Chapter 2

I understood instantly.

He was trying to send the money to my old bank account from back then.

Since getting married, I've used the black card my mate gave me, so of course that old account was frozen.

Looks like in his eyes, my reputation couldn't get any worse. I used to be a broke gold-digger, and now I was a deadbeat on top of it.

"I don't need your money," I said flatly, too tired to bother explaining.

His voice dropped, turning cold. "You're literally digging through trash, and you're still too proud to accept help?"

I frowned, genuinely confused. "We broke up five years ago. We're strangers, so there's no reason for me to take your money."

Pausing for a second, I added, "Seriously, don't give me a single cent."

If Vito ever found out another male sent me money, his Lycan would go completely wild with jealousy.

Alex froze, then let out a light laugh. "Mia, you've got it wrong. I'm only sending you money out of pity. Trust me, I don't feel anything for you."

He stared at my messy hair and muddy face for a long moment, his expression turning complicated. "You've turned into... this. It's probably because taking our breakup so hard drove you over the edge. I guess I share some of the blame."

"You're refusing the money because you want me to feel guilty forever, right?"

Seeing his reaction, Clara immediately coaxed him softly. "Alex, she went to a top college. She's fully capable of working and getting a job to support herself."

"She ended up like this simply because she's lazy and useless."

"You could tell back then. She could've worked, but she kept making excuses to beg you for money. It just shows she's a lazy, broke gold-digger..."

"Clara!" I snapped, cutting her off. "Every single cent I spent when I was with him was paid back in full, with interest. Watch what you say."

Startled by my sharp tone, Clara pulled on Alex's sleeve awkwardly. "Forget it, Alex. Since she cares so much about her pride and claims she's no gold-digger, your kindness is just an insult to her. Let's just leave her alone."

"My life is none of your business," I said coldly, turning back to search the dumpster.

Suddenly, a colorful little pouch caught my eye—the one holding the wolf-tooth charm.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief. But right as I grabbed it, Alex yanked my wrist, roughly pulling me back up.

"Mia, you dumped me over one thousand bucks back then, and now you're down to picking through trash!"

"For the sake of our five years together, if you swallow your pride and come back to me, I'll give you a decent place in my pack."

I was completely speechless.

During our five years together, he used his "test" as an excuse to never buy me a single gift or spend a penny on me.

When my foster mother fell critically ill, I borrowed from everyone I knew and was only one thousand dollars short of her surgery fee. Yet he listened to Clara, refused me without hesitation, and sneered that I was a scamming gold-digger.

All these years later, he actually still believed I broke up with him over one grand?

I looked at his tight grip on my wrist and said calmly, "Alex, I'm doing just fine, and I've never once thought about coming back to you. You can relax."

He narrowed his eyes at me. To crush his delusion once and for all, I added:

"I'm already married. My mate has a bad temper. If he sees us touching like this, it won't end well for anyone."

He let go instantly, his face full of shock. "You actually dared to get married behind my back?!"