Chapter 2

Yara Pov

I could hear the loud laughter even from the entrance. A happiness I had never been part of since I was a child.

Standing by the door, I looked at the people sitting in the large parlor.

My parents… no, my adopted parents sat together with Selene, their laughter filling the room. Then beside her sat Amir who she kept throwing glances at.

For a brief moment, no one noticed I was standing there.

Then my eyes landed on him.

My heartbeat seemed to stop.

My husband…

Alpha Amir Merck.

He sat there with his legs crossed, his presence impossible to ignore.

I stared at him for a long while before a sneer slowly appeared on my lips.

He looked more relaxed than he ever was with me.

I took a deep breath and forced my expression back to normal. Then without wasting any more time, I deliberately made a sound with my footsteps.

Everyone turned toward the entrance. The smiles on their faces disappeared immediately.

The room fell silent.

Ignoring every pair of eyes on me, I walked straight toward Amir.

His cold gaze landed on me, sending chills down my spine.

I stopped in front of him.

Though my heart pounded heavily, I forced myself to meet his eyes.

“Alpha Amir,” I said quietly. “We need to talk.”

His expression darkened.

“Why are you here?”

“I need to talk to you about something.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, then he let out a snort. “Speak.”

I drew a slow breath.

“I…”

I glanced around the room.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on me.

“Can we talk somewhere else?” I asked softly. “I need to talk to you about Anne.”

At the mention of our daughter, he finally frowned.

“What about her?” His voice remained calm. “If it’s important, say it here. There is no need to be so secretive.”

He glanced toward my adopted parents and Selene. “ Well.. They’re your family too.”

My fingers slowly curled into a fist.

I shut my eyes for a brief second and when I opened them again, they had turned cold.

“Alpha Amir.”

I looked straight at him.

“Our daughter is lying in the hospital. She’s dying.”

Silence.

Everyone froze. Even Amir suddenly sat up. Before he could speak—

“Yara!”

My adopted mother’s sharp voice rang through the room.

“Is this how I raised you? How dare you tell such a disgusting lie just to get the Alpha’s attention?”

I slowly turned toward her.

Disgust.

That was all I saw in her eyes.

I looked away from her and returned my gaze to Amir.

His brows were tightly knitted.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

His cold voice pierced through me.

I almost laughed.

How I wished this was just a nightmare. But… It wasn’t.

My eyes stung.

No. Not now. Especially not here.

I looked at him calmly.

“Amir, we need to talk in private.”

He stared at me for a long moment. Then his jaw tightened.

“Fine. But if this is another one of your tricks…”

He didn’t finish. Instead, he stood up.

Relief flooded my chest.

But before Amir could take another step, someone grabbed his sleeve.

I looked over.

Selene.

Amir lowered his eyes toward her and the coldness on his face disappeared almost instantly.

“What is it?”

His voice became gentle.

The change stabbed my heart.

Selene lowered her head.

“Alpha…What about Felix?” She stammered. “You promised you’d be here when he woke up.”

No.

No… Not now.

I quickly looked at Amir.

For the first time since entering this house… I saw hesitation.

Fear slowly crept into my chest. Before I could speak, Selene looked toward me with red eyes.

“Elder Sister… I hope you won’t be angry.” She bit her lip. “It’s just that Felix has a slight fever and he keeps asking for Alpha. You know he even sees him as his father…”

Her voice trailed off.

I stood there speechless.

A slight fever?

My daughter was dying…

I looked back at Amir. Hope still flickered inside me.

Please… Please choose Anne just this once.

His eyes met mine then he spoke.

“I still have something to do. Book a reservation and send me the address. I’ll come later.”

Everything inside me shattered.

My daughter was fighting for her life. Yet another child’s slight fever mattered more.

My fingers tightened around my dress.

Why was Anne never enough?

I lowered my eyes.

“…Okay.”

Without looking at anyone again, I turned and walked out.

***

The restaurant door suddenly opened.

I turned around and watched Amir walk in with his usual cold expression. His sharp eyes landed on me and without exchanging greetings, he spat.

“You better hurry up and say what you need to say,” he said coldly. “I don’t have much time.”

My fingers stiffened.

It didn’t matter. He was here, and that was enough.

Slowly, I sat down then reached into my bag, brought out the test result, and placed it on the table.

Amir frowned.

His eyes moved from the paper to me. Then he picked it up and began reading.

Bang!

I flinched.

“What the hell is this, Yara?!” Amir roared. “Do you think I’m a fool?!”

I slowly raised my head.

My lips trembled.

“A fool?” I whispered.

My eyes landed on the paper in his hand. “Didn’t you read the result?” I paused. Then a smile appeared on my face but It looked more painful than crying.

“A-Amir…” My voice broke. “Anne is dying.” A tear slid down my face. “One month.” I choked. “That’s all our daughter has left.”

Silence.

Amir stared at me, then at the result.

His expression was blank.

Just as another tear fell from my eyes, a chuckle echoed in the room.

My body froze. I slowly looked up.

Amir was laughing. B-But… How could he laugh at a time like this?

“You called me out for this?” he asked calmly.

My mind went blank.

