s1ammed the cue stick on the table. “B, how dare you bully the Alpha’s precious! You deserve to suffer!” Pain sh0t through me, and I passed out. The next morning, I woke up in my bed, my pajamas intact. Asher had already gone to the pack meeting. On the nightstand, as it had been for three unbroken years, sat a warm cup of electrolyte water. I hid under the covers and cried, then shakily called Mia, the pack member in charge of the ceremony. “Keep what Daphne ordered, and cancel my segment.” Mia paused for a moment. “Are you sure, Ophelia?” No wonder she was surprised. The bridesmaid dress Daphne ordered was larger than mine, decorated with rhinestones. The so-called bridesmaid even insisted on a 14-carat Oppenheimer pink diamond. At first, I didn’t know who she was. I asked Asher’s friends and learned she was his childhood sweetheart and first love. When I rushed to the pack’s planning room, I coincidentally walked in on Daphne proposing a “memorial for the first love” during the ceremony. Mia looked at me with hesitation. “Asher said our memories are too precious to not share at the ceremony. He’ll regret it for life if we don’t.” Daphne intentionally emphasized “for life,” ‘accidentally’ slipping a faded photograph from her bag. In the photo, young Asher was kissing the top of her head. While in these three years, he rarely kissed me. I stared at it, my chest tight, and gritted my teeth. “This isn’t appropriate. There’s no need for Daphne to be a bridesmaid.” Daphne didn’t get angry; instead, she smiled. “No worries, there will always be ‘surprises’ at the bonding ceremony, right?” As I left the planning room, my hands shook. That night, Asher comforted me, “You are right, the ceremony should go as you wish.” But when he thought I was asleep, he lowered his voice and made a call. “Go along with her. I’ll make her regret it. Daphne, don’t cry.” I froze. But if Asher liked Daphne so much, why did he keep saying that he loved me? That he only wanted to mark me and seal the mate bond with me for life? I suddenly recalled a conversation at a pack gathering when Gamma Leo had been drvnk. “Ophelia? If not for her assistance in securing Asher’s Alpha position, an Omega like her would never be a warrior trainer in our pack.” “Exactly, if Luna Isla hadn’t stopped Daphne from becoming our Luna, Ophelia wouldn’t have had a chance.” My heart twisted, aching so badly I could barely breathe. No wonder I was always the one handling the daily training, and Asher and Daphne were sent to visit with other packs. The public lessons I spent nights preparing were given to Daphne to showcase, becoming her capital for fame. I fled home and dialed a number. “Is the Lycan joint training program still looking for warriors? Tristan, I want to sign up.” Tristan’s voice sounded surprised. “Ophelia, you were always the best warrior in training camp. We’ve been hoping to recruit you!” After paused, his tone turning cautious. “But this program is in the Lycan region of Europe, requiring at least six months of residency. Are you sure about this?” I clenched the phone tightly, glancing at the bonding ceremony invitation Asher had casually thrown on the coffee table—Daphne’s name had been added back to the bridesmaid list. The scums who had humiliated me were also in the groomsmen group. The embossed letters burned into my eyes. “I’ve made up my mind. The sooner, the better.” After hanging up, I began packing my bags. When my collection of silk scarves spilled out, I realized, they were just the matching items Asher bought for Daphne’s bags. I snorted, throwing them all into the trash. When Asher returned home, he saw me curled up on the couch and frowned slightly. “What are you doing here? Are you feeling sick?” The sting on my body reminded me that what happened in the pool hall wasn’t a dream. I lowered my head, exhausted. “Asher, cancel all the orders online. I don’t want them anymore.” Asher paused, then realized, looking at the trash can filled with the little gifts he bought for me. “Honey, didn’t you say you liked how thoughtful I am?” His voice was soft, placating. I finally lifted my gaze to look at him. “I didn’t sleep well last night. My whole body hurts. Do you know why?” With three years of relationship, our mate bond, and the little life inside me, I’m giving him one last chance. Asher’s eyes flickered, and then he cooed, “Maybe it’s just pregn@ncy fatigue, honey. I’ll have the pack doctor come check on you.” I laughed hysterically, smashing the anniversary couple clay sculpture he made with my hands. Asher stared at a broken piece for a long time before hesitantly speaking, “Is it the pregn@ncy... making you feel this way?” I shook my head and slid the bond-breaking deal into a pile of training plans, pushing them toward him. He signed without looking, then gently massaged my head with his thumb. “Would you like me to run you a warm bath to relax?” A wave of nausea rose in my st0mach. It was those very hands, the ones that spread my indecent photos in the pool hall. It was that very mouth that spat out mean words and called me a used Omega. “I agreed to let Daphne be the bridesmaid.” When Asher heard this, he froze. “Why the sudden change of heart?” “I thought about it. Maybe I was too petty.” I forced a smile. “Besides, she’s your mom’s savior. I shouldn’t be so selfish.” Mentioning Luna Isla, Asher hesitated no more, holding me tightly and saying, “Ophelia, you’re so considerate! If Daphne hadn’t walked ten kilometers to get help for my mom, she might have been gone, instead of being in a vegetative state now…” I furrowed my brow, silent. After the accident, Luna Isla had been in a coma, and the details of that day were still unclear. “Don’t worry. I’ll take time off to be with you for the birth, take care of you and the pup.” Just then, Asher’s phone buzzed twice. He let go of me and quickly walked to the balcony. On the balcony’s monitor, Asher whispered, “Daphne, I told you I’d make your wish come true. No need to post those photos now.” A syrupy voice came from the speaker. “I don’t think so, Asher. You promised to make me the only excellent warrior trainer. Besides, if those photos go out, Ophelia will quit and stay in the pack house, focusing on you and the pup. It’s better for your little family, and it makes me feel better, isn’t it?” After a long pause, Asher sighed and agreed, “Okay.” Two minutes later, my phone rang like a death knell. I flinched, and the phone, along with my heart, dropped to the floor. [Daphne: Ophelia, what’s going on? Why did you take those disgusting photos?] [Hayden’s father: This is sick! How could someone like this teach our kids? How could she be our future Luna?!] [Mira’s mother: I’m going to Alpha tomorrow! Such unscrupulous trainer needs to be thrown out of the pack!] My teaching career, my reputation, was destroyed in minutes. When Asher returned to the living room, he glanced at the group chat and sighed. “Ophelia, I believe you. Tomorrow happens to be Daphne’s award ceremony. I’ll go with you to explain, okay?” I kept explaining, but the insults kept growing. A wave of exhaustion overtook me. “I don’t want to go.” Asher was surprised by my refusal, looking at me in disbelief. Then his gaze shifted to the mate ring on the coffee table, and he smiled knowingly. “You don’t have to worry about our bonding ceremony. The invitations have been sent, and it will be held as planned the day after tomorrow.” “You’re the Luna. If you don’t show up, the pack will talk. What will they think of Daphne? She’ll face suspicion because of you.” The next day, Asher dragged me to Daphne’s ceremony. As soon as we entered the pack hall, whispers filled the air. “There she is, sh@meless!” Asher’s friends ogled me, their eyes lingering on my waist and hips. My face flushed as I tried to turn and flee. “Ophelia, pregn@nt ones have bigger 1ust, I hear! If Alpha’s too busy, come find me, I’ll make sure you enjoy it.” “Ophelia, those photos were so creative. Teaching with a pup? You should be teaching performance art!” Asher seemed to ignore it all, staying silent. Daphne linked her arm through Asher’s, deliberately raising her voice. “I’m so glad Ophelia could come! I was worried that after those photos, she’d be too embarrassed to show up.” Gamma Leo immediately jumped in, “Hey, Ophelia, why bother wearing clothes when going out? That’s way too formal! It’s not like we haven’t seen it!” Laughter erupted around the room. Suddenly, a sharp female voice cu//t through, “It’s her! This sh@meless b seduced my son!” Before I could react, the she-wolf s1apped a diary page across my face. [The teacher let me touch her while giving private lessons... I couldn’t sleep at night.] Daphne gasped and covered her mouth. “Oh my goddess! Isn’t this Finn’s handwriting? He’s Ophelia’s student!” The she-wolf grabbed my hair and y@nked me toward her. “My son is only 16! You’re so desperate?” I trembled, staring at Asher, “It wasn’t me!” He knew I would never give private lessons to kids. All he had to do was speak up... But he glanced away, not even attempting to defend me. My heart died in silence. Daphne looked at Callen, who nodded slightly. In the banquet hall, a distorted m0an suddenly blasted out! My voice was processed by AI, twisted into an obscene mess, mixed with Asher’s friends’ whistles. I rushed toward the speakers as Asher stood up and walked toward me. “I don’t believe Ophelia would do something so indecent!” Just as Daphne shouted, she suddenly staggered back as if something had shocked her. “Ophelia, why did you push me?” Without hesitation, Asher turned and caught Daphne. When he looked back at me, all the guilt had disappeared from his eyes. “Daphne’s award ceremony has been ruined by the disgusting things you’ve done!” “Do you know she has heart problems? When she wakes up, you should apologize to her immediately!” Asher picked up Daphne and, before leaving, gritted his teeth at Callen, “Handle this.” Callen grinned, blocking my path and making a gesture to the female parent. My hair was