Chapter 2

Liz’s POV

“Liz, I’m home,” Lumian’s voice echoed through the empty house. I followed him inside, drifting like a ghost because that’s what I was. Everything was exactly as I had left it this morning, and still, he looked annoyed.

"Liz?" he called again, impatience curling around his tone like smoke.

The silence that followed was suffocating. He stood there for a moment, looking around the room, then scowled.

“Chucking another one of her stupid tantrums,” he muttered with a shake of his head.

My chest twisted. Anger surged in my veins, mixing with despair. A tantrum? Was that really what he thought of me? After everything I had done, everything I had become to be the Luna he needed?

For three years, I had done everything for him. I cooked, cleaned, stood by his side during every pack gathering, fought his battles when others doubted us and carried his burdens without ever asking for anything in return. I tried to be the best mate I could possibly be.

Everything he needed, I gave. Everything he asked for I provided. But things changed when Judy came back.

She had returned injured, fragile, and in need. And Lumian... he became distant. He spent more and more time at the hospital, staying by her bedside for hours. At first, I told myself he was just being a good friend, helping someone from our past. Judy had once meant something to him. Of course, he’d want to make sure she was okay.

But deep in my heart, I knew. I knew the truth I didn’t want to admit. He still loved her.

He moved through the house, brows furrowed, muttering to himself. Never once did he look worried. Never once did his voice soften with concern.

I hovered nearby, helpless, aching. I wanted to reach out and shake him, scream at him, demand that he feel even a fraction of what I was feeling. But I couldn’t. I wasn’t really there.

With a tired sigh, Lumian made his way upstairs. I followed, hoping, still hoping, that something would click in his mind. Instead, he walked into the bedroom, sat on the edge of the bed for a long moment, and stared at the framed wedding photo of us on the bedside table.

His expression darkened. He reached out, picked it up, and after a moment’s hesitation, turned it face-down.

A chill ran through me. There was no regret in his eyes, only quiet resentment. Did he also believe what Judy told him?

Then he lay down, pulled the blanket over himself, and closed his eyes as if I had never existed.

I stood there in the darkness, hollow and hurting.

The next morning, he came downstairs, rubbing sleep from his eyes. It wasn’t until he poured himself a glass of water that he frowned again.

“Where the hell is she?” he muttered under his breath. A pause, then a knock at the door.

The sudden sound startled me, making my ghostly form flinch. Lumian looked up, his shoulders straightening, eyes lighting with brief hope.

"Finally," he muttered under his breath, already heading toward the door.

My chest tightened. He thought it was me. For one fleeting second, he believed I was coming back to him.

I followed closely behind as he reached for the handle. My breath caught as he began to speak, "Wher—"

But his voice faltered the moment the door opened. It was Robert.

“Morning, Alpha,” Robert said, stepping inside and giving Lumian a curious glance. "Everything okay?"

Lumian ran a hand over his jaw, the faintest hint of disappointment in his eyes. “Fine. Liz just didn’t come home last night.” He hesitated before asking, “You haven’t seen her, have you?”

The words felt like a blade to my chest.

Robert shrugged. “Haven’t seen her.”

“Liar!” I screamed, stepping forward, my voice shrill with rage. “You saw me yesterday! You threatened me, Robert! You're lying, and you know it!”

I was shouting, yelling with everything I had left, fury boiling inside me like wildfire. I couldn’t stay calm—I didn’t want to.

“Why are you lying?” I screamed, my ghostly form trembling. “You saw me yesterday, Robert! Why are you lying to him?”

But my voice vanished into nothing.

Lumian narrowed his eyes slightly. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah. She’s probably just sulking somewhere, trying to get your attention,” Robert said smoothly.

My body trembled with fury. I couldn’t believe how easily he lied, how calm he was while I stood there, dead, unheard.

But it didn’t matter. Nothing reached them.

Lumian sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. “If she thinks I’m going to chase after her, she’s wrong.”

“No!” I shouted, stepping closer, my voice cracking with pain. “Why won’t you listen? Robert is lying! Please, Lumian, please just look at me, hear me!”

But it was useless.

I kept begging, the anger and hurt burning inside me like wildfire. My voice echoed in the void, empty and unheard. I clawed at the silence, desperate to break through it.

But I was dead.

No one would ever hear me again.