Chapter 5

I hit the ground hard, collapsing into a pool of my own blood. My vision blurred; the copper tasted thick in my mouth, and I could feel my wolf’s pain echoing inside me. Weak. Broken. Dying.

Flashes of memory tore through me like knives.

The first time I met him, those greenish-brown eyes were colder than a winter storm.

The day I swapped the sugar in his coffee with salt, and he drank it without even flinching.

The first time he pinned me against his office desk—my teeth sinking into his shoulder, drawing blood, refusing to let him win.

On the night of his birthday, I decorated the entire villa with lights and roses, only to hear the news that he was with her. With Lynn.

The day I walked alone to the cemetery, heels digging into my skin until blisters bled through my stockings. He found me, took off my shoes without a word, carried them in one hand while carrying me on his back all the way home.

My tears had slipped into the hollow of his neck that night, and for one fleeting second, I thought: Maybe, just maybe, we could make it. Maybe he and I could walk through life together.

But the last image I carried into the darkness was him—shielding Lynn in his arms.

---

“Beep, beep, beep—”

The sharp rhythm of medical machines dragged me back to reality. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking at the sterile white ceiling.

A voice came in from the next room. Lynn.

“It’s all my fault,” she sobbed, her words laced with guilt. “I shouldn’t have argued with Ann by the side of the road… Richard, why did you save me first? Ann will be angry…”

Richard’s voice was low, soothing. Too soft. The kind of voice he used when he cared.

“I didn’t save you first,” he murmured. “You were closest to the car. It was instinct. Just… my first reaction.”

My chest clenched so tight I couldn’t breathe. Instinct. Just instinct. Not love. No choice.

I lay still, staring at the ceiling, listening as he continued to comfort her. His words were like silk, tender enough to wrap around her broken heart. Words I had once craved.

Finally, the door clicked shut, and silence filled the room.

When Richard turned, his gaze collided with mine. I didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just looked at him.

“You’re awake.” His tone was calm, composed. “It’s nothing serious. Just a flesh wound. I know you’re terrified of pain, so I made sure you had the best medical team. They’ll make sure you don’t scar.”

In the past, I would have broken down, tears pouring as I demanded answers he never gave. I would have clung to the smallest scraps of affection he offered.

But not now.

“Got it. Thanks,” I said flatly. “I’ll pay you back for the medical expenses in two weeks.”

His brows furrowed, confusion flickering across his perfect features. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t.

Because he didn’t know what I knew.

Only thirteen days left.

And then I was gone.