Chapter 3: "Throw that bitch out."

My feet are rooted to the floor and my eyes, on Violet’s smirking face. 

If there has ever been anything like sorrowful shock, this is it. I feel paralyzed right now.

I have experienced Ulric’s girlfriends coming to me to ask for money as a form of settlement to keep their mouths shut. We always reach a bargain and after the deal is struck, I pay them and they go on their way, yet something tells me Violet doesn’t want money.

She stands up, approaching me still smirking but I meet her halfway and in a burst of swift speed, I slap her.

Tears sting the back of my eyes as the sound rings out and Violet gasps, her breath soft and unbelieving.

When she looks up at me, there’s only one cold word on my lips, “Why?”

Why would she do this to me? I… I took her as family.

I took her as my own. We come from the same pack. It…. it doesn’t make sense.

Violet glares at me as she straightens her posture, her hand falling from her cheek and her eyes burning with a deep-seated malice, her tone is scathing as she asks,

“Why? 

You didn’t think I’d be comfortable with being your slave forever did you, Sophia?”

My eyebrows crease as I grit out, “You were never a slave, Violet. I took you as mine.”

Violet nods and walks over to my table, leaning on it and folding her hands in front of her chest, “You took me as yours. That’s it right?” 

She scoffs, 

“You mean yours to use. Yours to send on meaningless errands, to always be beneath you because you’re just so mighty aren’t you, Mrs.Sophia Highrise? You’re mighty enough that keeping a man in check is so fucking hard for you.”

Violet releases a mocking chuckle and it feels like my world will come crashing down. She raises her hand to stare at her nails, smirking as she goes on, “I won’t live the rest of my life being beneath you, Sophia. This was always going to happen one way or the other.”

A bitter huff escapes my mouth and I stare at the floor, my heart heavy enough that I feel it slam a thousand times heavier in my chest. Violet asks nonchalantly, “Has Ulric agreed to divorce you yet?”

She adds smugly,

“He said he was going to do it, it’s not like both of you could ever work out anyway.”

The pride in her voice has me boiling. Like my marriage is nothing but a piece of cooked chicken to her, something for her to dig her claws into and rip apart as she bites away huge chunks.

“Ulric isn’t divorcing me.”

The words are heavy on my tongue as I spill them but hearing Violet’s sharp intake of breath cements the decision in my heart. I look up at her and chuckle, all my pain and anger locked away so it can give way to cold ruthlessness. I tilt my head to the side and pin Violet with a mocking stare as I taunt her.

“You turned out to be so foolish Violet, I thought I trained you better than this.”

I see her confidence threaten to collapse immediately but she lets out a disbelieving huff, shaking her head and repeating, “No. There’s no way….. Ulric promised me he’d divorce you. He said we would be together.”

My hands itch to give her another slap but I restrain myself, I’m not an animal. Instead, I shake my head and decide to tear her down with my words instead, I huff in derision and ask “You must think you have magic between your thighs don’t you?” 

Violet’s eyes snap wide open but I sneer as I continue calmly, “Remind me, How many women has Ulric promised to divorce me to? 

How many has he promised the world to and actually fulfilled his promise? You’ve been here long enough, you should know Violet.”

“He said what we have is special!”

Violet stares at me wild-eyed, her chest heaving, “He said he would divorce you and make me his Luna. He doesn’t love you, he loves me!”

I walk closer to her, stopping just an inch to her face and staring into her eyes as I ask, “What makes you think a homewrecker like you has what it takes to hold onto a man I couldn’t?” She lets out a soft gasp but I chortle and roll my eyes. 

“Ulric was never going to divorce me for you. That was just him feeding you bullshit.

What does he need you for? Does he need you to keep the company running? To bolster his success? 

No. 

All you’re good for is spreading your legs and that, is why you’re still the stupid little girl who never seems to learn her lesson.”

Violet lets out a rage-filled scream right into my face but I do not move an inch. I stand there and dare her to do something drastic. She thinks she’s so formidable now, I’ll show her what formidable is.

Violet glares at me fiercely but I return her glare.

A smirk spreads dully on my face as it all clicks.

“You spread the news to the media didn’t you, Violet? 

