Chapter 4

Marcus brushed past me in the hallway, in a rush to deliver a contract to Alexander. He opened the office door right in front of me.

Alexander turned and caught sight of me standing in the doorway. The panic on his face was apparent.

"Savannah, when did you get here? Don't get the wrong idea. Joanna's parents are seriously ill, so she's just out on temporary release," he said quickly.

Joanna stood up and nodded at me, perfectly composed. She looked polished and radiant, not at all like someone who had just gotten out of prison.

I clenched my hands, forcing a smile. "I was out shopping and thought I'd drop by. Don't let me interrupt you two from catching up. You guys keep talking."

I turned and left without another word.

Alexander chased after me, thinking I was upset. He was desperate to explain. "Savannah, are you mad? Are you upset with me?

"We were just talking about how she managed in prison. You know, she grew up getting everything she wanted, so being locked up for so long was punishment enough. A year's gone by, all those old grudges should be put to rest, don't you think?"

I looked at the way he scrambled to justify himself, and I couldn't help but laugh.

He'd gone so far as to sacrifice his marriage just to get Joanna out of prison, keeping up the act with me for an entire year. I never realized he could be so heartless.

Now that Joanna was back, why did he still need to pretend?

But I didn't call him out. I just stayed calm and said, "I'm not upset. Didn't I say yesterday that it's all in the past? I'm not looking for trouble. I'm going home. You get back to work."

Visibly relieved, Alexander waved Marcus over and asked him to see me downstairs.

Before I left, Alexander made sure to remind me not to attend Samuel's marking ceremony.

Samuel, for the sake of his reputation as an Alpha, claimed Joanna had been studying abroad for a year and kept her prison sentence a secret from everyone.

I nodded. "Got it. I won't go, and I won't cause a scene at the ceremony either."

That was enough to put Alexander's mind at ease.

When I got home, I looked at the photo on the wall and felt nothing but bitter irony. I took it down, smashed it into pieces, and tossed it in the trash.

It was my birthday that day. I waited all night, but Alexander never came home.

Later, I checked my phone. For the first time in ages, Joanna updated her social media back in Valeria.

She posted a photo of the two of them sitting close on a bench in Moon Goddess Garden, holding hands and sharing a kiss. The atmosphere was romantic, almost painfully intimate.

The man's face was only visible in profile, with just the back of his head and a blurred jawline visible. Yet, as he held Joanna's hand, the spot where a ring should be was empty.

I recognized that man at a glance. It was Alexander.

So, on my birthday, my mate had skipped marking me and instead spent the evening in another woman's arms.

Joanna was flaunting it for me and rubbing it in my face.

As she wished, I liked her post.

After that, I shut off my phone and packed up my things.