Chapter 8 Broken Into Pieces

Moira's POV

I put Rhea's things in the room and sat comfortably without waiting for an invitation. I was used to spending time at her house, talking about the men who caught our interest and became our crushes, and Jude was one of them.

Rhea used to admire Jude so much back then. Of course, it was because of his intelligence and agility, especially since he was the youngest Alpha in the northern region, and his pack was the strongest under his leadership.

Rhea and I lay on the sofa. Before long, she drifted off and fell asleep, while I stayed awake, thinking again about Jude and Mirielle at the airport. Where were they going? Why did I still want to know? I shouldn't care anymore, considering they had hurt me so deeply.

Mirielle didn't look sad after I left; she even seemed excited. She had completely forgotten about me.

I sat up and looked at Rhea, who was still asleep, still in her clothes. I got up, took a blanket from her room, and spread it over her.

I wasn't used to sleeping in someone else's bed, so I had trouble closing my eyes. I decided to check Rhea's refrigerator and make something for her. It was already five in the morning, and I didn't think I could sleep. I would sleep all day once I got home, but at that moment, I decided to prepare breakfast for us because I hadn't eaten properly since yesterday.

I took all the leftover ingredients from the refrigerator and cooked something I thought Rhea might like. As far as I remembered, she was a bit picky about food.

A serving of steak and a glass of milk were ready for Rhea. She liked to have protein for breakfast and avoided eating at night. Meanwhile, I was the opposite. However, my eating habits had become messy in the last few days.

While waiting for her to wake, I checked what I could do. Since I hadn't started my new job at Blitz AI yet—because of Jude's careless interference that kept delaying my resignation—I had dared to take on freelance design work.

I was working on several requests when I realized Rhea was already sitting beside me at the dining table, enjoying the meal I had prepared.

"Hmm... this is so delicious, Moira. I really need this kind of protein. You know, in Greece I couldn't eat properly. They eat more vegetables and fruits than to meat. I'm not used to that." Rhea commented, then put another piece in her mouth. "Thank you for breakfast, Moira. You're the best. I'm sure Jude will realize you're the best wife he's ever had and come back to you."

Rhea kissed my cheek and then focused on the food on the table. After finishing everything, she grabbed her phone and started scrolling, looking at what people were posting on social media.

One post made Rhea gasp. And she showed me what she was looking at.

"Isn't that Jacob? He was with Jude last night, right? Where were they?" Rhea pointed her screen at me, but I was reluctant to look at it. "Oh... they're on vacation in Miami to celebrate Bella's birthday. Not interested."

"I already suspected that," I replied, and she seemed sympathetic toward me.

"Are you okay, Moira?"

I shook my head and didn't say anything. Fortunately, Rhea ignored my reaction, but she became even more curious about Jude and Bella. She scrolled further and found another post where Jude and Bella were cutting a cake together. Their fingers were intertwined, showing they were the perfect match, in love, and happy.

"That bastard! If anyone says they're a perfect match, I agree. Bastards like him deserve cheap women, sluts like her!" Rhea grumbled as she slammed her phone on the table and looked closely at me. "I didn't expect this to be your life. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Moira. I promise from now on, I'll stay by your side. If necessary, I'll teach that bastard a lesson."

I didn't know how to respond to Rhea's words except with a nod. The more insults Rhea and I threw at Bella, the more perfect she and Jude seemed, and the more compatible they looked.

I became even sadder and could only look away from the screen and pretend everything was fine.

"Come on, Rhea. Let them do whatever they want. I've decided to leave Jude. I've sent my resignation letter and divorce papers."

"Then why are you still coming to work?"

"He disagrees. It seems he's deliberately showing off his affection for Bella so I can see it. I don't know what his purpose is."

"Disgusting! I don't know what I saw in him back then that made me so infatuated," Rhea said, remembering the past.

In my opinion, there were so many reasons to like Jude, and it would be hard to find his flaws. No one could compare to him. Jude even graduated from the academy three years earlier than others, making him not only attractive but also intelligent.

No one believed Jude was married. No one knew. Even though he was so proud of Mirielle's birth and even showed her off, I remained the dark secret he kept locked away.

"By the way, are you sure you want to divorce Jude? You should fight to win his heart, Moira. You can't survive without him, I'm sure of it. Remember how you did silly things to win him before, and now you're giving up like a loser!"

I was startled by Rhea's words, which hit my ego quite a bit. She was right. I did look like a pathetic loser. But I didn't care. Rather, it didn't matter because seven years wasn't a short time to sacrifice for him, to give him everything, even my dignity. But what I got in return were only insults and wounds. Rhea's words might have been harsh, but I believed she was always on my side.

The next day, I returned to the office, as Jude had ordered, and he began treating me like just a regular employee, scolding me, being cold, setting ultimatums, and even threatening to fire me whenever I didn't meet his expectations. However, his attitude toward me was more like that of a stranger. It was painful, but I didn't want to waste time thinking about his behavior.

After the break, I went to my cubicle to work on the task Jude had given me, but my phone rang, and I answered it when I saw who was calling.

My grandmother's name appeared on the screen, and she sounded excited when she heard my voice.

"How are you, dear?" my grandmother asked from the other end. What else could I say? News about Jude finding his mate and about me, his wife, sending him divorce papers, must have  spread through almost the whole pack. However, the words "I'm fine" came out of my mouth.

"We’re having a family dinner tonight. I hope you can come," she said, making me hesitate. Before, I would have been excited to attend every family event because Jude was my pride and joy. But now...

"Alright. I'll see if I can make it."

"Moira, please..." Grandma's voice started to shake, and I didn't want her to cry just because I hadn't tried to come, so I softly answered,

"Okay, okay. I'll try to come," which made Grandma sigh in relief. Our conversation ended, and I was again occupied with the work that had taken up so much of my time.

The clock showed five o'clock, and I packed my things to head to Grandma's house. However, a pack's gamma arrived with a stack of files and handed them to me. I glanced at them briefly. The files were sales data that needed to be entered immediately, no doubt at Jude's request.

"You have to do it ASAP because I don't like waiting," he ordered, I just shot him a lazy glance. "Why? Didn't you hear me?"

I sighed heavily. In the past, I would have done anything for Jude to win his heart and love. I thought that if I did everything to make him happy, he might give me his heart without hesitation. However, I was wrong.

It had never happened. Even after seven years of marriage, he still chose Bella. Now, I refused to do anything he commanded.

I pushed the files aside without saying much, put on my coat and grabbed my bag, leaving the gamma who kept calling my name. But I would never turn back and become the person I once was. I was so hurt, and I promised myself this pain would make me a different Moira someday.