Chapter 4

Just as I was walking down the spiral staircase, a wave of dizziness hit me.

As someone who had lost her pup, my senses were already fragile and rawly sensitive. My vision went black, and I tumbled down the stairs.

My body slammed into the railing, and blood flowed from my temple, smearing the floor a bright scarlet.

"Adrian..."

Maybe it had been an instinct honed for many years that made me reach out to the only person I had once believed would still be there for me through our mate bond.

A moment later, Adrian's impatient voice sounded in my mind. "Selena, Evelyn isn't feeling well. You need to have some boundaries! Don't make such a fuss just because it's your birthday!"

Then, he cut the connection without hesitation. I tried again, but he immediately blocked me one-sidedly.

A laughed bitterly. With the last of my strength, I made a call to our private medical team…

-

When I woke up again, I was lying on a cold hospital gurney.

The doctor told me that because I had not rested properly after the miscarriage, my body was already close to collapse. That was why I had suddenly passed out. Fortunately, the injury was not serious even though I had hit my head.

As fate would have it, when I went to settle the bill, I ran into Adrian and Evelyn at the end of the hallway. He was protecting her carefully, and the hands that were so decisive in battle were now holding a bowl of medicine as he tried to persuade her patiently. "Alright, Evelyn. Just listen to me. Your health matters more than the territory."

So, that was it. She had a mere cold.

Adrian had ignored my cries for help after I had fallen down the stairs, yet here he was, being so careful with her and giving her his all, even if it was only something so minor.

"Selena?" Adrian finally noticed me. His hand holding the medicine bowl shook a little as a flash of guilt appeared on his face.

"Weren't you out dealing with a rogue attack? Why are you here?" I asked calmly as I leaned against the cold wall.

"Evelyn caught a cold, so I brought her here. Why are you at the hospital?" Adrian asked.

Just then, a nurse walked over. "Sir, please take your wife for a scan. She was badly injured in a fall from a staircase."

Adrian's eyes suddenly widened as he grabbed the nurse's shoulder, his voice suddenly hoarse. "What did you say? She fell?"

"It's nothing. I'm just a little anemic," I said before the nurse could answer, calmly telling one last lie. The panic in Adrian's face slowly went away.

"Adrian, my stomach hurts so much. Could it be that something's wrong with the baby?" Evelyn coughed twice and leaned weakly into Adrian's arms, but her eyes moved toward me provocatively.

Adrian looked at me, then at Evelyn beside him. She was pale and delicate, coughing softly from her cold. He hesitated for a second and said, "Selena, since your exam didn't show anything serious, let me take Evelyn home first. I'll come back and accompany you afterward, alright?"

I forced the brightest smile I could. "Of course."

Adrian did not hesitate again as he helped move Evelyn away and left.

Meanwhile, I waited in the hospital room until late evening. He never came back, and our mate bond stayed silent, too.

Then, I saw Evelyn post a new video.

Adrian was driving her in a convertible race car under the pale moonlight, speeding down the forest road as the wind whipped through their hair. They drove through the night freely, and I saw a relaxed expression on Adrian's face that I had not seen for a very long time.

I felt like a puppet no longer connected to any strings, as I could barely feel any emotions in my heart.

I did not want to stay in the hospital another second, so I walked and went back to the empty villa.

I burned everything from the last decade that still carried Adrian's scent.

In the end, I placed the signed mate bond termination agreement, Evelyn's message history, and the hospital's note for my miscarriage treatment in the most visible spot in the living room.

Then, I left the suffocating territory.