y@nked painfully, and tears flowed uncontrollably. As they dragged me away, the bvttons on my clothes popped off. “The Alpha said to give Ophelia some dignity.” Callen fiddled with his lighter, the flame licking at my skirt. “Dignity… for a public shaming.” “I heard she even ordered sx toys for the pack’s training field. She doesn’t deserve to be a teacher, nor a future Luna!” Asher’s friends egged him on, “Str1p it off and let us see. She’s played around so many times, why pretend to be a v1rg//n?” I was violently touched and rubbed by the thugs, claws digging into my f1esh. I struggled with all my might when someone pushed me hard from behind, and my abd0men s1ammed into a metal flower stand. The sharp pain spread through my body, and warm liquid began to trail down my th1gh. “Asher!” I instinctively called out, but despair filled me when I realized he was already gone. “She’s b1eeding!” Amidst the screams, my c0nsciousness began to blur. When I woke up, the nurse told me the pup was gone. I felt a wave of sorrow. The surgery was scheduled for today. It seemed the pup also refused to be born into such a tragic family. My phone buzzed with dozens of messages from Asher. [Ophelia, where are you? I heard you made a fuss and broke a cup. You’re carrying a child, you should control your emotions! Daphne’s not feeling well, and I need to take care of her. The bonding ceremony will go on as planned. You should come to the venue.] The last message was half an hour ago. [How dare you not answer my calls? Know your place. You should be grateful I’m willing to hold a bonding ceremony for you, so stop acting up!] I deleted all the messages and called Tristan. “Tristan, I’ll be on time for the flight tomorrow.” On the day of the bonding ceremony, Daphne walked around in her rhinestone-encrusted bridesmaid dress, acting like the hostess. Asher kept glancing at his watch, his face growing darker. Guests began to whisper, wondering where his future mate was. His friends exchanged knowing glances. “Alpha, after the ceremony, can we have some fun? Ophelia in a mate dress would be great.” Asher’s face darkened. He roared, “Enough! After today, she’s my mate, your Luna. Don’t bring up the past.” Seeing some guests starting to leave, Daphne’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Asher, Ophelia’s late. She clearly doesn’t want to be your Luna. Why not let me take her place as your mate?” She quickly walked toward the Luna’s waiting room. Asher opened his mouth to stop her but was interrupted by the sudden ring of his phone. It was the pack doctor calling. After picking up the phone, Asher eagerly asked, “What? My mother woke up? After three years in a coma?”

“Fat and weak, she’ll never be a Luna,” they whispered. I believed it once. But tomorrow night, everything changes. At the stroke of 11:12, I’ll shift into the legendary Wolf—the Moon Goddess’s chosen. No longer the ugly duckling, I’ll shine with bronze fur and fierce power. The same pack that mocked me will bow before the beautiful wolf I’ve become. And Cassian Mercer, the Alpha who rejected me at first sight? He’ll regret ever doubting me. Skyla’s POV “Skyla, Selene, Sebastian—get down here now!” our mom, Luna Camilla, shouted from downstairs. “Breakfast is ready, and we still need to go over the final details for your birthday party.” Oh, right! I probably should’ve mentioned this earlier—we’re triplets, and tomorrow we turn 18! It’s a huge deal in our world. Tomorrow, we’ll not only discover who our fated mates are, but we’ll also shift for the first time at exactly 11:12 p.m.—the minute we were all born. “Triple S, move it or you’ll be late for school!” That’s what Dad calls us when we’re dragging our feet. It’s his way of rounding us up all at once. While I’m getting ready, let me give you a quick intro to Triple S. First up: Sebastian, the oldest of us three. He’s a towering 6'8 with warm almond-toned skin like Mom’s, and he’s just as muscular and athletic as Dad. His piercing blue eyes are bound to make his mate melt the moment she meets him. He keeps his long dreadlocks meticulously groomed, and even though half the girls in school can’t stop f1irting with him, Sebastian’s saving himself for his mate. He’s not just my brother—he’s my best friend and the future Alpha of our pack. Then there’s me. I’m the middle triplet. I’ve got a golden-beige complexion and hazel eyes like Dad. Physically, I’m in great shape because I’ve been secretly training extra hours with Dad. You see, the Moon Goddess gave my parents a vision—my wolf is supposed to be something special once I shift. But no one really knows what I look like underneath my baggy hoodies and loose joggers. I wear oversized clothes on purpose—I’d rather avoid the stares. And I always wear glasses, which doesn’t help. People call me names—“homely,” “fat,” “four-eyes.” If only they knew the truth. And then, sigh, there’s Selene. She’s got radiant bronze skin, chestnut eyes, and long hair she always keeps sleek and straight. She’s undeniably gorgeous—but she’s a walking flirt. Lately, she’s been shamelessly chasing the future Alpha of the neighboring pack. Since their school burned down, we’ve been sharing a campus with their pack, and Selene treats it like her own personal runway. We finally make our way downstairs. Sebastian’s dressed in slim-fit jeans, a V-neck tee, and the brand-new Jordans that just dropped. I’m layered up in my usual oversized hoodie and loose joggers, rocking my trusty Vapormax sneakers—even though it’s blazing hot outside in Arkansas. Selene, true to form, is dressed like she’s headed to a nightclub—miniskirt, skintight low-cut top, and five-inch red heels. Time to head to school. I’m not a fan, but at least it’s our last year, and I’ve kept a perfect GPA. “Mom, Dad, I don’t want to ride with Skyla. She’s so embarrassing,” Selene complained. “Yes, you are riding with her,” Dad said firmly. “Your brother’s already gone and you’ve totaled three cars this year.” “STAY AWAY FROM ME AT SCHOOL, NERD!” she screeched at me as we walked out. Great. This is going to be a long day. But thank the Moon Goddess it's Friday! We finally make it to school, though Selene didn’t stop complaining the entire ride. I pulled into my usual parking spot—one of the designated spaces for Alpha family members—behind the wheel of my sleek black 2023 Dodge Durango SRT. Right beside me, Sebastian’s glossy black 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk was already parked. Yeah, our parents are loaded. In the human world, Dad’s a wildly successful entrepreneur with more businesses than I can count. On the other side of Sebastian’s car sat a deep navy Tesla Model S, and the moment Selene squealed like she’d won the lottery, I knew exactly who it belonged to—Cassian Mercer, the future Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack. I do my best to avoid Cassian. For some reason, he absolutely hates me. He leads the pack when it comes to name-calling and insults. It doesn’t help that our birthdays fall on the same day—tomorrow. His twin sister Alexia and I share the date too. Since our families are so close and Selene’s convinced Cassian is her mate, our dads decided to throw one massive birthday bash for all of us. Even though Cassian treats me like garbage, I won’t lie—he’s ridiculously good-looking. He stands about 6'8, just like Sebastian. He’s got these intense green eyes—yes, this smooth-skinned, bronze-toned man has emerald green eyes that could make you forget your name. His hair is always laid in tight waves, the kind you want to run your fingers through. And don’t get me started on those abs—always visible under those fitted tees he wears like a second skin. Wait. No. Snap out of it, Skyla. I hate him just as much as he hates me. Period. The moment I get to my locker, the usual chorus of insults begins. “Hey fatso, nerd, loser, four-eyes,” they snicker from down the hallway. They always wait until Sebastian isn’t around to start. Selene, her flock of mean-girl clones, and Cassian are always front and center in the cruelty parade. I never say a word. The unspoken rule around here? “Snitches get stitches.” But I’m not scared of them. Not one bit. My dad says I’m strong enough to take down anyone—even an Alpha. I’ve already learned how to make him submit when we spar, and that’s saying something. Cassian might hate me, but his twin sister Alexia? She’s my best friend. She’s always trying to get me to dress a little less… baggy. She wants me to ditch my oversized hoodies and definitely those chunky glasses. We’re werewolves, after all—I don’t actually need them. Alexia strolls up, slings an arm around my shoulder, and sighs. “Skyla, why do you let them treat you like that? You know you could wipe the floor with them. So why are you holding back?” I don’t answer her. Instead, I pull my books from my locker and say with a tired breath, “Let’s just go to class.” At least Alexia and I have every class together. That’s a win. My brother’s best friend Tristan—soon to be Beta—and his future Gamma Paxton are in my first few periods too. They always keep a close eye out for trouble and report back to Sebastian if anything happens, which keeps things fairly uneventful. It’s the only part of my day I can actually breathe without having to be on guard. Then the bell rings—lunchtime. Oh joy. Time to reunite with all my beloved peers at Blue Moon High. (Can you hear the sarcasm?) Right on cue, the fat jokes start rolling in. I brace myself. “Just ignore it, Skyla. You know none of it’s true,” I remind myself. And I do know it. