LOGINAria's POVKael? He was still here? For the past three years, whenever he came home at night, before seven o’clock the next morning, he would have been gone. So, what was different about that morning?He stood a few steps away from me, his eyes roaming everywhere before they finally landed on his mother.“Mother...” his face drained of color. He hurried toward her at once. “Mom, what's wrong? Why are you on the floor?”He dropped to one knee beside Beatrice, carefully helping her sit upright. Beatrice winced dramatically, one hand clutching her lower back.“She...” her trembling finger pointed toward me. “She pushed me.”Kael's head snapped in my direction immediately. For a brief moment, our eyes locked. His expression was unreadable. His gaze drifted to the kettle still clutched tightly in my hand, then to the two maids by Zoe’s sides.His eyes fell on Zoe, who was still pinned to the floor, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. The silence that followed was suffocat
Aria's POVZoe's eyes widened in shock, her hand rested against her slightly bruised cheek."What?" She whispered, staring at me in disbelief.As soon as the word left her lips, I landed another slap on the other cheek. The sound of the slap echoed through the corridor, her head snapping violently to a side.Her two hands rested on her cheeks, her mouth wide open as though she had seen a ghost.For a heartbeat, neither of us moved nor spoke. Then, her shaky voice came."You slapped... me?"I calmly lowered my hand, a small smile spread on my lips."Those," I began, taking slow and deliberate steps toward her. "Were for forgetting your manners,” I paused. “And the next one will be for forgetting your place.”"What?" Her eyes bulged in outrage as she removed her hand from her cheeks."You're going to regret this, you crazy bitch!" Her hand was raised in the air, lunging forward to strike back.But before her hand could reach my face, I caught it midway. Before she could react, I shoved
Aria’s POV I was sleeping when I heard a loud bang on the door. At first, I ignored it. I was feeling too lazy to get up. But the knocking never ceased. It grew harder, louder, and more impatient. Bang! Bang! Bang! Whoever was outside sounded determined to pull the entire door off its hinges as long as I answered. I groaned softly, burying my face deeper into the pillow. “Who is that motherfucker?” I muttered through gritted teeth, my eyes still shut. Another loud bang echoed through the room, forcing my eyes to snap open instantly. "For goodness' sake!" I growled, pulling the blanket off my body. I climbed out of bed, my bare feet hitting the cold floor. Still half asleep, I dragged myself toward the door, rubbing my eyes. The knocking continued, with each bang fueling the irritation already brewing inside me. By the time I reached the door, I was beyond annoyed. The moment I opened the door and saw the person standing outside the door, my expression hardened. Zoe.
Aria’s POV “Bastard,” I muttered underneath my breath as soon as the door shut behind him, tears rolling down my cheeks. Goodness! I had promised myself I would never cry because of him again. Yet there I was, only seconds after he left, shedding tears over the same man who had spent years making me question my worth.“No, Aria. He isn’t worth your tears,” I whispered to myself, hastily wiping my face with the back of my hand. I inhaled deeply, forcing the sob threatening to escape back down my throat. I walked back to my desk and sat on the chair, staring at my reflection in the mirror. “I won’t be that girl anymore.” Three years. The stupid me had cried because of Kael for three years. I had spent sleepless nights waiting for his footsteps that never came, wishing that one day... maybe one day, everything would somehow go back to the way it used to be. That he would return to the sweet Kael I knew before I discovered I was his mate, before Vivienne reappeared. I had blamed m
Kael’s POV And that was how the neglect and emotional torture began all over again. Agreeing to stay with Vivienne was more like allowing her to rule my life. Because the moment I said yes on the rooftop, she began making all decisions for me and telling me what to do and not to do. Where to go and where not to go. The first thing she demanded was that I stay away from Aria completely, until she told me otherwise. I wasn’t allowed to receive Aria's calls nor call her. Not allowed to pay her visits at the hospital and even when she was discharged, it was Vivienne who told me when to go home and not to. And every time I tried to argue, she would casually remind me of the secret hanging over my head. She even went as far as secretly hiring people to watch my every move. To make matters worse, she made me affirm every day that we both killed Aria’s child and that she didn't do it alone. And the fact that I had to pretend I still loved her was tiring and draining. I had to fake sm
Kael’s POV “What? You seriously want to use a crime we both committed against me?” I demanded, staring at her in utter disbelief. “A crime we both committed?” she let out a scoff. “Your memory seems to be hazy, Alpha Kael. You committed the crime alone and I did was help you clean up the mess.” I shook my head, finding it hard to believe she actually said that. “I trusted you, Vivienne. You told me my secret was safe with you.” “And it was,” she replied with a shrug. “Until you decided to throw me away like I meant nothing.” Her words made my jaw tighten. “So that's what this is about? Revenge? This is your way of getting back at me?” “No,” she smiled coldly. “This is about survival. How do you think your beloved Luna would feel if she were to find out what you did? Do you think she will ever forgive you?” My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Aria finding out. I didn't even know the victim was related to her. Who could have thought that a crime of years ago would come
Kael’s POV The second I stepped out of Vivienne's hospital room, I felt the walls closing in on me. The hospital corridor felt smaller, and it was as if I was caged in a dark room with no windows where air could come in. I slowly loosened my tie, as though doing that would make me feel less suff
Kael's POV "What I want from you?" She let out a cruel laugh, her eyes red and swollen from tears. "The only thing you can do to make me forgive you is... to die.""What?" The word escaped my lips before I could stop it, my knees buckled as my body tensed in shock. What did she just say? Did she
Kael’s POV “Though she’s in a coma and on life support, we can guarantee that she’s stable for now and she’s responding to treatment. If she continues like this, there’s hope that she will wake up anytime soon,” one of the doctors informed. “Thank you so much for your help, doctor. I’m really gra
Kael’s POV I didn’t know how I got there. All I knew was that I found myself waiting in the operating room corridor, with Jack beside me.Why were all these things happening to me on the same day? I had lost my father, lost my child, and now Vivienne and Cassandra were both in critical condition.







