Chapter 3

Ethan was clearly stunned for a moment before bursting into excited cheers.

Kyle's voice turned deep. He sounded unhappy. "Elena, was that a threat?"

"Think whatever you want." I didn't bother explaining.

No matter what I said, he would only assume I was jealous and trying to compete with Caroline for his attention.

After a few seconds of silence, Kyle snorted. "Fine. Then don't come."

He furiously hung up, but I felt nothing.

I turned around and walked into Ethan's bedroom. I intended to tidy it up one last time.

I picked up the toys he'd scattered across the floor and put them back into their boxes.

Every single one had been carefully chosen and given to him as a birthday present, but not one of them was intact anymore.

Meanwhile, displayed in the most prominent spot on his bookshelf was a toy Caroline had given him last year.

Ethan had even bought a glass display case for it and set a password that he hadn't told me.

"This is a secret between Caroline and me."

His eyes had lit up when he said those words.

He and Caroline always seemed to have endless secrets to share with each other.

Yet whenever he was with me, he had nothing to say.

The thought alone made my heart ache.

As I steadied myself against the desk, I accidentally pushed open one of his drawers.

Amid my momentary surprise, I caught sight of something inside, and my breath suddenly hitched.

It was a family photo album I'd never seen before.

After hesitating for a long time, I finally opened it.

The first photo showed Caroline holding my newborn son and smiling at the camera.

On the back, in Ethan's handwriting, were three words.

[Best Mom Ever.]

At the time, I'd nearly died giving birth to him.

The second photo showed Caroline kissing his cheek on his first birthday.

Back then, Kyle had been constantly busy with pack affairs, leaving early and returning late. I'd been the one raising Ethan all by myself.

Yet the first person he'd ever called 'Mom' had been Caroline.

-

With every page I turned, it felt like another heavy blow to my heart.

By the time I reached the final photo, my fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.

Right then, I heard the front door unlock.

I hurriedly slipped the photo into my pocket and closed the drawer.

"Why are you always barging into my room without permission?" Ethan ran in and pushed me out.

At that moment, I saw Kyle helping Caroline move her luggage. The two of them were chatting and laughing.

The smile on Kyle's face froze the instant he saw me.

"Why did you all come back here?" I asked somewhat awkwardly.

My grip tightened around the photo in my pocket.

"It's all your fault! We couldn't even make it to the resort!" Ethan complained irritably.

Caroline hugged him and gently soothed him. "We've been to Mooncrest Manor so many times already. Next time, I'll take you somewhere even more fun."

I froze.

I'd never been to Mooncrest Manor with them before.

Kyle noticed my reaction and cleared his throat. "That's enough. We came back early because Caroline was worried about you. She spent the whole journey worrying about you, but all you care about is yourself."

He seemed about to say more, but then his gaze landed on the bus ticket on the table.

He paused and looked up at me. "Where are you going?"

"I have something to take care of," I answered.

Seeing how nonchalant I was, Kyle rubbed his temples and sighed. "Elena, we came all the way back for you. Why are you still acting the same way? Running away from home over every little thing."

All those years of suffering under my parents' roof had somehow become nothing more than a series of trivial tantrums in his eyes.

"Kyle, let's sever our mate bond," I said.