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. What cuts deepest isn’t the cruelty from strangers—it’s the betrayal from my own sister. She laughs with them. Every. Single. Time. Alexia and I walk into the lunch room. "Alexia, why are you hanging with that l0ser?" "Hey biggie, you should skip lunch." "Alexia, sit over here with us and let the loser eat alone." Everyone is pointing and laughing. My eyes tear up but I won't give them the satisfaction of letting one fall. Suddenly, I'm no longer hungry and turn and run out only to run straight into someone landing straight on my ass. "Watch where you're going, frog!" Cassian shouts as he kicks me in the side. "I feel sorry for whoever will be tied to you as a mate. He's probably going to reject your pathetic ass as soon as he lays eyes on you. After all, who would want a weak, pathetic, fat four eyed frog as a mate. I bet you will be alone for the rest of your miserable life. Look at how you dress. Who would want to be seen with you?" Cassian continued to shout at me and then finally, he walked off after kicking me in the face. I know that will leave a nasty bruise. I stayed there for a moment wondering why people could be so cruel. Sebastian walks in and sees me lying in the hallway floor crying. He sits beside me and wraps his arm around me screaming, "Who did this to you Skyla?" Tristan and Paxton walk up and they are just as mad as Sebastian because they see me as their little sister as well. I don't answer. I just lean into Sebastian and cry. "Skyla, answer me, darn it! Who did this to you?" I cry even harder. He kisses me on my forehead and said, "I will leave it alone for now but if I find out who it is, they have a beat down coming!" I just mind linked my Mom and told her I didn't feel well and wanted to come home. My Dad is at the school in a meeting with the Superintendent about some rogue sightings at the edge of the woods closest to the school but I didn't want him to see me like this because it would be a lot to pay and I much as I hate Cassian, I didn't want him to die today if my Sebastian or my Dad found out. My Dad, is an Alpha that you don't want to mess with. Get your neck twisted if you tried. My Dad does not play about his princess. Yes, I'm a Daddy's girl in case you haven't figured that out yet. Mom told me I can come home; so, I'm out of this nightmare. Maybe she will let me skip the shifting night tomorrow night. Alpha Orion, Luna Jocelyn, Cassian, Alexia, his future Beta, Yale and future Gamma, Beckett will all be staying in our pack to help prepare for the shifting night. FML.....Why can't they have their own shifting night at the Bloodmoon Pack? Selene’s POV I’m sitting on Cassian’s lap in the middle of the cafeteria, my tongue halfway down his throat, when I spot my sister walking in—with his twin, Alexia. Without thinking, I start hurling insults at her. The whole table bursts into laughter. I know it’s cruel. I know she’s my sister. But I don’t care. Honestly, she deserves it. Dad treats her like she hung the moon. His little perfect princess. Sure, Skyla’s got the straight A’s, she follows all the rules, and does exactly what he asks—but still. I’m his daughter too. And what do I get? They handed Sebastian and Skyla brand-new cars as early birthday gifts. And me? I’ve wrecked four, and now I have to ride to school with her—just because Dad refuses to buy me another one. We’re rich. He could buy me one with zero effort. But no. He said if I want a new car, I can work part-time at his company like they do and earn the money myself. Absolutely not. Why should I slave away like some lowly pack pup when I know exactly what my future holds? I’m going to be the Luna of the Bloodmoon Pack—Cassian’s Luna. Their family’s just as wealthy as ours, and once we’re mated, I’ll never have to lift a finger. Skyla ran out of the lunchroom crying, just like I knew she would. She won’t say a word. I made sure she knows what’ll happen if she does. If she even thinks about telling anyone, I’ll make her life a living nightmare. More than it already is. Tonight’s the shift. Our eighteenth birthday. According to legend, one of us is destined to become the Golden Wolf—a powerful being blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. And I know it’s me. It has to be. Once I shift and it's revealed, everyone will see that I’m meant for greatness. Cassian and I will be unstoppable. The ultimate power couple. Skyla? Please. She’s weak. Soft. Pathetic. She couldn’t handle power if it begged her. Sebastian? He’s too gentle. Always fussing over Skyla, checking in on her like she’s some fragile little bird. Maybe that softness will make him a decent Alpha someday. He is a good big brother, I’ll give him that. Still... I can’t pretend I don’t feel the sting when I see how close he and Mom and Dad are with Skyla. But none of that will matter. Not after tonight. Not when I shift and the truth comes out. They’ll all see. They’ll finally see me. Just wait until they see me as the Golden Wolf. Luna Camilla’s POV It’s hard to believe the triplets are turning eighteen tomorrow. Feels like just yesterday when my mate and his father—who was still Alpha at the time—came to my old pack, the Silvermoon Pack, to formalize an alliance. Back then, I was just the Beta’s 19-year-old daughter, and Dorian Bellamy was a striking 21-year-old future Alpha. The moment our eyes met, we knew—we were mates. I couldn’t believe this tall, gorgeous, caramel-skinned man was mine. That night, while the rest of the pack slept, he snuck into my room. We kept doing it until sunrise. But the next morning, he shattered everything. He stood in front of me and said, "I, Dorian Bellamy, future Alpha of the Bluemoon Pack, reject you, Camilla Monroe, to be my mate and future Luna." I accepted his rejection with my head held high, refusing to let him see how deeply he’d broken me. What neither of us knew then was that he wasn’t just walking away from me… He was walking away from three lives growing inside me. Halfway through my pregnancy, the Bluemoon Pack held a ceremony to celebrate Dorian’s ascension as Alpha. My family was expected to attend. Though my parents already knew I was carrying a child, I begged them to let me handle things on my own. I told them if they didn’t, I’d run away. They respected my wishes and stood by me. As I was unpacking in one of the guest rooms at Bluemoon, Dorian barged in, fury in his eyes. He grabbed my arm roughly and growled, "You let another man touch what’s mine?" I yanked my arm away. “You don’t get to say that,” I snapped. “You gave up your claim on me the day you rejected me.” His voice dropped, and the golden hue overtook his eyes—his wolf had taken over. "Whose child is that, Camilla?" he growled. But I wasn’t scared—I was just as furious. Locking eyes with him, I said, “You’re the only man I’ve ever been with—if I can even call you that. You’re the sperm d0nor of my three babies. You rejected me, and that means you rejected them too. And you’ll stay far away from us.” Something in him snapped at those words. A single tear slid down his cheek before he leapt out the window, shifting mid-air into his powerful jet-black wolf, and vanished into the woods. As I prepare for my former pack to arrive for the party, all those memories come flooding back. It wasn’t easy for Dorian to win me back after what he did. But over time, I forgave him. We married before the babies were born—something not required in the wolf world, but Dorian wanted everyone to know I was his chosen mate, both in our realm and in the human one. And so, eighteen years ago, I officially became Luna of the Bluemoon Pack. And even after everything... I still love that fine Alpha of mine. Skyla’s POV The Night of the Shift It was 4 a.m., and I was wide awake. I still couldn’t believe we were finally eighteen. Even though we wouldn’t shift until 11:12 p.m., I knew I’d be able to sense my mate before then. Maybe—just maybe—it would be someone from my mom’s old pack. Someone who could take me away from this place. I had everything lined up to graduate early. I’d miss my mom, dad, Breck, and Alexia, but definitely not the rest of the scumbags around here. Since there was no way I’d fall back asleep, I decided to head down to the kitchen for a snack. Oreos dipped in milk were my favorite. I threw on my oversized hoodie and matching sweats and headed downstairs. But the moment my foot hit the bottom step, I was engulfed by the most intoxicating scent I’d ever smelled. It was a blend of musk and Savage—my favorite cologne. I recognized that cologne because my brother wore it sometimes, but this scent… this wasn’t Sebastian. This was something else. Something more. I stood there, completely mesmerized, drawn in by the mouthwatering scent, wondering who it could be. Was this love at first smell? Just as I was lost in the sensation, a sharp s1ap to my face snapped me back to reality. Before I could react, a hand wrapped tightly around my throat. Sparks shot through me—just like in the stories. Then came the words I think, deep down, I’d always feared were coming. “You of all people! You're nothing but trash to me. How could the Moon Goddess screw up this badly by pairing me with someone like you? You're weak. Fat. You have no class. You're a nerd. I wouldn’t be caught dead with a pathetic she-wolf like you! I, Cassian Mercer, future Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack, reject you, Skyla Selene, as my mate and future Luna.” And that was it. Mates are supposed to be loving—gentle. What happened to the stories of love at first sight? I remembered my mom once told me how my dad had rejected her at first, but later asked for forgiveness, and he’d treated her like royalty ever since. But I would never forgive this guy. Ever. Even if he somehow did come crawling back—not that someone like him would. He’d been with Selene. I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole. Oddly, it didn’t hurt the way everyone said rejection does. What I felt wasn’t heartbreak. It was pure, burning rage. I tore his hand off my throat, locked eyes with him, and said, “Do you honestly think I’d want to be mated to you? The guy who spent the night with my skanky sister? The guy who’s treated me like garbage from the very beginning? I, Skyla Bellamy, accept your rejection!” Then I turned and walked back up the stairs, completely satisfied with the stunned expression frozen on his face. I’d forgotten all about my snack.

