ELENA’S POV,I was sprawled across my bed in the presidential palace, with a pen in my hand, as I went through the list Molly had given me.I decided to buy some new clothes for myself and asked Molly if she would like to go shopping with me. I remembered her complaining about the new stationery Ryan bought her. She declined because she and Ryan already had plans for the evening—pizza and Moana. She sounded excited for it, so I asked her to make a list of the things she wanted, and I could buy them for her.She thanked me and ran back to her room to make that list.Her handwriting had gotten better in the last few weeks. Before, she could hardly write; now her writing wasn't just readable, but also beautiful and proper. The words were big, round, and clean, as if every one of them had been drawn with care and patience. I didn’t realize I was faintly smiling until a knock on the door made me glance up.Ryan was standing under the doorway, staring at me with his intoxicating eyes. He wa
ELENA’S POV,“You simply never tried to notice or understand.”I thought we were done once I said that, and was ready to walk away from the pair of pathetic people. The emotional stress started showing a physical effect on my body, and while I was able to stand on my own, I wasn't sure how long I could. Every part of me was in pain, and there was this urge to cry out loud.“Will you ever be able to forgive me?” This time, it was Julian blocking me from leaving. His voice was quiet, almost trembling, as if saying the words took everything out of him. “Because I can never stop loving you, Elena.”I could see that Ryan was getting frustrated over the same conversation happening again and again. I also found it weird that reading Ryan's emotions came much easier to me than Julian's, even though we were still connected by the mate bond. And I felt like Ryan noticed it too because there was a spark in his eyes that wasn't there before.I didn’t know if the words coming out of his mouth were
JULIAN’S POV,I hadn’t even reached the stairs before I saw Elena and Lauren on the footpath.I couldn't make out what was happening from the distance I was at, but all of a sudden, I saw Elena turning back to Lauren and her hand flying across Lauren’s face. The sound of the slap burst through the stillness like a firecracker, and for a moment, I just stood on the top of the staircase.It was impossible for me to believe that woman was my Elena. Ever since I'd known her, she had been soft and ladylike and had always carried herself with grace and dignity. There wasn't any grace or dignity in slapping others. What happened to my Luna in just a few days?As I started climbing down the stairs, I blamed the Alpha President for turning my wife into a monster. She wasn't capable of so much hatred; he was the one corrupting her thoughts with his venomous nature. Taking her away from him was the only way I could have protected her from becoming a true monster like him.“Don't worry, Elena, I'
ELENA'S POV,“Lucy is Julian’s daughter,” she declared, intending to hurt me, and sadly, it worked just like she wanted.I felt betrayed because I had been truthful with my feelings for him. I never cheated on him when we were together, didn't even think about any other man. Even when he was absent, I still loved him faithfully. I let myself have feelings towards Ryan only after serving Julian the divorce papers. And even then we didn't share any intimate moments together.“I wanted to tell you for so long, but Julian feared it wouldn't be good for his reputation,” she said and if it wasn't for Ryan standing next to me, I would have returned to Molly's grave to slap Julian again. “He promised to love her the same way he loved Molly. And he did. He played with her, read her stories, and even stayed with her in the hospital when she fell ill.”The world beneath my foot tilted and I found myself looking for balance. Thankfully, Ryan was behind me and took me in his arms before my knees c
ELENA’S POV,Ryan walked me out of the cemetery, leaving Julian behind when he started tearing up.I knew Ryan feared that seeing Julian in tears might melt my heart once again, but I was done with Julian and his schemes. I could finally see the truth behind his acts and how he used my concerns and care for him to manipulate me further.Looking back, I could see a pattern that I had overlooked before, and there was no one else to blame for that but me. I wasn't sure if I even deserved the love and affection of those around me—especially Ryan—after the things I've done to sabotage my own life.With every step we climbed down the stairs, I was reminded of a past event and how he moved me like a puppet. I was mad at myself for letting it go on for that long, even after the death of my angel, I didn't pull out the string attaching us—the mate bond.In the right circumstance, it was our strongest weapon, but for me, it proved to be my biggest weakness. And now, when the issue had reached t
ELENA’S POV,I couldn’t look at Julian.How could anyone look at him, knowing the things he said? How can he say such things without a second thought? Did Molly mean nothing to him more than a name holder? Did he ever love our daughter the way I loved her? Was any of the care and love he showed towards her real?I was disgusted by him, and cursed myself for giving him a second chance, even when my heart was telling me not to, from the very beginning. I was an idiot for believing that seeing Molly's grave could change him. I hated myself for having that hope somewhere deep in my heart.I forgot that humans have the ability to change and do better, but not monsters like him. If he ever loved our daughter, those words wouldn't have come out of his mouth, even when he was grieving. No parent in their right mind can speak like that.“How could you say that?” I demanded, through my trembling lips. “How can you even think that?”I screamed the last question, taking two steps towards him, an