CHAPTER 4: DIAMOND KEX

CORA'S POV

The unknown number remained on my screen long after the call ended.

Diamond Kex.

The name meant nothing to me, yet his words refused to leave my head.

I tightened my grip on my suitcase and continued walking down the nearly empty road.

The morning sun was beginning to rise, painting the sky with streaks of gold and orange, but I barely noticed.

My entire life had collapsed in less than twenty-four hours.

My husband had chosen my adopted sister.

My son had chosen a new mother.

My father had chosen his pride.

And my mother had chosen silence.

"What now?" I whispered.

Katiana shifted restlessly inside me.

(I don't know.)

Neither did I.

For the first time in my life, there was nowhere left to go.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

How ironic.

For years, I had lived my life trying to please everyone around me.

Trying to be the perfect wife.

The perfect Luna.

The perfect daughter.

The perfect mother.

And in the end, none of them chose me.

A sudden growl echoed in my mind.

(Stop it.)

I blinked.

Katiana rarely sounded angry.

(Stop talking about yourself like that.)

I swallowed.

"Like what?"

(Like you're worthless.)

Fresh tears threatened.

I quickly wiped them away.

"I'm not crying anymore."

(Liar.)

A weak smile tugged at my lips.

The sound of an approaching engine interrupted my thoughts.

I frowned.

A sleek black SUV appeared around the corner.

The vehicle looked expensive.

Far too expensive for this area.

At first, I paid it no attention.

Then it slowed and stopped directly in front of me.

Every instinct immediately went on high alert.

The tinted rear window slid down.

My heart skipped.

A man sat inside.

Even from a distance, I could tell he wasn't ordinary.

Sharp jawline.

Dark hair.

Powerful shoulders.

An expensive black suit.

And eyes unlike any I'd ever seen before.

Silver.

Completely silver.

Alpha eyes.

Very powerful Alpha eyes.

Katiana immediately growled.

(He's dangerous.)

The rear door opened.

The man stepped out.

He was tall.

Easily over six foot four.

His silver gaze settled on me.

"Cora Bane."

My muscles instantly tensed.

"Who are you?"

A faint smile touched his lips.

"My name is Diamond Kex."

My breath caught.

The caller.

The stranger from the phone.

I immediately took a step backward.

His smile widened slightly.

"Relax."

"That's not happening."

The amusement in his eyes grew.

"Fair enough."

I glanced around.

The road was nearly empty.

Nobody seemed interested in us.

Nobody seemed concerned.

Which somehow made the situation even stranger.

"What do you want?" I asked.

Diamond studied me for a moment.

Long enough to make me uncomfortable.

Long enough to make me feel exposed.

His gaze moved over my swollen eyes.

My wrinkled clothes.

The suitcase beside me.

The exhaustion I could no longer hide.

Something flickered across his face.

Pity.

I hated it instantly.

"Don't."

His eyebrow lifted.

"Don't what?"

"Look at me like that."

His expression softened.

"Like what?"

"Like you feel sorry for me."

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then Diamond surprised me.

"I don't."

I frowned.

"Then what are you looking at?"

His answer came immediately.

"A survivor."

The words hit harder than I expected.

Nobody had called me that before.

A survivor.

The title felt foreign.

Almost uncomfortable.

I looked away first.

"You don't know me."

"No."

His voice remained calm.

"But I know enough."

Alarm immediately shot through me.

"What does that mean?"

Diamond slipped both hands into his pockets.

"It means I know your husband cheated on you."

I froze.

"It means your adopted sister is carrying his child."

My heart clenched.

"It means your son chose her over you."

"And it means your father blamed you for all of it."

My breathing stopped.

The silence that followed felt deafening.

"How?"

The word came out as a whisper.

Diamond didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he asked,

"Am I wrong?"

I hated that I couldn't say yes because every word was true.

Every painful word.

I clenched my fists.

"Who are you?"

Something changed in his expression.

The amusement disappeared.

The confidence remained.ut now there was something else.

Seriousness.

Purpose.

"I told you."

"No."

I shook my head.

"I asked who you are."

His silver eyes locked onto mine.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he exhaled slowly.

"The man who's offering you a second chance."

I laughed.

A broken laugh.

"A second chance at what?"

"Life."

The answer startled me.

Before I could respond, Diamond gestured toward the SUV.

"Get in."

I stared at him.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

A disbelieving laugh escaped me.

"You must be insane."

His lips twitched.

"Probably."

"You expect me to climb into a stranger's car?"

"No."

He shrugged.

"I expect you to make your own decision."

I blinked.

That wasn't the answer I had expected.

Most men would have pushed.

Persuaded.

Demanded.

Diamond simply waited.

As though he genuinely didn't care what I chose.

The realization caught me off guard.

Katiana went silent.

"What happens if I say no?"

Diamond looked toward the horizon.

"The same thing that's already happening."

I frowned.

"What does that mean?"

His silver eyes returned to mine.

"It means you'll keep running without a destination."

The words struck uncomfortably close to home.

Because he was right.

I had no plan.

No job.

No money.

No future.

Only pain.

Diamond opened the SUV door.

"You're standing at a crossroads, Cora."

My heart pounded.

"One road leads back to the life that broke you."

I swallowed.

"The other leads somewhere completely different."

His voice lowered.

"And whether you believe it or not, you've already suffered enough."

Emotion clogged my throat.

Nobody had ever said that to me before.

For years, everyone had acted like my suffering was deserved.

Like my humiliation was earned.

Like every cruel word was somehow my fault.

Yet this stranger was looking at me as though none of it had been acceptable.

As though I had deserved better.

The thought alone nearly broke me.

Diamond extended his hand.

"Come with me."

I stared at it.

Then at him.

Then at the open SUV door.

Every instinct warned me this was dangerous.

Every instinct warned me to walk away.

Yet another voice whispered something far more terrifying.

What if this was my chance?

My chance to become someone other than the woman Daniel rejected.

My chance to stop surviving.

And start living.

My pulse thundered.

Slowly, I lifted my suitcase.

Diamond stepped aside.

Giving me room.

Giving me a choice.

For the first time in a very long time, someone was giving me a choice.

Taking a shaky breath, I stepped forward.

Then I climbed into the SUV.