My fiancé couldn't NAME ten things he liked about me. He managed one: "Sensible." That was at our engagement party, right after he'd reeled off ten for my best friend Serena—pretty, fun, great body, charming. The silence that followed hollowed me out. Then came the phone game. 【Who do you text most?】 Miles's top contact wasn't me. It was Serena. And when she "accidentally" scrolled through their chat, I saw everything. Him complaining about my wedding stress. Him laughing at my white dress. Him saying talking to her was "so much easier" than talking to me. Later, I found the receipt for a designer handbag—ten times the price of the pearl earrings he'd brought me. Earrings for p!erced ears I don't have. Serena's Instagram story showed her holding that exact bag an hour later. And the bracelet she wore? The one he'd sent me a photo of, asking if I thought it was pretty. I'd been so excited, thinking it was for me. It never was. That night, I stood outside the study and heard him on video call with her. She was reading his wedding vows aloud, laughing. He said, "Just pretend I'm saying them to you." Then she kissed the camera. He didn't stop her. So I did what any "sensible" girl would—I canceled the wedding. Left my ring on the table. Packed my bags. And booked a flight to Snowcrest. When Miles called the next morning, panicked, I just smiled. "You wanted sensible? Here's sensible: I'm gone. Forever. Enjoy your easy conversations with Serena." Then I hung up, turned off my phone, and ordered champagne at 30,000 feet. Because seven years of being sensible was enough. Now I'm flying wherever I want—and I'll never land beside him again. At the party, my boyfriend lost a round of truth or dare. Someone dared him to list ten things he liked about my best friend. Miles Sterling didn't even hesitate. "Pretty. Fun. Great body. Charming." "Always smiling. Empathetic. Confident. Great taste." "Oh, and she has this way of making everyone feel good." When it was Serena Vance's turn, she smiled and flipped it back on him. "Okay, so what about Chloe?" Miles looked at me and drew a blank. After all that, he came up with one word. "Sensible." Someone jumped in, trying to bail him out. "And?" Miles furrowed his brow like he was really trying. He couldn't come up with a single thing more. The silence that followed hollowed me out. Miles and I had been together for seven years. Our wedding was in a week. And after trying that hard, the only good thing he could say about me was "sensible." Fine. This time, I wouldn't be. I was about to walk out when someone s1%&apped a hand on the table. "Don't go, Chloe. One more round." "This one's fun. Everyone put your phones on the table. Let's see who you text the most." Serena smiled and slid her phone to the center. "Sure. I've got nothing to hide." But when the names showed up on-screen, the whole room went quiet. The person Miles texted most wasn't me. It was Serena. Someone let out a nervous laugh. "Wow... you two really do talk a lot." *** Serena blinked, her voice breezy. "Well, Chloe's so independent. She handles everything on her own." "Miles gets stressed sometimes. He needs someone to vent to, right?" Then, pretending it was an accident, she tapped open their chat history. Miles' messages to her filled the screen. [Chloe's on me about the wedding schedule again.] [She's making way too big a deal out of this.] Serena had written back: [She's just wound too tight. Not like me. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters.] Miles had sent a smiley face back. [See, that's what I mean. Talking to you is so much easier than talking to her.] My fingers curled into tight fists. Serena scrolled up, revealing previous messages. Another text from Miles. [Chloe's wearing that white dress again today.] [Does she seriously think she looks good in white?] Serena had sent a crying-laughing emoji. [Stop, don't be mean.] [But honestly... it really doesn't suit her. Her face is too plain for it.] Miles had written back. [Yeah. It'd look way better on you.] The room went dead silent. I was standing right there, and I couldn't force a single word out. Something tight and sour spread through my ch3#&st until I could barely breathe. All those delicate little hopes I'd been carrying. The nervous flutter every time I tried on a wedding dress. To Miles, they were just punchlines, something to text Serena about and laugh over. Serena walked over and looped her arm through mine. "Don't be mad, Chloe." "If he were talking like this with some random girl, I'd be furious for you." "But we're best friends. You know there's nothing going on." She tilted her head and looked up at me, her voice turning innocent and sweet. "I'm just keeping an eye on him for you. Isn't that a good thing?" I looked down at her hand on my arm. She was wearing a delicate bracelet. A few days ago, while he was away on a work trip, Miles had sent me a photo of it and asked if I thought it was pretty. I'd stared at that photo for the longest time, my ch3#&st warm and full. [It's beautiful.] I thought it was going to be a surprise for me. I'd even planned it all out in my head, how I'd play dumb when he got back, how I'd tease him about whether he'd brought me anything. But he returned from his trip, and the surprise never materialized. Now it was on Serena's wrist. I pulled my arm out of her grasp. Serena's eyes welled with tears right on cue. "Chloe, do you really not trust me anymore?" Miles finally stepped in, his jaw tight. "Chloe." "It was just a game. Don't be so sensitive." The second those words left his mouth, I realized he wasn't even worth my tears. I took a step back, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm tired. I think I'll head out." I was halfway down the hall when I remembered my coat was still draped over the back of the sofa. I doubled back for it, but the private room's door hadn't shut all the way. Inside, someone was talking to Miles in a low voice. "Miles, you're seriously not going after her?" "Did you see her face just now? All the color was gone." Miles was quiet for a second. When he spoke, his voice was completely indifferent. "Chloe's not going to be mad." "She's too sensible for that. She'll sleep it off and be fine tomorrow." My hand froze on the doorknob. A second later, he went on. "But you guys put Serena in a really awkward spot back there." "I should go comfort her." I stood there gripping the doorknob, the cold seeping into my fingertips. Sensible. The word was a dull blade. It didn't cu&t cleanly; it just kept working its way deeper. I didn't go back inside. Instead, I walked out of the venue, pulled out my phone, and sent a text to my wedding planner. [Cancel the wedding.] A minute later, my phone buzzed. The wedding planner. [Miss Bennett, are you sure you want to go through with canceling?] [You've been working on this for over six months.] [The flowers, the lighting, the invitations, the place cards. You picked out every single detail yourself.] [It would be such a shame to let all of that go.] I looked down at the mockup photos she'd sent earlier. I remembered what I'd wanted in the beginning: white camellias everywhere. But Miles had taken one look and said, "Serena thinks camellias are too plain." "A wedding should have more life than that." So the camellias became the red roses Serena liked. I'd wanted soft gold lighting. Miles had said, "Serena thinks warm orange looks better in pictures." I'd wanted the invitations with simple embossing. Miles had said, "Just go with what Serena says. She's got great taste." It didn't hit me until now. The wedding I'd spent six months carefully planning had been quietly reshaped into everything Serena wanted. And all I had left in it was my name. The planner texted again. [Are you really sure about this?] I stared at the venue photo, at a wedding I couldn't even recognize anymore. And I smiled. I typed back. [I'm sure.] [I'll cover all the costs.] Back at the apartment, I started packing. Miles and I had picked this place out together. He'd told me what it would be like: coming home from work to the entryway light on, a warm dinner waiting in the kitchen, camellias on the balcony because he knew I loved them. Just picturing it used to make me so happy. But now I saw it clearly. Serena was everywhere in this home. The fridge was stocked with her favorite peach sparkling water. Her cashmere shawl was still draped over the sofa. Even the bridesmaid dress hanging beside my wedding gown looked more striking than mine. I stood in the walk-in closet, staring at the two dresses side by side. Something bitter and aching rose in my ch3#&st. The wedding hadn't even happened yet. Every part of Miles that should have belonged to me had already been taken by Serena. I didn't cry. I just put my ID, my passport, and a few essentials into my suitcase. Halfway through, the front door clicked open. Miles was back. He was holding a jewelry bag, his voice soft and placating. "Babe, don't be mad." "I walked past the store, and these made me think of you. I remembered you love pearls." He opened the box. Inside was a pair of South Sea pearl earrings. I did love pearls. I'd stood outside that shop window once, wanting them, but I couldn't justify the price. Miles had squeezed my hand and smiled. "When we get married, I'll get you even better ones." And now, here they were. But they were earrings. I didn't have p!#3%rced ears. Serena did. Miles pulled me into his arms. "Can we just let tonight go?" I looked down at the earrings. Before I could answer, another receipt slipped out of the bag. The total printed at the bottom felt like a s1%&ap. A designer handbag. Ten times the price of the earrings. I recognized the brand. Half an hour ago, Serena had posted on her Instagram story. There she was, holding that exact bag, her smile wide and bright. The caption read, [Landed the new project, and a certain someone surprised me with a gift.] I stared at that receipt, and the tears came before I could stop them. Whatever patience Miles had left disappeared from his face. "Why are you crying again?" "Chloe, when you're like this, it's just really exhausting." The words landed, and I went still. There was a time when my tears made Miles panic. He'd fumble to wipe them away. He'd hold me and murmur the same things over and over. "Chloe, don't cry." "It kills me when you cry." Once, I woke up at two in the morning, crying from a nightmare. He drove across town to bring me a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup. He said, "My Chloe never had anyone to hold her when she was little." "From now on, every time you cry, I'll be right here." That version of Miles had meant every word. But now, my tears bought me exactly one sentence. "It's just exhausting." When your tears can't reach someone anymore, That's when you learn to stop. I wiped my face, my voice hollow. "I'm fine." Miles actually looked relieved. He stepped closer and leaned down to kiss me. I turned my face away before I could think about it. Miles's expression went cold. He raked a hand through his hair. "Whatever." "You need to cool off." He turned and walked into the study. Later that night, I was reaching for the light when the tablet on the nightstand lit up. Miles was still signed in to iMessage. I only meant to turn off the screen. But a message had popped up, and Serena's name cu&t right through me. Serena had written, [Did you smooth things over?] Miles replied, [No.] [She's getting harder to deal with.] Serena sent a smiley. [So did you at least give her a little action tonight?] A few seconds passed before Miles replied. [Don't even get me started. She pushed me away.] [Honestly? It's fine. It's been seven years. I stopped feeling anything for her a long time ago.] [Good thing she turned me down. I would've had to fake my way through it.] I stared at those messages. My eyes bv/rned, but there was nothing left to cry out. Even intimacy with me. To Miles, it had become something he had to fake. I turned off the screen. I put the pearl earrings back in the jewelry bag. Then I set them on the entryway table, along with my engagement ring. Like handing back a dream I'd finally woken up from. Just then, my phone lit up with a booking confirmation. My flight left early tomorrow morning, bound for Snowcrest. From now on, I'd fly wherever I wanted. And I would never land beside Miles again.

