Chapter 4

Isabella clutched her arm, her face a mask of pain. "Marcus, my right wrist really hurts. What if this affects my work on the speech tonight? The application deadline for the Luna Award is the day of the presentation. If I'm injured..."

"Don't worry, I'll take you to the hospital right now," Marcus said, helping Isabella up without a single glance in my direction.

They rushed off, leaving me alone with the scattered books and the lingering stares of the onlookers.

I knelt to pick up the books, each leather-bound volume feeling like a monument to the love I once had for Marcus.

Marcus, anyone who actually respects research wouldn’t leave books scattered all over the floor. When the truth is finally revealed, will you still rush to her defense? Will you… regret this? The way you treated me today?

At ten that night, Marcus finally came home. He looked exhausted as he sank onto the sofa, rubbing his temples.

"Isabella's fine, just a minor sprain," he said, his voice laced with guilt. "Emma, about today... I might have overreacted."

I continued arranging the medical journals on the coffee table, offering no response.

"I know I've been neglecting you lately," Marcus said, getting up and moving to my side. "As soon as Isabella's presentation is done and her application for the Luna Medical Award is submitted, we'll have our mating ceremony. The Moonlight Hotel is all set."

He reached for my hand. "Emma, I'll make it up to you. Ecuadorian roses, a custom mate ring, a honeymoon... anywhere you want to go."

I pulled my hand away and met his gaze calmly. "Okay."

Marcus froze, clearly not expecting me to agree so easily.

"Right... well... I'll call the band tomorrow, and the guests..." His voice trailed off, as if he was trying to convince himself.

The next day, Marcus was a whirlwind of activity, pacing around the house as he made calls and arranged the details of the mating ceremony. The florist, the photographer, the caterer... he contacted them one by one, occasionally pausing to ask for my input.

"Emma, how many tiers should the champagne tower have?"

"Whatever."

"What about the sound system? Do we need microphones?"

"Whatever."

He put the phone down and came to stand before me. "Emma, can you please give me a real opinion? This is our mating ceremony."

"I told you, arrange it however you want," I said, my eyes never leaving the medical report in my lap.

Isabella's ringtone shattered the tense silence. Marcus answered immediately.

"What? The application materials need more changes?" His tone was instantly sharp with concern. "There can't be any mistakes on the Luna Award application... Okay, I'm on my way."

Hanging up, Marcus grabbed his jacket. "Isabella needs to go over the final details for the Luna Award application. I have to go help her."

He paused at the door and looked back at me, his lips parting as if to say something more.

But in the end, he left without a word.

The house fell silent once more.

I walked over to the calendar in the living room and found the date circled for the presentation. It was the same day Marcus had scheduled for my mating ceremony.

I picked up a pen, and on that date, I wrote three words:

"Marcus, goodbye forever."

Then, I placed the calendar in the very center of the coffee table.

Over five years, I had woven myself into the fabric of this house, but now, almost nothing of me remained.

And still, Marcus hadn't noticed.

I took the framed photo of us from its place on the living room wall and tossed it into the fireplace. The Emma who had once loved Marcus so deeply was gone, turned to ash.

With my luggage packed, I stood in the center of the living room and took one last look at the pack house where I had spent five years of my life with Marcus.

It was over.

I gripped the handle of my suitcase and walked out the door without looking back.

A taxi was already waiting. The driver loaded my bags into the trunk.

"Where to, miss?"

"The airport."

The car pulled away from the curb, and I never looked back.

On the radio, Isabella’s voice came on. It was the exact time I was supposed to be presenting my Moonlight Therapy, but instead, she was detailing the flawed treatment, announcing that the first batch of infused moonstones was already being distributed to patients.

I opened my laptop and scheduled an email. It contained all the evidence of how Marcus and Isabella had stolen my research, and it was addressed to the Regional Council.

Meanwhile, the real, functional moonstones—the ones I created—were already on their way to pack clinics across the territory.

Any patients who received Isabella’s flawed treatment could still be completely cured, as long as they used my version within the week.

With that done, I disconnected from the network.

And then, I severed the mate bond between Marcus and me.

Goodbye forever, Marcus.

Meanwhile, Marcus had skipped Isabella’s presentation.

A strange, gnawing anxiety had coiled in his gut since morning, and for the life of him, he couldn't shake it.

He’d initially written it off as nerves on Isabella's behalf, but even seeing her poised and confident on stage did nothing to soothe the beast churning inside him.

Ignoring Isabella's protests, Marcus left for the Moonlight Hotel earlier than planned to finalize the details of the mating ceremony.

He sent Emma photos of the arrangements, asking for her opinion, but his messages went unanswered.

An hour before the ceremony was set to begin, Marcus tried to reach Emma through their mate bond, only to realize…

Emma had severed it.

A guttural roar tore from his throat. Marcus summoned his Beta. "Find her," he snarled. "Find out where the hell Emma is!"