CHAPTER 2: THEY KNEW

CORA'S POV

The line went silent for a few seconds.

Then my mother's sleepy voice came through.

"Cora?"

Fresh tears burned my eyes.

I hadn't even realized how desperately I needed to hear a familiar voice until that moment.

"Mom."

Immediately, her tone changed.

"Cora? What's wrong?"

I tightened my grip on my phone as I dragged my suitcase down the empty road.

The night air was cold.

"Can I come home?"

"Of course. What happened?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I'll explain when I get there."

"Cora…."

"I just need my mom right now."

Her voice softened.

"Come home, sweetheart."

The call ended.

I stared at the dark screen for several seconds.

Home.

The word should have comforted me.

Instead, it hurt because the home I had built with Daniel no longer existed and somehow, I wasn't sure the home I had grown up in still existed either.

My wolf, Katiana whimpered inside me.

Mate...

I immediately pushed the feeling away.

"No."

A tear slid down my cheek.

"No more Katiana."

I had spent six years begging for scraps of affection and where had it gotten me?

Completely abandoned 

My stomach twisted as Claire's final words replayed in my head.

I'm pregnant.

The memory nearly knocked the breath from my lungs.

Daniel was going to have another child with my adopted sister.

The same sister who had smiled in my face while sleeping with my husband.

The same sister who had watched me cry over my failing marriage.

The same sister who had pretended to comfort me.

I stopped walking.

For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

“ No..no..no..Cora, breathe.” I hit my chest as I struggled to breathe on my own as memories of her comforting me played over and over again in my head.

The sound of a car horn jolted me back to reality.

I wiped my face and continued walking.

I wasn't going back ever again. 

Two hours later, I stood outside my parents' house.

The lights were still on.

My mother opened the door before I could knock.

The moment she saw my face, she gasped.

"Cora what on earth happened to you?"

I fell into her arms.

The tears I'd been holding back finally escaped.

For several seconds, I simply cried.

My mother held me tightly.

"It's okay baby."

No.

It wasn't okay but I let myself believe her for a moment.

Eventually, she guided me inside.

My father sat in his usual chair.

His eyes immediately landed on my suitcase.

His expression darkened.

"What happened?"

I sat down.

My hands trembled.

The words felt impossible to say.

Yet somehow, I forced them out.

"Daniel cheated on me."

Silence.

"He cheated with Claire."

More silence.

My father's jaw tightened.

My mother's eyes widened.

"What?" she whispered.

I nodded.

"She's been sleeping with him for almost a year."

My mother sank into a chair.

"Oh my Goddess."

Fresh tears slid down my cheeks.

"And she's pregnant."

The room went still.

For a second, I expected outrage.

I expected anger.

I expected my father to demand Daniel's head.

Instead, he sighed.

A long, disappointed sigh.

I frowned.

"Dad?"

He leaned back in his chair.

"What did you expect?"

I blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Confusion slowly turned into disbelief.

"Dad..."

He shook his head.

"Cora, men have needs."

The words hit harder than a slap.

My mother looked uncomfortable.

"Derek you can't possibly…"

"No."

My father's gaze remained fixed on me.

"You knew Daniel was unhappy with your size but you kept adding up."

My stomach dropped.

"You can't be serious."

"You let yourself go."

I stared at him.

Surely I had misheard.

"You were a Luna."

His voice was calm.

Matter-of-fact.

"As a Luna, your appearance matters most."

My chest tightened.

"Dad..."

"You gained weight."

My entire body went cold.

My mother looked away and suddenly, I understood.

Neither of them were shocked.

They knew but they blamed me.

The realization shattered something inside me.

"Are you saying this is my fault?"

"No."

My father paused.

Then added,

"I'm saying you contributed to it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Daniel had cheated.

Claire had betrayed me.

My son had rejected me.

And now my own parents were defending them.

I laughed.

A broken, empty laugh.

"Wow."

"Cora…"

"No."

I stood.

My mother immediately looked worried.

"Where are you going?"

I grabbed my suitcase.

"Away."

"Cora, it's almost dawn."

"I don't care."

My father frowned.

"Don't be dramatic."

The words sounded exactly like Daniel.

Something inside me finally snapped.

I looked directly at both of them.

For the first time in my life, I stopped trying to be a good daughter.

The obedient daughter.

"You know what's funny?"

Neither answered.

"I came here because I thought I still had a family."

The room fell silent.

"I was wrong."

Pain flashed across my mother's face.

"Cora..."

I shook my head.

"No."

Tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Daniel chose Claire."

"My son chose Claire."

I looked at my father.

"And apparently, you chose them."

My father's face hardened.

"That's not fair."

"No?"

I laughed bitterly.

"Then tell me I'm beautiful."

Silence.

"Tell me Daniel was wrong."

More silence.

"Tell me my weight doesn't determine my worth."

Neither spoke.

That was enough to answer me.

My heart broke all over again.

I picked up my suitcase.

This time, nobody tried to stop me.

I walked out of the house.

Out of the street.

Out of the life I had known.

The sky was beginning to brighten.

A new day was coming but I had never felt more alone.

As I reached the end of the road, my phone vibrated.

Unknown number.

I almost ignored it.

Instead, I answered.

"Hello?"

A deep male voice spoke.

"Cora Bane?"

I frowned.

"Who's this?"

"My name is Diamond Kex."

The name meant nothing to me.

"What do you want?"

There was a pause.

"I know what Daniel did to you."

I stopped walking.

"What?"

"I also know you're about to leave the Ash Moon Pack."

My heart began pounding.

"Who are you?"

Another pause.

"Someone who can change your future."

The call disconnected.

I stared at my phone.

The morning sun rose over the horizon and for the first time since my world had fallen apart, I had the strange feeling that my story wasn't ending.