I asked to stay over 4 times in 4 years. He said no every time. "We're not married yet. I want to respect your space." Then I saw the photo. My intern—the one who stole my work—posted a picture of her feet in my slippers. Standing in his living room. He gave her the spare key. Made her instant ramen—the same late-night snack he always made for me. Drank wine with her—and he never drinks. When I confronted him, he called me petty. "She's just a tenant," he said. "Show some empathy." Two days later, he posted a video in our company Slack. Apologizing for me. Telling everyone I bullied her. Destroying my reputation—for her. I called him. He didn't answer. She did. "Julian's asleep," she purred. "He's been with me all night." Four years I gave him. Four years of waiting, of respecting his boundaries. And he threw me away the second someone new smiled at him. I packed one bag, deleted every photo, and blocked his number. A man not worth waiting for—good riddance. I complained when Julian Brooks rejected my request to stay over—for the fourth time. "Julian, you're so rigid." My apartment's AC had died in the middle of a hun//dred-degree heatwave. Yet he insisted on being old-fashioned about it. Throughout our four years together, no matter how late it got, he always insisted on driving me home. Julian sighed and tried to soothe me. "Be sweet, Chloe. We aren't married yet, and I want us to respect each other's space. I don't want anyone at the office gossiping about us living together." My heart warmed at his words, so I fell right back into our usual routine, venting to him about the recent drama at my office just like I always did. But he kept checking his watch, clearly distracted, and urged me to head back. Fortunately, the HVAC technician found a sudden opening and rushed over to my place. While waiting for him to finish the repairs, I happened to scroll through my Instagram feed and saw a post from our company's new marketing intern, Savannah Cross. [My landlord suddenly canceled my lease, but thank god someone stepped up to help. Otherwise, I'd be sleeping on the streets.] I recognized the background of her photo immediately. It was Julian's apartment. I stared at my phone screen, completely frozen. I stood there so long the technician finished fixing the unit and carefully lowered the thermostat. "Too hot for you, kiddo?" He looked at me with a sympathetic sigh. "Tell you what, I'll knock twenty bucks off the bill. Take it from an old man—there's no rough patch in life you can't get through." Only then did I realize tears were streaming down my face. I forced a smile. "Thank you. You're absolutely right." Julian was a rough patch I was finally moving past. ****** Savannah's photo only showed her legs and her luggage. She was wearing my slippers, standing right inside Julian's living room. The moment I stepped out of his apartment, she stepped right in. Before leaving, I had playfully begged Julian to let me stay. He refused without a second thought. "Chloe, you need to go home. I have urgent work to finish in a bit." As it turned out, there was no urgent work. The only urgency was Savannah. She was the new intern in my department, and we hadn't been getting along. I mentioned this to Julian before. But he never seemed to care, let alone listen. I had no idea Julian even knew Savannah. He'd never mentioned her. Yet it was glaringly obvious that she was spending the night at his place. Another red notification popped up on my screen as Savannah updated her feed again. [Meeting a soft-hearted god at my absolute worst. Blessed.] This time, Julian was in the photo. He was looking down at her with a helpless, fond smile. Two bowls of instant ramen with Spam sat on the table. On weekends, when Julian and I curled up together, that was the exact late-night snack he always made for me. Now, he was making it for Savannah. Savannah's comment sat right beneath the post, smug and flaunting. [Rent is two hun//dred, utilities are free, and no deposit. Best landlord ever.] Landlord. He had let Savannah move in. A sharp, suffocating pain flared in my chest, stealing my breath. To make his commute easier, Julian had rented a two-bedroom apartment near the office. It was a great place—twenty-five hun//dred a month. It used to be a shared rental, but his old roommate had moved out, and they hadn't found a suitable replacement. Worried the rent would be too much, I suggested moving in to split the cost. He flatly refused. "Chloe, I won't take your note, and I don't think it's right to move in together before marriage." It wasn't right for me, but it was perfectly fine for Savannah. I remembered those boundaries so clearly. The first time I asked to stay over was during our honeymoon phase, and Julian strictly turned me down. The second time, I came down with a sudden high fever. Julian still drove me back to my place, watched me take my medicine, and left the moment I fell asleep. The third time was the worst—someone had left a strange mark on my apartment door. I was losing my mind with fear, but Julian still wouldn't let me stay at his place. Instead, he booked me a hotel room. He spent the next day contacting landlords, agents, and movers, ensuring I relocated to a new apartment within twenty-four hours. Four years, and I couldn't get into Julian's place. Savannah managed it without lifting a finger. I had to admit his "traditional" boundaries were reserved exclusively for me. My phone buzzed with a text from Julian. [Goodnight.] No explanation. No mention of her. [By the way, I found a new roommate. She's moving in tomorrow under an emergency circumstance.] [Chloe, make sure to let me know in advance before you come over from now on.] Staring at the text, I wanted to laugh. But my tears hit the screen first. I wiped my eyes and didn't reply. Savannah posted a third update. One photo showed her clinking wine glasses with Julian, and the other was a selfie where their cheeks were practically pressed together. [Celebrating the new place. Here's to the future, Mr. Brooks.] Late at night. An unmarried man and woman. Living together. Julian never touched a drop of alcohol. Yet he was drinking with her tonight. In an instant, all the determination holding my heart together vanished. It was all so pathetic. I didn't text Julian for the next two days. He didn't seem to notice. It wasn't until later that week, when a sudden torrential downpour hit right at the end of the workday, that our paths crossed. I was waiting for an Uber under the office awning. Savannah was standing right next to me. She was holding her phone, whining cutely to whoever was on the other end. "Can you pull up a little closer? Hurry, the wind is freezing..." A car pulled up right in front of us. Entirely too familiar. Sure enough, the window rolled down to reveal Julian in the driver's seat. He hadn't sent a single text to check on me during this storm, yet he'd rushed over to pick up Savannah. Julian froze when he caught sight of me. "Chloe, you..." Savannah closed her umbrella, opened the door, and hopped straight into the passenger seat. "Julian, you actually know Chloe?" She looked out at me from the dry comfort of the car, her smile radiating sweetness. "Chloe, why don't you get in? Let Julian give you a ride. It's impossible to get an Uber in this weather." My own boyfriend was offering me a ride, and only because she'd graciously granted him permission. Julian remained silent, merely looking at me. I shook my head expressionlessly. "No need." My ride was already confirmed and only three minutes away. No reason to get in that car just to make myself sick. Savannah nodded and rolled up the window. The car lingered for a few seconds before driving off into the rain. When I finally got home and stepped out of the shower, I found Julian waiting in my living room. He still had the code to my smart lock. "Chloe, are you throwing a tantrum?" "When you refused to get in the car, I thought you were just busy, but the more I thought about it, the more off it felt." Julian reached out to grab my hand, but I stepped aside, dodging him. "Is this about me picking up Savannah today?" "Or because I didn't let you stay over the other night and didn't drive you home?" He let out a helpless chuckle. "Don't be so petty. Savannah's an old classmate. I only picked her up because I was passing by—and it's hard to say no when she asks." "Not letting you stay over was for your own good. I promise I'll drive you home next time..." "Julian, let's break up." Julian stiffened, his face instantly darkening. "Chloe, over something this minor?" "Yes." My eyes were entirely dead. "I can't stay at your place, but Savannah can. Don't you find that hilarious?" He'd never intended to tell me about her because he knew exactly how I'd react. "You... let me explain." Julian's eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting me to already know. "Savannah moved to the city all by herself from a small town, and I'm the only person she knows here." "It's tough for a young girl, and her landlord suddenly kicked her out. If I hadn't stepped in, she'd