Chapter 2

ELEANOR'S POV

I got home to Ashmont Residences in a daze, showered, crawled into bed, and fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

The cold woke me.

It was a deep, bone-level chill, and my whole body shook with it. It took me a moment to understand that I had a fever, and another moment to realize how strange that was. Werewolves don't catch colds. Our bodies burn illness away within hours. A fever that lasted like this was almost unheard of.

The last truly strange thing to happen to me had been five years ago, when I ran out of moonwort. It is a herb no pack apothecary would sell. But a plain brown parcel appeared on my doorstep with no sender and enough to last a year. I had never learned who sent it.

I was too tired to wonder about that, or about the fever that I have. So, I forced myself to open my phone and order medicine through a delivery app. Then I dragged my aching body out of bed, went to the kitchen, and gulped down a glass of warm water.

The water cleared my head a little. I wrapped myself in a blanket, curled up on the sofa, and waited for the delivery driver.

A notification chimed in the quiet room.

It was the alert I had set for one specific account, and when I saw the name, my eyes slowly sharpened. @little_vivi_moon.

Vivian's private I*******m.

Five years ago, the day I found out she existed, I had searched for everything I could find about her. All I ever saw were polished publicity posts, carefully curated by her team. I knew only that she was an actress who had appeared in a few films by famous directors abroad. Nothing else.

Then, by pure accident, I stumbled across this little account. The moment I saw the username, I knew in my gut it was hers.

I had followed it for five years. In five years, she had never posted once.

And now, today, she had.

My fingers went white around the phone as I opened the post. Three photos.

The first was a marriage license with the names blurred out. Even blurred, I recognized Dominic from the faint outline of his signature.

The second was two hands with their fingers laced together.

The last was a bowl of clam chowder.

The caption read: I finally married the boy I loved when I was young ❤️ P.S. After all these years, he still remembers my favorite chowder.

My lips pressed into a thin line. I stared at the screen for a long moment, and then the corner of my mouth curled up into something cold.

I gave the post a like.

I knew Dominic. He wanted to hide it from me, which meant he would never have allowed her to post this. She had done it from a secret account, and she had done it on purpose. She knew I was watching. She had been waiting for this day to show me.

Fine. I would give her the audience she wanted.

I closed the app and opened my notes. Then I began to write a list.

One: find a way to resign.

Two: erase my traces.

Three: end my webcomic.

Four: sell the apartment and leave for good.

For years I had secretly drawn a comic under a pen name. It was the one thing in my life that had been entirely mine, and I wasn't going to leave it dangling.

I was still scrolling through my list when a noise came from the front door.

The delivery, I thought. I set down the phone, dragged my lead-heavy legs to the door, and opened it.

"Hello, your medi..."

"Ellie, you're still awake?"

Dominic stood in the hallway. The moment he saw me, his face tightened, and guilt flickered in his eyes.

Behind him, half hidden against his shoulder, stood Vivian. She wore a large hat and oversized sunglasses. A small boy in a neat black coat stood pressed against her leg.

"Vivi had a fight with her family and they threw her out," Dominic said quickly. "She and Henry have nowhere to go tonight. I thought I'd bring them here for one night. I didn't want to wake you, so I figured I'd tell you in the morning."

His brows drew together as he tucked Vivian and the boy behind him protectively.

"Miss Ashmoor, I'm so sorry to trouble you." Vivian slid her sunglasses off and gave me a sweet smile. "You know my position is sensitive, so Dom was worried that my son and I would be in danger at a hotel. He said he would feel better keeping an eye on us. This is our first time meeting, but I've heard so much about you. He says you're gentle and kind. I'm sure you won't mind taking in a widowed mother and her orphaned little boy."

My hand clenched on the doorknob until my knuckles went pale. I looked at the scene in front of me and the irony of it nearly made me laugh.

I swallowed everything that surged in my chest and looked at her indifferently.

"Come in."

Then I turned and walked back to my bedroom.

…

I don't know how much time passed. I had taken my medicine and fallen into a shallow sleep. Then suddenly the mattress dipped beside me, and a pair of large hands wrapped around my waist.

I went rigid in the dark. My eyes snapped open, and I slapped at the lamp on the nightstand.

"What are you doing?"

"Ellie, what's wrong? Are you mad at me?"

Dominic felt my resistance and raised his eyebrows. He rested his chin on my shoulder and spoke in his lazy, low voice. "Tonight was my fault. I should have told you ahead of time. I brought you your favorite chowder. Don't be angry, okay?"

His warm breath brushed my ear. His lips, always cool, trailed along my jaw toward the corner of my mouth.

"You said you wouldn't touch me until our wedding night," I said, turning my face away at the last second. Something cold flashed through me.

"I did. But every time I hold you, it gets harder to stop." He smiled against my neck. "Ellie, can I claim my husband's rights a little early? Tonight can be our wedding night."

His hand slid toward the hem of my nightgown.

Ice spread through my eyes. I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood.

Our wedding night.

If you counted from the moment he signed that license, then tonight really was his wedding night. But it belonged to him and another woman. What right did he have to crawl into bed with me?

Anger rose in my chest. I grabbed his wrist and stopped his hand.

"I have a fever."

"A fever?" His dark pupils narrowed. He touched my forehead, and his brows drew together, and then, unbelievably, he smiled. "I've heard it's more comfortable when you have a fever. Should we try it?"

"What did you say?"

My heart shook violently. I dug my nails so deep into my palms that I should have felt pain. I felt nothing.

"I'm kidding," he said quickly, pulling his hand back with a chuckle when he realized I was truly furious. "How could I be such a beast? Eat some chowder. I'm going to shower."

He disappeared into the bathroom.

In the dim light, I sat up with a white face, feeling as if something was lodged in my chest and I couldn't breathe. Slowly, my eyes drifted to the paper bag on the nightstand.

Clam chowder. Vivian's favorite.

I picked it up and dropped it in the trash.

…

It was a chaotic, sleepless night. By the time I got up the next morning, Dominic had already gone, taking Vivian and her son with him.

My head was still spinning and my body still ached, but I showered, put on fresh clothes, and went straight to work.

Today, I was going to finish my resignation.