7

The next morning, I was in the kitchen, head throbbing, trying to make some breakfast, when my phone suddenly rang.

It was a video call from Lily.

My heart pounded as I answered. Her smug face filled the screen.

"Sophia, look how good your bracelet looks on me!" She deliberately held her wrist up to the camera, the moonstone glittering in the light.

My heart clenched instantly. That bracelet looked so wrong, so glaringly out of place on her wrist.

"This bracelet really suits me, much better than it looked on you," Lily continued to show off. "Alex said I look like a real Moon Goddess wearing it."

I bit my lip hard, fighting back the pain in my chest. "Lily, please take good care of it. It's very important to me."

"Important?" A nasty glint flashed in Lily's eyes. "How important?"

Then, I saw something I would never forget for the rest of my life.

Lily suddenly took the bracelet off her wrist, held it up high, and right in front of my eyes, slammed it onto the floor.!

The thousand-year-old moonstone shattered into a million pieces, scattering everywhere. Each tiny shard reflected the harsh light.

"Oops, I accidentally broke it," Lily said with a smug smile, her eyes full of vicious pleasure. "It's not worth much anyway, just a stupid rock."

My world collapsed in that instant. Tears blurred my vision. "You... why would you do that? That was from my grandmother!"

"Is a hundred dollars enough to cover it? Or do you want more?" Lily asked, taunting me. "Don't be too greedy now, Alex is mine, after all."

She was still smiling, that smug, vicious smile.

I couldn't take it anymore. I hung up and bolted out the door.

Twenty minutes later, I was standing in front of Lily's apartment, pounding on her door like a madwoman.

"Open the door! You open this door right now!"

When the door opened, Lily was still in her silk pajamas, an innocent look on her face. "Well, well, if it isn't our esteemed Luna. Why the scary face?"

"Why did you destroy it on purpose?" I stormed into her apartment, my voice shaking with rage. "That was a thousand-year-old sacred heirloom! Do you have any idea what it meant to me?!"

Lily looked at me, furious and losing it, and her smile got wider, more triumphant. "Because I can't stand you! Who do you think you are? You think you're worthy of wearing the Luna's bracelet?"

"You're insane! That was priceless!" My voice was almost a scream.

"Priceless?" Lily shrieked with laughter. "To me, it's trash! And so are you! Alex only has eyes for me. You're just a pathetic substitute!"

"Do you know why Alex suddenly announced to everyone yesterday that I was his mate?" she leaned in close, her voice dripping with undisguised triumph and contempt. "Because on my heat day—"

Her words stabbed into my heart like knives. I couldn't control myself anymore.

"You vicious witch!" I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Lily clutched her face, her eyes wild with fury. "You dare hit me? You actually dared to hit me?"

She screamed and lunged at me. We started wrestling, but I quickly realized she wasn't trying to fight back – she was deliberately hurting herself.

She raked her nails down her own face, drawing blood that trickled down her cheeks.

"You're crazy! What are you doing?" I stared at her, shocked.

"Who do you think he'll believe? You, or me?" Lily sneered, the blood making her look even more terrifying.

Just then, the door was thrown open.

Alex stood in the doorway. When he saw Lily, her face covered in blood, his expression turned murderous.

His gaze shot from Lily to me, his eyes burning with a rage that could kill.

"You BITCH! What are you DOING?!"