Chapter 5

Noira

Eve clearly had no intention of letting me off so easily.

The words that came out of her mouth often brought nothing but trouble for me. With her clingy attitude and constant dependence on Kael, everyone always seemed to believe her every move.

“I never spread any rumors about you.”

Refusing to accept her accusations, I answered firmly and clearly.

She fell silent, then a second later, leaned against Kael.

“Noira, I know why you're angry with me. I... I never meant to take Kael's attention away from you.”

Her voice was weak, and she made herself sound so innocent. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she looked genuinely hurt. Before I could respond, she continued.

“But this is too much... Spreading rumors that I was trying to steal him from you...”

“I never did that, Noira.”

My heart burned with anger toward her. She threw out accusations so effortlessly, and Kael simply believed her, wrapping his arms around her seemingly fragile body.

“Don't you feel guilty, Noira? Eve has already forgiven you, yet you still behave like this.”

How foolish of him to trust that woman so blindly. He didn't even bother to find out the truth before accusing me. After all, that was much easier for him.

How truly wonderful. All this time, I had endured his indifference toward me.

I couldn't make him love me, nor could I control him. But in the end, I had finally managed to control myself, and that allowed me to let him go.

A scoff escaped my lips, releasing some of the frustration that had weighed heavily on my chest for so long.

I pulled my suitcase back, yearning for freedom.

I was startled when Kael appeared in front of me again, holding up a phone with its livestream feature already turned on. I stared at him in disbelief, but his expression was even more severe than mine.

He looked deeply disappointed. The pain he had inflicted on me, shattering my heart over and over again, would never be satisfied, even if my heart were reduced to ashes.

When I tried to push his hand away, Kael used his strength to force my body backward.

Seriously, he was trying to stop me by using his physical strength.

“Noira, stop throwing tantrums like this. You'll regret it later.”

I kept my eyes fixed on his as I listened to his ridiculous words.

Throwing a tantrum? Perhaps I used to do that often, simply because I wanted his attention and hoped to make him spend more time with me.

But it had never worked.

This time, I was serious. I had already let go of my love for him, and more importantly, I wanted to stay alive.

“Do you think I'm trying to get your attention, Kael?” I asked, bitterness rising at the tip of my tongue.

He moved the phone even closer to my face and nodded.

In that instant, I realized just how little he thought of me.

Taking a calm breath, I glanced at the screen in front of me. Netizens had already flooded the livestream, questioning what I was doing.

I wanted to put an end to this as soon as possible, making a clear statement just as Kael wanted, with all of them as witnesses.

When a gentle smile appeared on my face, Kael's expression twisted. His reaction caught me by surprise for a moment, but I didn't care.

He should have realized by now that I had truly changed.

Then, taking a single breath, I spoke clearly.

“I am Noira, Luna of Alpha Kael Ashbourne, the leader of the Silver Horizon Pack. I hereby declare that I have never once spread any rumors about Eve, his first love.”

I met Kael's eyes for a brief second, my body trembling.

“Soon, she will be receiving a kidney from me. Isn't that wonderful?”

Honestly, my entire body was trembling uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the emotions threatening to burst out of me.

As my eyes caught sight of the countless comments praising me as an extraordinary woman, I felt satisfied.

I continued, “So I have no reason to apologize to her. Instead, she should be the one thanking—”

Before I could finish my sentence, Kael immediately turned off the livestream and grabbed my face roughly.

“Noira! What are you doing!?”

“I was telling the truth.”

My voice was hoarse, barely sounding like my own.

He furrowed his brows, staring at me as though I were someone he simply couldn't understand, a woman who had become nothing but a source of trouble.

“Do you want to make things even more difficult? What else do you want, Noira? I'll give it to you if you want a gift.”

My lips twitched, caught between wanting to laugh and wanting to cry. Apparently, the most reasonable explanation he could come up with was that I wanted a present.

A scoff escaped me. “A gift? Have you ever given me one?”

He was the mighty Alpha. Surely, he should remember clearly that throughout our unwanted marriage, he had never given me a single gift.

Everything he had ever given was meant for Eve.

He lowered his head, his brows furrowing even deeper. I wondered if perhaps he was finally feeling a little guilty.

“I... Did I really never give you a gift?”

He was still refusing to accept the truth.

“Is that really true, Noira? Have you never received—”

“Kael... Kael...”

At that moment, Eve's weak voice interrupted his focus.

Beside him, the woman began coughing, and thick blood trickled from the palm she had previously pressed over her mouth.

In an instant, she collapsed into Kael's arms. He was no longer paying any attention to me.

Panic washed over Kael. Having completely forgotten my existence, he immediately scooped Eve into his arms and carried her to the car.

His neglect reminded me once again that there had never been a place for me in his world.

I let out a long sigh as they left.

It was surprising, but I had finally managed to leave this house without anyone trying to stop me.

After crossing the front yard, I got into a car parked not far away. A man inside was staring at me intently.

“You should have let me beat him up.”

I smiled gently, feeling truly free for the first time.

“I'll deal with him myself someday.”

Our eyes met. The sincerity in his gaze made my heart feel heavy.

Then, with a gentle movement, he fastened my seat belt.

“They're waiting for us. Let's go home, sister.”