be on the streets." "Chloe, you're a woman too—show some empathy." Seeing my silence, he let out a heavy sigh. "It's just an emergency temporary stay. Besides, there's nothing going on between us, so we don't need to overcomplicate things." "She's different from you. She's just a tenant." "Just a tenant?" I laughed. "Julian, I told you before that Savannah is the new intern in my department." "During her first week, she spent every single lunch break on the phone in the breakroom. When people teased her about it, she claimed it wasn't a boyfriend, just an old classmate." "That old classmate was you, wasn't it?" Julian's eyes flickered with guilt for a fraction of a second, but he didn't deny it. I used to love sharing things with him, flooding his phone with texts whenever I had a free moment. But his replies were always agonizingly slow, if they came at all. We'd fought about it a few times. Back then, Julian would just look exhausted and say, "Chloe, we're adults. Work is busy, and I need to rest during lunch. Can you stop making things difficult for me?" But when it came to Savannah, it was never difficult. "For the past two days, Savannah started bringing homemade lunches to work. You made those for her too, didn't you?" "And you're still trying to tell me she's just a tenant?" Those lunchboxes were a matching couple's set I'd bought, left behind at Julian's apartment. Now, Savannah was using them. Julian knitted his brows, completely unable to comprehend my anger. "Chloe, aren't you reading way too much into this?" "Don't be prejudiced against Savannah. She told me there was just a misunderstanding between you two at work..." He didn't listen to a single word I said, but he took everything Savannah said as gospel. I had nothing left to say. The silence in the room grew suffocating until the doorbell suddenly rang. Julian turned to open it. A second later, Savannah poked her head in, smiling warmly at me. "Hi, Chloe. Sorry to drop by unannounced." My gaze pierced right through Savannah and landed coldly on Julian. "You brought her here?" Savannah couldn't have found my address on her own. Julian stood beside her, deliberately avoiding my eyes. "Chloe, Savannah isn't the kind of person you think she is." "Since there's a misunderstanding, you two should just talk it out..." I let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "I spent two weeks pulling all-nighters for our latest marketing campaign, and she intentionally deleted my name from the pitch deck. You call that a misunderstanding?" I was the lead on that project, and Savannah was only supposed to assist me. After all my hard work, she secretly wiped my version from the shared drive history and submitted the campaign under her own name. I'd confronted her directly, but I couldn't recover the deleted file history in time to prove it to management. The drama had caused a massive stir in the office. "Chloe, you shouldn't bully me just because I'm the new intern." "That campaign was clearly my..." Savannah's eyes welled with tears, her voice trailing off vulnerably. "Forget it. You're Julian's girlfriend, and I don't want things to be tense between us. I definitely don't want you two fighting because of me." "Let's just say it was my fault. I apologize." Heartache flashed across Julian's face. "Savannah, I know what kind of person you are. Right is right." He turned to me, his tone hardening. "You shouldn't have to compromise yourself just for my sake." Then he looked straight at me. "Chloe, just apologize to Savannah, and we can all move past this." The final trace of agonizing heartache vanished from my chest. I felt entirely, completely numb. "Julian, let me make this incredibly clear. We are broken up." "Now, take your little friend and get the he11 out of my apartment." Savannah flinched, tears cascading down her face as she clutched the edge of Julian's jacket, shrinking behind him. Julian's expression turned vicious and mocking. "Chloe, are you seriously trying to threaten me with a breakup? You honestly think I'll just bow down to that?" "You are completely unhinged." He grabbed Savannah's hand and pulled her out the door. The door slammed shut with a deafening thud. I collapsed onto the sofa, completely drained of energy. Right then, my phone rang. It was my mom. "Chloe, are you really moving back home? Did something happen out there?" "No, Mom. I already turned in my resignation. I'm just wrapping up my files over the next two days before heading back." "Did you and Julian have a fight?" "No fight. We broke up." I'd already been thinking about changing companies anyway. And after the nightmare with Savannah, I immediately submitted my two weeks' notice. Our director thought he'd struck gold with Savannah, so he approved my departure without a single complaint. My mom went quiet for a few seconds. "Broken up... well, as long as you've thought it through." "It's good that you're coming back. Your dad and I won't have to constantly worry about you getting mistreated out there." My throat tightened, and my eyes stung. "Mom, don't worry about me." "I've already been looking at job openings, and there are plenty of great marketing agencies back home..." "I'm not worried about the job, sweetie. Just don't push yourself too hard." A lump formed in my throat, leaving me completely speechless. I'd hoped to spend my last two days in the city in peace. But Savannah had no intention of letting me go quietly. Just as the workday ended, the company Slack workspace absolutely exploded. Savannah had dropped a video into the main public channel. The person in the video was Julian. His face was dead serious, completely devoid of any playfulness. "Regarding the recent campaign pitch, I am formally apologizing to Savannah Cross on behalf of my girlfriend, Chloe Vance."

My fiancé couldn't NAME ten things he liked about me. He managed one: "Sensible." That was at our engagement party, right after he'd reeled off ten for my best friend Serena—pretty, fun, great body, charming. The silence that followed hollowed me out. Then came the phone game. 【Who do you text most?】 Miles's top contact wasn't me. It was Serena. And when she "accidentally" scrolled through their chat, I saw everything. Him complaining about my wedding stress. Him laughing at my white dress. Him saying talking to her was "so much easier" than talking to me. Later, I found the receipt for a designer handbag—ten times the price of the pearl earrings he'd brought me. Earrings for p!erced ears I don't have. Serena's Instagram story showed her holding that exact bag an hour later. And the bracelet she wore? The one he'd sent me a photo of, asking if I thought it was pretty. I'd been so excited, thinking it was for me. It never was. That night, I stood outside the study and heard him on video call with her. She was reading his wedding vows aloud, laughing. He said, "Just pretend I'm saying them to you." Then she kissed the camera. He didn't stop her. So I did what any "sensible" girl would—I canceled the wedding. Left my ring on the table. Packed my bags. And booked a flight to Snowcrest. When Miles called the next morning, panicked, I just smiled. "You wanted sensible? Here's sensible: I'm gone. Forever. Enjoy your easy conversations with Serena." Then I hung up, turned off my phone, and ordered champagne at 30,000 feet. Because seven years of being sensible was enough. Now I'm flying wherever I want—and I'll never land beside him again. At the party, my boyfriend lost a round of truth or dare. Someone dared him to list ten things he liked about my best friend. Miles Sterling didn't even hesitate. "Pretty. Fun. Great body. Charming." "Always smiling. Empathetic. Confident. Great taste." "Oh, and she has this way of making everyone feel good." When it was Serena Vance's turn, she smiled and flipped it back on him. "Okay, so what about Chloe?" Miles looked at me and drew a blank. After all that, he came up with one word. "Sensible." Someone jumped in, trying to bail him out. "And?" Miles furrowed his brow like he was really trying. He couldn't come up with a single thing more. The silence that followed hollowed me out. Miles and I had been together for seven years. Our wedding was in a week. And after trying that hard, the only good thing he could say about me was "sensible." Fine. This time, I wouldn't be. I was about to walk out when someone s1%&apped a hand on the table. "Don't go, Chloe. One more round." "This one's fun. Everyone put your phones on the table. Let's see who you text the most." Serena smiled and slid her phone to the center. "Sure. I've got nothing to hide." But when the names showed up on-screen, the whole room went quiet. The person Miles texted most wasn't me. It was Serena. Someone let out a nervous laugh. "Wow... you two really do talk a lot." *** Serena blinked, her voice breezy. "Well, Chloe's so independent. She handles everything on her own." "Miles gets stressed sometimes. He needs someone to vent to, right?" Then, pretending it was an accident, she tapped open their chat history. Miles' messages to her filled the screen. [Chloe's on me about the wedding schedule again.] [She's making way too big a deal out of this.] Serena had written back: [She's just wound too tight. Not like me. