Chapter 4 A Mistake from Start to Finish

(Evelyn's POV)

The ER hallway reeked of disinfectant. After three hours of emergency care, Stella's fever finally broke.

She lay weakly in the hospital bed, her little face as white as paper. I sat beside her, my eyes so dry they hurt. Stella slowly opened her eyes.

When she saw how red mine were, she worked her soft little hand out from under the blanket and gently touched my cheek.

"Mommy, don't be mad at Daddy anymore." Her voice was very faint, but she was trying so hard to comfort me. "Let's forgive Daddy. He's so busy. He must have had something super important to do. That's why he didn't come take me to Disneyland. I'm not sad anymore, so don't be sad either, okay?"

Her words were like a thousand needles in my heart. I fought down the lump in my throat, gave her a bitter smile, and nodded. "Okay. Mommy's not mad anymore."

She was such a sweet, understanding little girl. And yet, because of me, she was stuck with a father who thought checking on a pet dog mattered more than being there for his daughter.

Late that night, I signed the discharge papers and carried Stella home, fast asleep in my arms.

I'd just tucked her into bed in her room on the second floor. When I stepped out, there at the end of the hallway stood Adrian. He'd taken off his suit jacket, and his tie hung loose around his neck.

When he saw me, he looked sorry for a moment, though he tried hard to hide it. "Evelyn." He came over and spoke in a low voice. "I'm really sorry about today. Something urgent came up with the pack, and I couldn't get away."

I stayed where I was and looked at him. "Was the urgent thing taking Vanessa's dog to the vet?" I asked quietly.

Adrian stiffened, and the apologetic look faded. He frowned. "You had someone follow me?"

"I don't need to have you followed." I looked at him calmly. "Vanessa's Instagram is public. By now, the whole pack has probably seen her post."

Adrian was caught off guard for a second. Then he raked a hand through his hair in irritation. "Okay, I broke my promise to Stella this time. I admit that. But I already apologized to you. Next weekend, I'll make time to take her to Disneyland. I promise, next time, no matter what happens, I won't break my word again."

"There might not be a next time," I said softly.

Healer Jenkins had said Stella's body had reached its limit. Her organs could fail at any moment, and that would be the end. The next time Adrian tossed out so easily was a next time my daughter might not live to see.

I took a deep breath and looked at this man I'd loved for six years. My voice was barely steady. "If you really can't let go of Vanessa, then let's go to the Elder Council and sever the mate bond. I won't stand in your way."

Adrian stared at me like I'd just told him some absurd joke. He couldn't understand why I'd ask to sever the bond over a "little thing" like missing a trip to Disneyland.

"You want to sever the mate bond?" Adrian's brows drew together, and his voice dropped. "Evelyn, if you're really so generous, if you really want to step aside for us, then why did you drug me in the first place?"

The air in the hallway seemed to freeze.

He'd finally said it to my face, the thing he'd been holding in for six years. So it had bothered him all along. All this time, he'd believed I used dirty tricks to drive away the woman he loved.

"Vanessa's had a really hard six years overseas. Her ex-mate abused her, and now she's come home alone with no one to turn to." Adrian looked at me as if he were completely in the right, his voice full of sympathy for another woman. "I just want to make it up to her. She's not like you. You've been Luna for six years. You've had all the power in the world and a life anyone would envy, while Vanessa suffered for six whole years. I owe it to her to make things right. But don't worry. No matter what I do for her, she'll never be a threat to your place as Luna."

Listening to him, I couldn't help a small, bitter laugh.

A life anyone would envy?

Besides the empty title of Luna, what did I really have? A mate who was always calling out someone else's name behind my back?

But what was the point of saying any of that now?

The smile faded from my face. "Adrian," I said quietly, "do you really think I've been happy these six years as your mate?"

Adrian frowned, as if he truly didn't understand. "I marked you. I made you Luna of Blackthorn Pack. You'll never want for anything as long as you live. Every one of your birthdays, every marking anniversary, I cleared my schedule and came home on time to be with you. I even gave you a daughter. Isn't that enough for you? What more do you want?"

I let out a bleak laugh. So that was how he saw it. He'd granted me so many "favors."

But other than paying Stella's sky-high medical bills, I had never charged a single dollar to the unlimited card he'd given me. The designer clothes and jewelry Mark bought on his behalf still had the tags on. I'd locked every last piece away in the closet.

As for "the daughter he'd given me"... Yes, Stella was my life. But my life was about to be taken from me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, forced down the taste of blood in my throat, and pulled myself together.

"You feel like you wronged Vanessa, and you want to make it up to her. Fine. Even if you told me to hand her my place as Luna right now, I wouldn't say a word. But Adrian, Stella is your own daughter. She's innocent. As her father, you should keep your word to her, not get her hopes up just to crush them again and again. Make it up to Vanessa however you want. All I'm asking is this. Can't you be just a little kinder to Stella?"

"You know better than anyone how Stella came to be." Adrian's voice turned cold. "If you hadn't drugged my drink back then, she would never have existed. As far as I'm concerned, she's been a mistake from start to finish. But she's got my blood in her veins, so I'll do what a father is supposed to do."

The words had barely left Adrian's mouth when I heard a faint creak behind me.

At some point, the door to Stella's room had been pushed open from the inside.

Stiffly, I turned my head.

Stella was standing barefoot in the doorway, clutching her stuffed bunny, the one that had been washed so many times it had faded. She looked so small and helpless. Her green eyes were full of fear and heartbroken tears, and she was staring straight at Adrian.