Chapter 5.

I should have knocked.

Instead...

I stood there.

Listening.

"She's been planning this wedding for months," Vivienne said.

Her voice was soft.

Almost affectionate.

That was what hurt the most.

Because it was the same voice that had comforted me when I cried after my parents' anniversary.

The same voice that told me I deserved happiness.

"Well it's definitely going to be a memorable one," Vivienne continued

Then Lucien answered.

"She's been useful."

The hallway seemed to tilt.

Useful.

That was all I was?

"...The council won't question it," Lucien said.

I frowned.

Council?

"What about the evidence?" Vivienne asked.

Evidence?

My grip tightened around the insulated dinner bag.

Every instinct screamed at me to knock.

To walk inside.

To laugh about whatever misunderstanding this was.

Then Lucien answered.

"It'll be enough to throw her out."

The blood drained from my face.

Throw her out...

Who?

There was only one person they had been talking about.

Me.

A strange calm settled over me.

Almost mechanical.

Before I could think better of it, I slipped my phone from my pocket.

My thumb found the voice recorder.

I pressed record.

The screen lit up.

Recording...

If I walked away now...

No one would ever believe me.

Not without proof.

Vivienne laughed.

Not nervously.

Cruelly.

"Honestly, I almost burst out laughing when she hugged me this morning."

Lucien chuckled.

"At the house?"

"Mm-hmm."

"She spent twenty minutes asking which wedding cake I liked better."

Vivienne mocked my voice.

"You're my maid of honor, Vivi. Your opinion matters most."

Their laughter echoed through the conference room.

My stomach twisted.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

"You're terrible."

"I know."

"You've gotten better at lying."

"I've had an excellent teacher."

She paused just long enough to add,

"She really is pathetic."

My fingers tightened around my bag.

"What happens after the wedding?" Vivienne asked.

Lucien didn't hesitate.

"The council will see the evidence."

"What evidence?"

"The evidence that proves she betrayed the pack."

My fingers tightened around the edge of the door.

Betrayed?

Me?

"And the council won't suspect anything?"

"They'll believe every word."

Vivienne smirked.

"I can't wait to see her face."

"You'll have front-row seats."

There wasn't an ounce of remorse in their voices.

Only anticipation.

"And the punishment?"

Lucien didn't miss a beat.

"Banishment."

Vivienne hummed thoughtfully.

"No home."

"No title."

"No pack."

"No mate."

She laughed again.

"Poetic, don't you think?"

Vivienne whistled softly.

"I almost feel sorry for her."

Lucien snorted.

"No, you don't."

A sound came from inside the room.

A chair scraped against the floor.

The door was slightly open now.

Just enough.

Just enough for me to see them.

And I wished I hadn't.

Lucien had always looked at me like I was precious.

At least, that's what I thought.

But the way he looked at Vivienne...

It was different.

She was standing between Lucien's legs as he leaned against the edge of the conference table.

His hand rested on her waist.

Her fingers played with the knot of his tie.

They weren't discussing business.

They weren't comforting each other.

They were wrapped around each other like I had never existed.

Like my upcoming wedding was nothing more than a performance.

She leaned in first.

Then he kissed her.

Not a stolen kiss.

Not a moment of weakness.

Their lips met with the ease.

Not a mistake.

Not a single lapse in judgment.

It was practiced.

Comfortable.

Intimate.

As though they'd done it a hundred times before.

My vision blurred.

My body went completely still.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't move.

Every beautiful memory I had of him shattered in a single moment.

The late-night conversations.

The promises.

The way he held my hand and told me I was his future.

All lies.

Until Lucien carried Vivienne and moved closer to the door.

My blood ran cold.

For one terrifying second, I thought he had seen me.

I stepped back.

Quietly.

Carefully.

The tiny movement made my bracelet knock softly against the wall.

Tap.

Lucien pulled away from the kiss.

"...Did you hear something?"

Panic surged through me.

I took two silent steps backward.

Then three more.

Then another.

I didn't stop until the elevator doors closed between us.

Only then did I look down at my bag.

Looked at my phone and it had stopped recording.

But I didn't panic.

The recording had captured enough.

Enough to expose their lies.

Enough to prove they had planned my downfall.

Enough to change everything.

By the time I reached my car, my hands were shaking.

But I didn't cry.

I couldn't.

Because tears were for people who still had something to lose.

And I had just lost everything.