The pictures flying around… the assaulted reporter, I don’t doubt for a second that Ulric didn’t hit that woman, but I’m guessing that’s where you saw your opportunity. Your mind was busy working double time as Ulric stripped you and fucked you senseless.” I huff and clap softly “It was smart, I’ll give you that, but you’re missing one thing.”

I back up a bit so I can enjoy the full view of her reaction.

“Ulric always runs back to me at the end of the day.” 

“You’re just a toy to him, Violet. You can go ask him yourself. Call him, march into his office, ask him if he’s going to divorce me, and see what he tells you. He was never going to.

And y’know what.” Violet is trembling heavily now so I drop my voice to a low whisper, striking my final blow,

 “I’m not divorcing him too. 

I’m not signing the divorce papers. I’ll forgive him, the same way I’ve always done, and I’ll make him throw you to the side, like trash.”

The shock and disbelief in Violet’s eyes has me nodding to myself as I walk past her and take a seat in my chair. I blow at my nails.

“You’ll never have the thing you so much covet, so get out. I don’t want to see your face.”

Violet stares at me, jaw clenched and teeth gritted. She stays in place, unmoving and daring me but I’ve had enough of this.

I pick the landline on my table and press a button she knows too well. Her eyes widen when they meet mine but she knows I’m not joking.

Four men file into the room, large, hulking, waiting for my order and it’s simple, I deadpan, exhausted, “Throw that bitch out.”

Violet hollers and struggles as she’s dragged out, her eyes ferocious and her stance a deathly lunge. I watch them take her out cooly and my heart breaks afresh.

Tears roll down my cheeks even as my face stays ice cold and memories flash past my eyes.

I was just twenty-two and Violet was eighteen when I married Ulric. They felt like family to me. The first one I would call mine and mine alone. I trusted them. 

I begged my father to let me hire Violet, to let me marry Ulric, Otsana releases a sorrowful howl that rends my soul and I collapse onto the table, burying my face in my hands and choking out bitter tears.

I became the way I am today because of them. Because I had to protect Ulric, because I had to provide for Violet…. To have them betray me this way…I must have always been a horrible person. 

This is just Karma’s way of repaying me.

My phone beeps and I snap my head up immediately, cleaning my tears and switching on the laptop in front of me so I can speak to my daughter. The cell rang with the special ringtone I have for her.

The call connects and a cute little face appears on the screen, “Mummyy!”

Her happiness is so evident that I push my sadness farther away and smile at her, chuckling as I crinkle my eyes the way she loves, “Hi Baby. 

Mummy’s missed you so much! How’s school going?”

Ravenna groans and moves closer to the laptop by shifting her seat, “I miss you so much mummy, and school’s fine. I came third in my fine arts class today. I’m getting better.”

I nod encouragingly and the more Ravenna speaks, the more I feel my heart ache, because I made this. 

I gave birth to her.

Ravenna goes on about how she’s loving school, and how she hopes she can enter the wolf trails when she comes of age. She says her teacher told her to try applying for one of the scholarships a werewolf charity foundation is sponsoring overseas, but she doesn’t think she can deal with the extra studying now. She wants to enter the wolf tournament and beat all the boys in her class. I laugh and tell her I wished for that too, but I loved food too much to keep the shape required.

Ravenna giggles and asks the one question that stops me, 

“How’s Daddy? Is he around right now? I want to see him.”

I pause, totally quiet before shaking my head a second later and smiling at her, “No. He’s not home yet, my love. He’s still at work.”

Ravenna nods and a crestfallen look overtakes her face immediately. I try to cheer her up, “I’ll ask him to send you a letter. How about that?”

Ravenna nods hesitantly and sighs. 

The way she behaves lately, the beauty and intelligence she radiates, it sets something in my heart right, and we say our goodbyes, I blow her a kiss. Watching the call cut, I feel tears roll down my cheeks again, but this time with a smile plastered on my face.

I get up from my seat, wipe my tears and come to a decision.

Fuck this.

Fuck all of this. 

Fuck Ulric, Fuck Violet. Fuck all this sadness. Tomorrow I become a free woman, and I’ll celebrate that.

I won’t spend the night to my freedom crying over those who hurt me.