Chapter 2

There was a time when Jared's arms were my sanctuary. As long as I was with him, I wouldn't have flinched even if the world ended. But now, my heart twisted painfully.

Before I could stop myself, I found myself asking, "Do you love me, Jared?"

My voice shook so hard I barely recognized it. "You said you'd only ever love me. Was that true? You wouldn't fall for someone else while you're still with me, right?"

I felt him stiffen for a split second, then he tightened his hold around me. He nuzzled against my cheek and brushed a soft kiss across my skin.

"Of course, I love you. You're my mate. Who else would I love? We've been together for five years—haven't you realized what kind of person I am?"

Those same words, delivered in the same tone, had been said five years ago.

Back then, it was our first anniversary of being together. The tabloids caught him walking into a couple's hotel with another woman. That got people talking.

"I heard the Alpha has a mate, but that woman sure doesn't look like our Luna."

"Please—it's pretty common for Alphas to cheat. Anyone with power never limits themselves to one partner."

When those comments hit the feeds, I felt like the sky cracked open above me. My mind went blank, and my hands turned cold.

In the photos, the woman wore a mask and a cap. I couldn't see her face at all, but I was certain that the man beside her was Jared. Amid my panic, I immediately called Luciana, sobbing and breaking down.

"He cheated, Luciana! He cheated! The paparazzi caught him. What do I do now?" I cried desperately into the phone.

Crying and shaking, I ran toward the hotel he had gone to. My thoughts were in disarray, like every possible nightmare scenario was collapsing into one big disaster.

"If he really cheated, I'd break up with him on the spot." That was what I swore to myself back then.

After asking around for his room number, I rushed down the hall and barged into his hotel room. The next second, confetti and streamers rained down on me.

"Happy anniversary, Monica!" Jared exclaimed, standing in the middle of the room with a bouquet of roses. He dropped to one knee. "Do you like my surprise? I asked Luciana to help with the decorations."

Luciana stood there with her arms crossed, staring at the decorations like they were beneath her. "If this wasn't for my best friend, I'd never drop my work to help with something this lame. And don't look at me—he's the one who begged me to help.

"He said only I knew what you liked. Even bought me gifts to sweet-talk me into planning with him. Ugh."

She slung an arm around my shoulder. "Cheating? Please. As if I'd ever steal your mate."

When I looked around the room, I saw my name spelled out with balloons on the wall. Immediately, guilt exploded in my chest. I couldn't believe I had doubted him and Luciana because of a single sensational headline.

That feeling never left, no matter how many years had passed. Since that incident, I told myself I would never question Jared again.

Contrary to my beliefs, I saw Luciana sobbing so hard she could barely breathe in the crystal orb. "Don't go. Please, I'm begging you."

Jared turned his face away, like the sight of her tears physically hurt him. He pried her off. "This will be the last time we see each other."

She threw herself into his arms, whispering, "Then, stay with me for one last night… Please?"

That "last night" they spent together was three days before our mating ceremony. That same night, I got into a car accident and was rushed to the hospital. I couldn't reach him, nor could I contact Luciana, who had vanished suddenly.

Later, when I told my friend what happened, she hesitated for a long time before advising, "You should watch out who you befriend, Monica. Don't let anyone take away your mate."

Back then, my smile instantly vanished. I had even snapped back, "Even if the whole world turns its back on me, Luciana will never do that to me."