Chapter 3

Our argument ended in silence. Unwilling to fight me further, Felix turned and went back to his room, leaving me to clean up the mess on the dining table.

Yet, tears blurred my eyes, and I couldn't see anything clearly.

Barely half an hour passed before Felix changed into a fresh set of clothes and hurried out of the house. Mia had called him crying, saying she was drunk and couldn't find her way home.

I suddenly remembered what happened when I first moved in with Felix. One night, I went out for a walk, but the place was so big that I got lost. I cried as I called Felix for help, hoping he would come pick me up.

But even over the phone, I could hear how annoyed he was. "Are your eyes just for show? Why are you asking me? I'm not a map."

I wandered around outside alone for five hours. The scar on my leg came from that night when I fell and slammed my knee against a rock so hard that it felt like the bone had shattered.

By the time I got home, Felix was fast asleep. He never once asked if I was okay.

Back then, I blamed myself for everything, thinking that it was my fault for being careless. But later, I realized that if a person truly loved you, they would never ignore you.

The strange feeling in my body brought me back to reality. My strength was suddenly gone. My whole body went limp, and I couldn't stop myself from collapsing to the ground. I remembered the bottle of water Mia had handed me before we came in.

At the same time, the flames had already reached the roof. Panic spread as I struggled to pull out my phone and dial Felix's number again and again.

"Felix, the water…"

"Just find some water yourself. Do you have to trouble me with everything?"

"No, I…"

"Enough, Chloe. You can't ask me to do everything for you. I'm busy too. Just try to be independent, okay?"

Felix hung up once again. He had never had the patience to listen to me finish my words. If he could, he probably never wanted to talk to me at all.

Mia sent me another photo. My fiance was down on one knee, carefully holding her foot as if it were a precious treasure while he examined her injury.

I laughed bitterly. So, this was what he was willing to go out of his way for.

There was no time for me to wallow in self-pity. The flames were creeping in fast, nearly engulfing my body. I had to make a choice between jumping from the rooftop or staying where I was.

I placed my hand over my belly and gently caressed my unborn pup. "I'm so sorry for being unable to protect you."

In the end, I decided to jump from the roof. The pain would only last for a moment compared to staying here and being swallowed by the flames.

Before I did, I sent Felix one last message. "Felix, I hope my leaving brings you the happiness you truly deserve. Goodbye."

When I opened my eyes again, I was right beside Felix.

There was feigned concern on Mia's face. "Chloe kept calling you. Could something have happened to her?"

Felix patted her shoulder. "Nothing will happen to her. She even dared to go out for a walk alone in the middle of the night. Crawling through a passage is nothing compared to that, especially since the fire wasn't even that bad back then.

"Chloe must've gotten out. She was just arguing with me because she wanted some water."

Mia's eyes flickered. "Water?"

Felix nodded.

Even though Mia knew Felix wouldn't leave her, she still pretended to be disappointed, lowering her head. "Are you going to go back for her?"

"Nope. She's fine. You're the one who was hurt. You need my help, so I'll stay with you."

Even though I was already dead, his words still hurt me. If I really were fine, why would I have begged him for help again and again? If we were comparing who needed him more, I needed him more, both because of my injuries and because of who I was to him.

Was my life really that insignificant to him?

When he was poisoned, I gave up everything for him. Now all I got in return was his cruelty.

Felix couldn't turn down a talk with Arthur Hoffman, his Alpha brother. So, even though he had just promised Mia not to leave her side, he had to step away for a while.

"Felix, how could you take people to that abandoned castle without permission? You started a fire too. It was so dangerous. What if someone had died?"

Felix looked completely unconcerned, not taking Arthur's words seriously. "Don't worry, everyone got out safely. So what if it burned down? At least it won't be dangerous anymore."

Arthur fell silent for a moment. He stared into Felix's eyes and asked, "Everyone? Does that include Chloe? She called for help, but the werewolves who went there to save her still can't find her."

The smile instantly vanished from Felix's face as he stared at Arthur in disbelief.