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters.] Miles had sent a smiley face back. [See, that's what I mean. Talking to you is so much easier than talking to her.] My fingers curled into tight fists. Serena scrolled up, revealing previous messages. Another text from Miles. [Chloe's wearing that white dress again today.] [Does she seriously think she looks good in white?] Serena had sent a crying-laughing emoji. [Stop, don't be mean.] [But honestly... it really doesn't suit her. Her face is too plain for it.] Miles had written back. [Yeah. It'd look way better on you.] The room went dead silent. I was standing right there, and I couldn't force a single word out. Something tight and sour spread through my ch3#&st until I could barely breathe. All those delicate little hopes I'd been carrying. The nervous flutter every time I tried on a wedding dress. To Miles, they were just punchlines, something to text Serena about and laugh over. Serena walked over and looped her arm through mine. "Don't be mad, Chloe." "If he were talking like this with some random girl, I'd be furious for you." "But we're best friends. You know there's nothing going on." She tilted her head and looked up at me, her voice turning innocent and sweet. "I'm just keeping an eye on him for you. Isn't that a good thing?" I looked down at her hand on my arm. She was wearing a delicate bracelet. A few days ago, while he was away on a work trip, Miles had sent me a photo of it and asked if I thought it was pretty. I'd stared at that photo for the longest time, my ch3#&st warm and full. [It's beautiful.] I thought it was going to be a surprise for me. I'd even planned it all out in my head, how I'd play dumb when he got back, how I'd tease him about whether he'd brought me anything. But he returned from his trip, and the surprise never materialized. Now it was on Serena's wrist. I pulled my arm out of her grasp. Serena's eyes welled with tears right on cue. "Chloe, do you really not trust me anymore?" Miles finally stepped in, his jaw tight. "Chloe." "It was just a game. Don't be so sensitive." The second those words left his mouth, I realized he wasn't even worth my tears. I took a step back, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm tired. I think I'll head out." I was halfway down the hall when I remembered my coat was still draped over the back of the sofa. I doubled back for it, but the private room's door hadn't shut all the way. Inside, someone was talking to Miles in a low voice. "Miles, you're seriously not going after her?" "Did you see her face just now? All the color was gone." Miles was quiet for a second. When he spoke, his voice was completely indifferent. "Chloe's not going to be mad." "She's too sensible for that. She'll sleep it off and be fine tomorrow." My hand froze on the doorknob. A second later, he went on. "But you guys put Serena in a really awkward spot back there." "I should go comfort her." I stood there gripping the doorknob, the cold seeping into my fingertips. Sensible. The word was a dull blade. It didn't cu&t cleanly; it just kept working its way deeper. I didn't go back inside. Instead, I walked out of the venue, pulled out my phone, and sent a text to my wedding planner. [Cancel the wedding.] A minute later, my phone buzzed. The wedding planner. [Miss Bennett, are you sure you want to go through with canceling?] [You've been working on this for over six months.] [The flowers, the lighting, the invitations, the place cards. You picked out every single detail yourself.] [It would be such a shame to let all of that go.] I looked down at the mockup photos she'd sent earlier. I remembered what I'd wanted in the beginning: white camellias everywhere. But Miles had taken one look and said, "Serena thinks camellias are too plain." "A wedding should have more life than that." So the camellias became the red roses Serena liked. I'd wanted soft gold lighting. Miles had said, "Serena thinks warm orange looks better in pictures." I'd wanted the invitations with simple embossing. Miles had said, "Just go with what Serena says. She's got great taste." It didn't hit me until now. The wedding I'd spent six months carefully planning had been quietly reshaped into everything Serena wanted. And all I had left in it was my name. The planner texted again. [Are you really sure about this?] I stared at the venue photo, at a wedding I couldn't even recognize anymore. And I smiled. I typed back. [I'm sure.] [I'll cover all the costs.] Back at the apartment, I started packing. Miles and I had picked this place out together. He'd told me what it would be like: coming home from work to the entryway light on, a warm dinner waiting in the kitchen, camellias on the balcony because he knew I loved them. Just picturing it used to make me so happy. But now I saw it clearly. Serena was everywhere in this home. The fridge was stocked with her favorite peach sparkling water. Her cashmere shawl was still draped over the sofa. Even the bridesmaid dress hanging beside my wedding gown looked more striking than mine. I stood in the walk-in closet, staring at the two dresses side by side. Something bitter and aching rose in my ch3#&st. The wedding hadn't even happened yet. Every part of Miles that should have belonged to me had already been taken by Serena. I didn't cry. I just put my ID, my passport, and a few essentials into my suitcase. Halfway through, the front door clicked open. Miles was back. He was holding a jewelry bag, his voice soft and placating. "Babe, don't be mad." "I walked past the store, and these made me think of you. I remembered you love pearls." He opened the box. Inside was a pair of South Sea pearl earrings. I did love pearls. I'd stood outside that shop window once, wanting them, but I couldn't justify the price. Miles had squeezed my hand and smiled. "When we get married, I'll get you even better ones." And now, here they were. But they were earrings. I didn't have p!#3%rced ears. Serena did. Miles pulled me into his arms. "Can we just let tonight go?" I looked down at the earrings. Before I could answer, another receipt slipped out of the bag. The total printed at the bottom felt like a s1%&ap. A designer handbag. Ten times the price of the earrings. I recognized the brand. Half an hour ago, Serena had posted on her Instagram story. There she was, holding that exact bag, her smile wide and bright. The caption read, [Landed the new project, and a certain someone surprised me with a gift.] I stared at that receipt, and the tears came before I could stop them. Whatever patience Miles had left disappeared from his face. "Why are you crying again?" "Chloe, when you're like this, it's just really exhausting." The words landed, and I went still. There was a time when my tears made Miles panic. He'd fumble to wipe them away. He'd hold me and murmur the same things over and over. "Chloe, don't cry." "It kills me when you cry." Once, I woke up at two in the morning, crying from a nightmare. He drove across town to bring me a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup. He said, "My Chloe never had anyone to hold her when she was little." "From now on, every time you cry, I'll be right here." That version of Miles had meant every word. But now, my tears bought me exactly one sentence. "It's just exhausting." When your tears can't reach someone anymore, That's when you learn to stop. I wiped my face, my voice hollow. "I'm fine." Miles actually looked relieved. He stepped closer and leaned down to kiss me. I turned my face away before I could think about it. Miles's expression went cold. He raked a hand through his hair. "Whatever." "You need to cool off." He turned and walked into the study. Later that night, I was reaching for the light when the tablet on the nightstand lit up. Miles was still signed in to iMessage. I only meant to turn off the screen. But a message had popped up, and Serena's name cu&t right through me. Serena had written, [Did you smooth things over?] Miles replied, [No.] [She's getting harder to deal with.] Serena sent a smiley. [So did you at least give her a little action tonight?] A few seconds passed before Miles replied. [Don't even get me started. She pushed me away.] [Honestly? It's fine. It's been seven years. I stopped feeling anything for her a long time ago.] [Good thing she turned me down. I would've had to fake my way through it.] I stared at those messages. My eyes bv/rned, but there was nothing left to cry out. Even intimacy with me. To Miles, it had become something he had to fake. I turned off the screen. I put the pearl earrings back in the jewelry bag. Then I set them on the entryway table, along with my engagement ring. Like handing back a dream I'd finally woken up from. Just then, my phone lit up with a booking confirmation. My flight left early tomorrow morning, bound for Snowcrest. From now on, I'd fly wherever I wanted. And I would never land beside Miles again.

