Another burst of laughter echoed in the background, followed by the sound of fireworks. Aldric’s voice remained as calm as ever, unmoved by my pain. "Selene, I don’t have time for this right now. We’ll talk later."
That was it. The final blow.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and made a decision that had been building in the back of my mind for months. "No, Aldric. We won’t talk later. This is it. I’m done."
The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. I could feel the weight of my words hanging in the air, but I knew, deep down, that Aldric wouldn’t fight for me.
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Chapter 2
A blast of music filled the silence on Aldric’s end, lingering for a moment before he sighed deeply.
"Selene, not this again." His voice carried quiet exasperation, the same tone he always used when he didn’t want to deal with me.
I froze, my heart pounding. What did he mean by not this again? He was the one who had broken another promise, yet somehow, I was the unreasonable one for feeling hurt?
Anger flared in my chest, and I snapped before I could stop myself. "I know exactly where you are and what you’re doing, Aldric! You think I can’t see? Seraphine practically parades it all over the pack network! Maybe you should tell her to stop posting those pictures if you don’t want everyone to find out!"
With that, I hung up, my hands shaking as I turned my phone on silent.
I had never felt so humiliated. Seraphine had made sure everyone in the pack saw them together, yet Aldric acted like I was being unreasonable, like I was the problem.
I stalked over to the closet and yanked it open. As I grabbed my suitcase from the top shelf, my eyes landed on a small red gift bag, hidden behind the cases. My heart clenched. I had bought it just last week, a customized leather field kit, perfect for Aldric’s next expedition. It was deep navy, the exact color of the midnight sky he loved.
I shoved it aside, feeling a wave of bitterness. There would be no more gifts, no more trying to make things better.
Quickly, I packed my clothes and the few personal items I had brought into Aldric’s villa. I was determined to leave tonight. It didn’t matter if I had nowhere to go—anywhere was better than here, in this hollow house that wasn’t truly mine.
It took hours to gather everything. When I finished, I called a taxi and left without looking back.
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