Chapter Three

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, shame on me.

But there won’t be a third.

I stared at the envelope in my hand — crisp, thin, almost weightless. How strange that something so light could hold the ruin of a marriage. Inside were the papers that would finally set me free.

It had been seven days since the rooftop. Seven days since I’d stood frozen in the doorway, watching my husband with another woman. Seven days of sleepless nights, of pretending not to care while the truth clawed through my chest like a feral beast.

I’d always thought betrayal would come with fire — shouting, broken glass, tears — but it hadn’t. It came with silence. A silence so sharp it could carve through bone.

Every day since, Ray came home like nothing had changed. He still smiled, still kissed my forehead, still called me Katie in that soft, guilty voice. I played along. I cooked. I cleaned. I smiled. Yesterday, he brought flowers — white lilies. My favorite.

I waited until he was gone before I burned them, watching the petals curl and blacken in the fire.

Today, it ends.

The door opened with a click, and the familiar scent of pine and smoke drifted in. I didn’t look up right away. My heart thudded, but my face stayed calm.

“Kate,” Ray greeted, his voice warm, as though we were still the same couple we used to be. He tossed his jacket onto the couch and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re quiet tonight.”

“How was work?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.

“Same as always,” he said, and smiled — that easy, confident smile that once made me feel safe.

He stepped closer and leaned in to kiss me, but I moved back just enough to make the space between us feel like a wall. “I have something for you,” I said.

He arched an eyebrow. “Oh? And what’s that?”

“Just… something I think you’ll want to see.”

I handed him the envelope. He turned it over in his hands, curiosity flickering in his eyes before he tore it open. The moment he saw the papers, the smile froze on his lips.

“Kate… what is this?”

“This,” I said, my voice steady, “is our divorce.”

He blinked, as if the word didn’t register. “Our—divorce?” He gave a short, incredulous laugh. “This is some kind of joke, right?”

“It’s not.”

He exhaled sharply and set the papers on the table. “Katie, I know it’s been hard—my mother, the pressure from the pack—but it’s going to be fine. We’ll figure this out together, like we always do.”

I laughed softly, without humor. “Together? You mean the way you were together with that blonde on the rooftop?”

He froze. “Kate—”

“I saw you, Ray,” I continued, each word cutting through the air like glass. “I saw you with her. You don’t get to lie your way out of this one.”

His mouth opened and closed, searching for words. “It’s not what you think—”

“That’s what they all say.” My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. “Every single cheater in every sad story starts with those words. But you know what, Ray? It is exactly what I think. You were on the rooftop — our rooftop — the place you said was special. And you couldn’t even respect that.”

He took a hesitant step forward, palms open in surrender. “Kate, listen to me. It was a mistake. I was drunk, I wasn’t thinking—”

“Stop.” I raised a hand, shaking. “Just stop lying. You made a choice. And you’ve been making them for a long time.”

“I love you,” he said desperately. “You have to believe that. I made one mistake, but it doesn’t erase everything we’ve built.”

“Love?” I repeated, the word bitter on my tongue. “You don’t lie to the person you love. You don’t destroy them from the inside out and call it protection. You didn’t marry me for love, Ray. You married me because you needed someone to hide behind — someone to take the fall for your secrets.”

He flinched, his jaw tightening. “You don’t understand the pressure I’m under. I did what I had to do for the pack.”

“For the pack,” I echoed, laughing hollowly. “That’s always your excuse. The pack, the title, the legacy. You ruined me to save your image.”

His eyes flashed with anger. “Watch your tone.”

“Or what?” I challenged. “You’ll lie to me again? Sleep with someone else? What could you possibly do that you haven’t already?”

He took another step toward me, and for a moment, I saw something feral flicker behind his calm façade. Then it was gone — replaced by that same charming mask.

“Katie,” he said softly, “I can’t lose you. You’re all I have.”

I looked at him, truly looked at him — and saw nothing. No warmth. No safety. Just a man who was terrified of being exposed.

“You already did,” I whispered.

For a moment, silence filled the room. Only the faint ticking of the clock separated one heartbeat from the next.

Then his voice dropped lower. “You think you can just walk away? You’re my Luna, Kate. My wife. Till death do us part.”

“Then I guess you’ll be fine,” I said, “with everyone knowing the secret you’ve hidden all these years.”

His expression darkened instantly. “Is that a threat?”

“Call it a truth waiting to be told,” I replied. “And you know what happens when people start asking questions, don’t you, Alpha?”

He stared at me for a long time, his jaw tight, his pulse visible at his throat. Then, slowly, he smiled — cold and hollow. “Well played, Kate.”

I managed a small, tired smile. “I learned from the best.”

He snatched the pen from my hand, signed the papers with a sharp stroke, and tossed them back at me. I caught them before they hit the ground.

“So what now?” he sneered. “No wolf in his right mind will claim a barren mate. You’ll be alone. Forgotten. The she-wolf who couldn’t give her Alpha an heir.”

“Maybe,” I said, meeting his gaze. “But at least I’ll be free.”

For the first time in years, I felt something close to peace.

“Goodbye, Rayson.”