Chapter 3

But the gossip didn't bother Tessa one bit. Instead, she showed off a closet full of designer bags and jewelry and a bank balance with more zeros than I could count.

"There's only one rule of survival in this world, and that's money. When it comes to money, who cares about your precious little pride?

"And once you have money, you don't just get your pride back. You get the power to write your own rules."

At first I thought everything she said was nonsense.

Then my father became gravely ill. Faced with a staggering surgery bill, I had no choice but to abandon the pride I had clung to and beg everyone I knew for help.

They looked at me like I was garbage on the ground. For the first time in my life, I felt true humiliation.

But Tessa lent me the money without hesitation and got me through the crisis.

Now, years later, she was still the only one I could turn to.

And I finally understood what she had meant about the rules of survival.

She led me to the couch in the living room and poured me a glass of water.

No small talk, no pleasantries. She got straight to the point. "How much did you get from the settlement?"

I pulled the dissolution agreement from my bag and handed it to her.

She squinted at the number, counting the zeros on her fingers. "One, two, three, four..."

"Ten million dollars!"

Her eyes lit up. "That much? You hit the jackpot!"

"Of course. Caleb is the Alpha, the head of the pack. His settlement was never going to be small."

But for some reason, my eyes burned and the tears wouldn't stop.

He had given me so much only to ease his own pathetic guilt.

Deep down, he knew that everything he was doing was no different from the father he despised most.

But he refused to admit it, so he used money to lie to himself.

If he gave me money and a house, then he wasn't the same kind of man his father was.

It was for his Alpha image, for his guilty conscience. Not for me.

Tessa saw me crying, stuffed a couple of tissues into my hand, and patted my shoulder.

"What are you crying for? If I got a settlement that big, I'd be laughing in my sleep.

"Men will betray you, but money won't. A cold-hearted man turned into cold hard cash. You came out ahead."

I knew she had a point.

But when I first got together with Caleb, it was never about his power or his money.

All I had ever wanted was his heart.

The thought sent a dull ache through my chest, and the tears came again.

Tessa threw her arm around me.

"Stop moping. Tonight, I'm throwing you a party to celebrate my best friend being free of that bastard and becoming a millionaire."

I shook my head. "I just gave birth. I'm too weak to drink."

Tessa's expression went blank.

"You have a baby?"

I nodded. "Born just a few days ago."

Tessa shot to her feet like a firecracker. "I take back what I said. Caleb isn't a jerk.

"He's absolute scum!

"He kicked you out right after giving birth so he could stay home with his side piece?"

Tessa was livid, ready to tear Caleb limb from limb.

After she finished venting, she calmed down.

"What are you going to do about the baby?"

I lowered my head and clutched the hem of my shirt. "I want my baby back."