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Ariane's POV

"It’s too late. They’re not coming back, are they?" The soft voice slipped from my lips, audible. I stood in front of the mirror, touching my flat stomach with mixed feelings. I had been waiting for this moment for three years. Repeatedly I hoped, only to later drown in disappointment. However, this time was different. I could feel a small life growing inside me, two lives I knew would give me the strength I had been missing.

"He should know," I muttered as I smoothed my hair. I smiled a little, imagining his face when he heard this news. The excitement in his eyes, perhaps for the first time since our wedding. This was the moment I had been waiting for, a moment that would change everything.

I stepped out of the room, but my steps were halted when I heard voices from directing the living room. A familiar voice, that of my husband, Leon, and another voice that made my heart sink-Isabella, my stepbrother. I couldn’t stop myself from approaching, curiosity overpowering my caution.

"I can’t go on like this, Leon. I love you. I don’t want to be your mistress forever."

There was a long silence before Leon replied in a flat tone, as if he had thought it through.

"I know. I don’t want to go on like this either. But, Ariane... She's not one to give up. We have to make her leave."

A powerful shock collapsed the entire world I had built up over the past three years. My body froze in place, and I held my breath, trying to digest what I had just heard. Leon and Isabella? All this time? It felt like there was a knife sunk into my heart.

"She may love me, but she knows, deep down, that this marriage is only because of... circumstances. She is not the Luna I chose. You know that."

Isabella approached, the sound of her clomping steps ringing in my ears.

"Then make her leave. Let me be the real Luna. I’ll do anything for you."

My heart skipped a beat, a deep pain shaking me. Leon loved Isabella, my step-sister. Of course she did. Everything became very clear. All the coldness and distance that had always existed between us, even though we tried to cover it up with everyday pretence.

I wanted to run inside, shouting out the truth that was inside me. That I was pregnant, that I was carrying his child, something we had never dreamed of together. However, a whisper from within me held me back. It was the wolf within me, the part of me that always fought, though sometimes forgotten.

"Don’t be weak. They are not worthy of your tears. You must be strong. Now you are not just yourself, you are the mother of the children that will be born from your womb," The wolf whispered in my mind.

I held back the tears that were already welling up in my eyes with all my might. I took a deep breath, calming myself. They won’t get what they want easily. I won’t let myself be played again. Not for the sake of my babies.

That night I slept alone in the guest room. Leon never came looking for me, and I was grateful for that. My heart was broken enough without having to face him tonight. By the time the sun came up the next day, I had already made up my mind. I wouldn’t stay in this marriage anymore. I would protect my children, even if it meant I had to leave everything behind.

When Leon returned home, I was already waiting in the living room with a stack of files in front of me.

"Ariane?" He looked confused to see me there, as if he didn’t understand what was going on.

"We need to talk," I said, my voice cold and firm. I could see the confusion in his eyes, maybe a little fear, too. "I want us to get a divorce."

His eyes widened, and he seemed genuinely surprised.

"What are you saying?"

"I want a divorce. I’ll prepare all the documents. You just need to sign them," I repeated more clearly, pushing the papers towards the table in front of him.

"Are you crazy? You have no right to decide this on your own!" His voice began to rise, a sign that he wasn’t going to take this for granted.

"You can’t force me to stay in a loveless marriage," I stepped closer, looking at him deeply. "I already know everything, Leon. I know you and Isabella. And I know you want me to leave. So, here’s me coming up with a way out,"

Leon stood up, looking at me with eyes full of anger. "You can’t do this to me, Ariane. I won’t sign anything!’

I shook my head, feeling a little sorry for him.

"Leon, I’m not doing this just for myself. I’m doing it for our children."

Once again, I saw the confusion

"Children?"

"I’m pregnant," I said, my voice shaking, but still firm. "I’m carrying twins, and I won’t let them grow up in a household filled with lies and betrayal."

Leon looked shaken, and for the first time, I saw his lose control of the situation.

"We can solve this, Ariane. You don’t have to leave."

"I can’t stay. I have to think about the future of our children. And that doesn’t include continuing to be in a marriage that only brings suffering," I replied, though my heart ached for it.

I paused, apparently realising how serious I was. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the last step.

"I’m leaving, Leon. I’m leaving tonight. And I hope you understand that this is for the best."

He looked at me, still trying to digest everything. However, I had no more time to wait. I picked up the bag I had prepared earlier and stepped towards the door.

Before I left, I looked back at him once more.

"Goodbye, Leon. May you find the happiness you seek?"

I stepped out of the house that I had lived in for the past three years, bringing with me the hope of a better future for myself and the children growing inside me. I didn’t know what lay ahead, but one thing was for sure-I would never look back. I will be a healthy mother, and I will give my children a life filled with love and happiness, something I could never get from my marriage with Leon.