CHAPTER 3

IVY POV

I sat on the guest room bed with my shoulders slumped, eyes swollen and my throat was dry.

Then my phone rang.

Tara.

I picked up.

“Ivy?” Tara’s voice came through. “Is that you?”

“It is me.” I said weakly.

“What is wrong with your voice?” Tara’s voice sounded worried over the phone. “Why do you sound like that? Why do you so sound so weak?”

I opened my mouth. But nothing came out.

“Ivy. Talk to me. What happened?”

“I found him.” I sobbed. “I found Damon. In our bed. With another woman.”

There was silence.

“Who?” Tara’s voice was low. “Who was it?”

“Serena.”

“Serena?” Tara shrieked. “The Serena? The one from the past? The one he said he had forgotten?”

“Yes.”

“That bitch!” Tara yelled. “And Damon? That demon? He said he had moved on. He said she meant nothing. Why are men like this? Who can trust them?”

“I trusted him for seven years.”

“Seven years!” Tara’s voice was shaking. “You gave him seven years of your life! You gave him a son. You have him everything. And look at what he is doing to you.”

“It gets worse.”

“Worse? How can it get worse?”

“This morning….” My voice broke into a sob. “Serena was in Miles room. She was dressing him for school.”

“What?”

“He called her Mommy, Tara. He called her Mommy. And he called me Ivy.”

Tara cursed loudly and I heard her pacing.

“Mikes pulled away from me. He said he wanted her. Not me.”

“That is sick.” Tara was breathing hard over the phone. “She is sick. He is sick.”

“Then Damon came. He told me to back off. He said Serena will be his mother now. He said I can assist her. Like a servant.”

“I hate him.” Tara’s voice was cold. “I hate both of them.”

“I do not know what to do, Tara.”

“You need to leave, Ivy.” Tara’s voice was firm. “You need to leave that place. You are not being respected there. You are being destroyed.”

“I can not.”

“What not?”

“Miles.” I wiped the tears off my face. “He is my son. Even if they treat me like crap. I can not leave him.”

“They are turning him against you.”

“I know. But he is five. He does not understand. Maybe one day he will.”

Tara sighed heavily. “What about your family? Your brothers?”

I froze mid sob. “What about them?”

“You told me about them before. Pedro and Liam.”

“I have not heard from them since I was young.” I replied coldly. “They left me. They went on a vacation and never came back.”

“Have you ever tried to find them?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Why would I do that? They abandoned me. I do not need them.”

Tara became quiet for a moment. Then she said calmly, “Ivy, I have done some research. I think I can trace where they are.”

“I do not care.”

“Ivy—”

“I said I do not care.” I hissed sharply. “They left me when I needed them. I do not want them now.”

Tara did not push. “Okay. Okay. I am sorry.”

Then I heard a knock at the door.

“Someone is here.” I said softly and stood up. “I will call you back.”

“Okay. Be safe.”

I hung up.

I walked over to the door and opened it.

Troy stood there. Damon’s beta, with a white envelope in his hand.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Alpha sent me.” He said flatly. “He said to give you this.”

He held out the envelope.

“What is it?”

“Compensation.” He replied coldly without even blinking. “For your distress. So you can move on.”

I took it and opened it and saw a check inside.

I laughed shakily. “He is paying me to shut up.”

“Alpha said you should take it.” Troy said bluntly. “Things have changed. You are not his wife anymore.”

“Not his wife?” I looked up at him and hissed. “I carried his child. I raised his son. I gave seven years of my life to this pack. And he sends money like I am nothing?”

Troy clenched his jaw tight. “You should take the money. It is a good offer.”

“I am Miles’s mother.” my voice shook with anger and pain. “I have every right to be angry. Samon has no right to pay me off.”

“You are making this harder than it needs to be.” Troy replied coldly. “Take the money and know your place. Have some shame. Have some dignity.”

He words landed on me like a slap.

“Get out.”

“Ivy—”

“Get out of my room now!”

I threw the envelope at his chest. It hit him and fell on the floor.

Troy stood rooted on the spot and stared at me. For a second there was something close to pity in his eyes, then he turned and walked away.

I slammed the door shut and took deep breaths as I looked down at my shaking hands.

Then my phone rang again.

Tara.

I picked it up. “What?”

“I know you are angry with me.” Her voice came out shakily. “But I had to do what I had to do.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ivy I am sorry.” Tara inhaled deeply. “But I can not let my best friend suffer like this. I had to do something.”

“What did you do, Tara?”

Silence.

“Tara. What did you do?”

“I found your brothers.”

I froze.

“You what?”

“I found Pedro and Liam.” Tara’s voice cracked. “And they are coming, Ivy. They are coming to get you.”