“No… I…”

My fingers tightened around the chair as I looked at him desperately.

“Amir…” My voice shook. “Anne needs you.” I swallowed hard. “She is your daughter.”

A snort escaped his lips.

I froze.

Confusion filled my eyes.

Then Amir sneered. “So this is your real goal. I knew you were desperate, Yara, but I never thought you’d go this far just to get closer to me.”

My eyes widened.

“W-What are you talking about?” I asked shakily. “This is about our daughter!”

His gaze became even colder.

“It is because she’s your daughter that this is ridiculous!”

He slammed the paper on the table.

“How dare you fake a result just to get me to come back home?!”

My breathing stopped.

“What?!”

“You think I’m stupid?” he growled. “Do you think using Anne will make me come back to you?”

He raised the result.

Before I could come back back to my senses, Amir applied strength to his hands then—

Rip!

My eyes widened.

He tore the papers into two then four then threw them onto the table.

“…This is the height of your shamelessness!”

The torn pieces scattered across the table like they meant nothing.

I stared at them blankly.

He would rather believe I was lying than believe our daughter was dying.

I slowly raised my head and met his eyes.

“Amir… w-we have been together for 3 years…” Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t bother to wipe them away. “…and you still believe I would be this despicable as to use my own child as a game?”

Amir looked at me quietly, then… he scoffed. The sound was soft, but it pierced my heart.

He leaned closer, disgust filling his eyes.

“Yes. You’re exactly that desperate.”

His eyes narrowed.

“You drugged me. Stole the Luna position and even bullied Selene. So… Why would I believe anything you say?”

I couldn’t move. Every word of his struck my heart and shattered it into pieces. My lips parted, but no sound came out.

I wanted to tell him none of it was true. But the past came rushing back.

Four years ago, I accidentally walked into the wrong hotel room. A month later, I found out I was pregnant. Everyone believed I had planned everything, so Amir married me to protect his reputation. After Anne was born, Selene claimed I had stolen her mate, and overnight I became the villain. Not even my husband believed me.

The sound of a chair scraping across the floor pulled me back. My eyes snapped open only to see Amir standing up.

Is he leaving?

He is really leaving!

Suddenly, Anne’s pale little face suddenly appeared before my eyes. I saw her sitting quietly by the window, her tiny body wrapped in a blanket as she looked outside with hope.

“Daddy will come today, right?”

My chest tightened.

She had always waited for him. Again and again, but she only ended up getting disappointed. Yet she never stopped believing.

So… What was my pride compared to Anne’s last wish?

I gritted my teeth hard, then without knowing where the courage came from, I suddenly stood up.

“Tell me what you want!”

My voice echoed through the room.

Amir stopped immediately.

I clenched my dress and continued. “I’ll do anything as long as you agree to my request!”

Slowly, Amir turned around, his cold eyes met mine. “What are you trying to do now, Yara?” he asked flatly. “When will you stop?”

Looking at the disgust in his eyes, I frowned but ignored his hatred. Instead I went straight to the point.

“Alpha Amir. For one month… Please stay beside Anne.” My throat tightened. “Help her fulfill her wish.”

I paused before forcing out the last words. “…and, I’ll do anything you ask.”

Silence filled the room.

Amir stared at me without blinking. Then a chuckle escaped his lips.

“Anything?”

A bad feeling settled inside my chest. But I still nodded.

“Yes.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Even if I asked for a divorce?”

My head snapped up. “What?!”

He slowly walked closer until only a small distance separated us.

“I want you to initiate the divorce. And after that…” He leaned closer, and his cold voice sounded beside my ear. “I want you to confess before the pack elders that you drugged me.”

His voice became dangerously low. “Tell them you seduced me. Tell them the divorce was your own decision. Tell them everything. After that, never appear before me again.

I stared at him in disbelief.

“Amir…” my lips shook. “How can you be this cruel?”

He looked at me without the slightest emotion. “What? You can’t sacrifice that much?”

I gasped and stared at him with wide eyes.

He knew what those words would do to me— Everyone would despise me!

Did he really hate me that much?

“Reluctant?” He sneered. “Then stop wasting my time and go ho—”

I closed my eyes.

Anne’s smiling face appeared before me again.

“I agree.”

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

Amir froze. His eyes widened slightly.

My lips curled into a shallow smile. “You want a divorce?” I looked straight at him. “I’ll sign it. You want me to confess, I’ll tell the elders everything you want me to say.”

For the first time, confusion appeared on Amir’s face. He looked at me like I was insane.

“What…” he frowned. “What the hell are you trying to do? Are you crazy?!”

My eyes quivered.

Crazy?

Maybe.

But… What was this marriage worth if Anne didn’t have long to live?

She was the only reason I was still holding on.

I slowly lifted my head. Though my heart hurt with every beat, my voice remained steady.

“I’ll sign the divorce papers and confess before the elders. I’ll disappear from your life.” I paused, then looked straight into his eyes.

“But in exchange…” my voice trembled. “Be a real father to Anne. Just one month.” A tear rolled down my cheek. “And…”

I swallowed hard.

“When she needs your blood… save her.”

Amir looked at me for a long moment. Then…

“Deal.”