My fiancé couldn't NAME ten things he liked about me. He managed one: "Sensible." That was at our engagement party, right after he'd reeled off ten for my best friend Serena—pretty, fun, great body, charming. The silence that followed hollowed me out. Then came the phone game. 【Who do you text most?】 Miles's top contact wasn't me. It was Serena. And when she "accidentally" scrolled through their chat, I saw everything. Him complaining about my wedding stress. Him laughing at my white dress. Him saying talking to her was "so much easier" than talking to me. Later, I found the receipt for a designer handbag—ten times the price of the pearl earrings he'd brought me. Earrings for p!erced ears I don't have. Serena's Instagram story showed her holding that exact bag an hour later. And the bracelet she wore? The one he'd sent me a photo of, asking if I thought it was pretty. I'd been so excited, thinking it was for me. It never was. That night, I stood outside the study and heard him on video call with her. She was reading his wedding vows aloud, laughing. He said, "Just pretend I'm saying them to you." Then she kissed the camera. He didn't stop her. So I did what any "sensible" girl would—I canceled the wedding. Left my ring on the table. Packed my bags. And booked a flight to Snowcrest. When Miles called the next morning, panicked, I just smiled. "You wanted sensible? Here's sensible: I'm gone. Forever. Enjoy your easy conversations with Serena." Then I hung up, turned off my phone, and ordered champagne at 30,000 feet. Because seven years of being sensible was enough. Now I'm flying wherever I want—and I'll never land beside him again. At the party, my boyfriend lost a round of truth or dare. Someone dared him to list ten things he liked about my best friend. Miles Sterling didn't even hesitate. "Pretty. Fun. Great body. Charming." "Always smiling. Empathetic. Confident. Great taste." "Oh, and she has this way of making everyone feel good." When it was Serena Vance's turn, she smiled and flipped it back on him. "Okay, so what about Chloe?" Miles looked at me and drew a blank. After all that, he came up with one word. "Sensible." Someone jumped in, trying to bail him out. "And?" Miles furrowed his brow like he was really trying. He couldn't come up with a single thing more. The silence that followed hollowed me out. Miles and I had been together for seven years. Our wedding was in a week. And after trying that hard, the only good thing he could say about me was "sensible." Fine. This time, I wouldn't be. I was about to walk out when someone s1%&apped a hand on the table. "Don't go, Chloe. One more round." "This one's fun. Everyone put your phones on the table. Let's see who you text the most." Serena smiled and slid her phone to the center. "Sure. I've got nothing to hide." But when the names showed up on-screen, the whole room went quiet. The person Miles texted most wasn't me. It was Serena. Someone let out a nervous laugh. "Wow... you two really do talk a lot." *** Serena blinked, her voice breezy. "Well, Chloe's so independent. She handles everything on her own." "Miles gets stressed sometimes. He needs someone to vent to, right?" Then, pretending it was an accident, she tapped open their chat history. Miles' messages to her filled the screen. [Chloe's on me about the wedding schedule again.] [She's making way too big a deal out of this.] Serena had written back: [She's just wound too tight. Not like me. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters.] Miles had sent a smiley face back. [See, that's what I mean. Talking to you is so much easier than talking to her.] My fingers curled into tight fists. Serena scrolled up, revealing previous messages. Another text from Miles. [Chloe's wearing that white dress again today.] [Does she seriously think she looks good in white?] Serena had sent a crying-laughing emoji. [Stop, don't be mean.] [But honestly... it really doesn't suit her. Her face is too plain for it.] Miles had written back. [Yeah. It'd look way better on you.] The room went dead silent. I was standing right there, and I couldn't force a single word out. Something tight and sour spread through my ch3#&st until I could barely breathe. All those delicate little hopes I'd been carrying. The nervous flutter every time I tried on a wedding dress. To Miles, they were just punchlines, something to text Serena about and laugh over. Serena walked over and looped her arm through mine. "Don't be mad, Chloe." "If he were talking like this with some random girl, I'd be furious for you." "But we're best friends. You know there's nothing going on." She tilted her head and looked up at me, her voice turning innocent and sweet. "I'm just keeping an eye on him for you. Isn't that a good thing?" I looked down at her hand on my arm. She was wearing a delicate bracelet. A few days ago, while he was away on a work trip, Miles had sent me a photo of it and asked if I thought it was pretty. I'd stared at that photo for the longest time, my ch3#&st warm and full. [It's beautiful.] I thought it was going to be a surprise for me. I'd even planned it all out in my head, how I'd play dumb when he got back, how I'd tease him about whether he'd brought me anything. But he returned from his trip, and the surprise never materialized. Now it was on Serena's wrist. I pulled my arm out of her grasp. Serena's eyes welled with tears right on cue. "Chloe, do you really not trust me anymore?" Miles finally stepped in, his jaw tight. "Chloe." "It was just a game. Don't be so sensitive." The second those words left his mouth, I realized he wasn't even worth my tears. I took a step back, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm tired. I think I'll head out." I was halfway down the hall when I remembered my coat was still draped over the back of the sofa. I doubled back for it, but the private room's door hadn't shut all the way. Inside, someone was talking to Miles in a low voice. "Miles, you're seriously not going after her?" "Did you see her face just now? All the color was gone." Miles was quiet for a second. When he spoke, his voice was completely indifferent. "Chloe's not going to be mad." "She's too sensible for that. She'll sleep it off and be fine tomorrow." My hand froze on the doorknob. A second later, he went on. "But you guys put Serena in a really awkward spot back there." "I should go comfort her." I stood there gripping the doorknob, the cold seeping into my fingertips. Sensible. The word was a dull blade. It didn't cu&t cleanly; it just kept working its way deeper. I didn't go back inside. Instead, I walked out of the venue, pulled out my phone, and sent a text to my wedding planner. [Cancel the wedding.] A minute later, my phone buzzed. The wedding planner. [Miss Bennett, are you sure you want to go through with canceling?] [You've been working on this for over six months.] [The flowers, the lighting, the invitations, the place cards. You picked out every single detail yourself.] [It would be such a shame to let all of that go.] I looked down at the mockup photos she'd sent earlier. I remembered what I'd wanted in the beginning: white camellias everywhere. But Miles had taken one look and said, "Serena thinks camellias are too plain." "A wedding should have more life than that." So the camellias became the red roses Serena liked. I'd wanted soft gold lighting. Miles had said, "Serena thinks warm orange looks better in pictures." I'd wanted the invitations with simple embossing. Miles had said, "Just go with what Serena says. She's got great taste." It didn't hit me until now. The wedding I'd spent six months carefully planning had been quietly reshaped into everything Serena wanted. And all I had left in it was my name. The planner texted again. [Are you really sure about this?] I stared at the venue photo, at a wedding I couldn't even recognize anymore. And I smiled. I typed back. [I'm sure.] [I'll cover all the costs.] Back at the apartment, I started packing. Miles and I had picked this place out together. He'd told me what it would be like: coming home from work to the entryway light on, a warm dinner waiting in the kitchen, camellias on the balcony because he knew I loved them. Just picturing it used to make me so happy. But now I saw it clearly. Serena was everywhere in this home. The fridge was stocked with her favorite peach sparkling water. Her cashmere shawl was still draped over the sofa. Even the bridesmaid dress hanging beside my wedding gown looked more striking than mine. I stood in the walk-in closet, staring at the two dresses side by side. Something bitter and aching rose in my ch3#&st. The wedding hadn't even happened yet. Every part of Miles that should have belonged to me had already been taken by Serena. I didn't cry. I just put my ID, my passport, and a few essentials into my suitcase. Halfway through, the front door clicked open. Miles was back. He was holding a jewelry bag, his voice soft and placating. "Babe, don't be mad." "I walked past the store, and these made me think of you. I remembered you love pearls." He opened the box. Inside was a pair of South Sea pearl earrings. I did love pearls. I'd stood outside that shop window once, wanting them, but I couldn't justify the price. Miles had squeezed my hand and smiled. "When we get married, I'll get you even better ones." And now, here they were. But they were earrings. I didn't have p!#3%rced ears. Serena did. Miles pulled me into his arms. "Can we just let tonight go?" I looked down at the earrings. Before I could answer, another receipt slipped out of the bag. The total printed at the bottom felt like a s1%&ap. A designer handbag. Ten times the price of the earrings. I recognized the brand. Half an hour ago, Serena had posted on her Instagram story. There she was, holding that exact bag, her smile wide and bright. The caption read, [Landed the new project, and a certain someone surprised me with a gift.] I stared at that receipt, and the tears came before I could stop them. Whatever patience Miles had left disappeared from his face. "Why are you crying again?" "Chloe, when you're like this, it's just really exhausting." The words landed, and I went still. There was a time when my tears made Miles panic. He'd fumble to wipe them away. He'd hold me and murmur the same things over and over. "Chloe, don't cry." "It kills me when you cry." Once, I woke up at two in the morning, crying from a nightmare. He drove across town to bring me a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup. He said, "My Chloe never had anyone to hold her when she was little." "From now on, every time you cry, I'll be right here." That version of Miles had meant every word. But now, my tears bought me exactly one sentence. "It's just exhausting." When your tears can't reach someone anymore, That's when you learn to stop. I wiped my face, my voice hollow. "I'm fine." Miles actually looked relieved. He stepped closer and leaned down to kiss me. I turned my face away before I could think about it. Miles's expression went cold. He raked a hand through his hair. "Whatever." "You need to cool off." He turned and walked into the study. Later that night, I was reaching for the light when the tablet on the nightstand lit up. Miles was still signed in to iMessage. I only meant to turn off the screen. But a message had popped up, and Serena's name cu&t right through me. Serena had written, [Did you smooth things over?] Miles replied, [No.] [She's getting harder to deal with.] Serena sent a smiley. [So did you at least give her a little action tonight?] A few seconds passed before Miles replied. [Don't even get me started. She pushed me away.] [Honestly? It's fine. It's been seven years. I stopped feeling anything for her a long time ago.] [Good thing she turned me down. I would've had to fake my way through it.] I stared at those messages. My eyes bv/rned, but there was nothing left to cry out. Even intimacy with me. To Miles, it had become something he had to fake. I turned off the screen. I put the pearl earrings back in the jewelry bag. Then I set them on the entryway table, along with my engagement ring. Like handing back a dream I'd finally woken up from. Just then, my phone lit up with a booking confirmation. My flight left early tomorrow morning, bound for Snowcrest. From now on, I'd fly wherever I wanted. And I would never land beside Miles again.