All Chapters of The Rejected Plump Mate Was Pregnant : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Raven's POV The doctor discharged me the next afternoon with strict instructions to rest. No school for at least two weeks, no physical activity. Just bed rest until my concussion heals. Alaric drove me back to the Valkhor house to get my things. The whole drive, I felt anxious about seeing Dante again and dealing with everything that had happened. "You don't have to go in if you don't want to," Alaric said when we pulled up. "I can get your stuff for you." "No," I said. "I should do it myself." But when we walked inside, the house felt different. Like I didn't belong there anymore. Luna Claire was in the kitchen. She looked up when we came in, but didn't smile. "You're back," she said. "How are you feeling?" "Okay," I said. "I just came to get some things." "Some things?" she repeated. "What do you mean?" I looked at Alaric, then back at her. "I'm going to stay with Alaric for a while," I said. "Until things settle down." "Absolutely not," she said. "You're not moving in

Raven's POV I'd been living at Alaric's house for three days when I first noticed Jake watching me. The way he'd pause in doorways when I walked by. The way his eyes would follow me across a room, and he always seemed to be around when Alaric wasn't. On Thursday morning, I came downstairs to get breakfast. Jake was in the kitchen making coffee. He looked up when I walked in. "Morning," he said, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Sleep okay?" "Fine," I said, going to the fridge. "Alaric already left for his early class," Jake said. "But he said he'd be back by noon." "Okay," I said, grabbing the orange juice. "So it's just us," he said. "For a few hours anyway." Something about the way he said it made my skin crawl. Like he'd been waiting for this. "I'll probably just stay in my room," I said, pouring juice into a glass. "You don't have to hide," he said. "I don't bite." "I'm not hiding," I said. "I just have homework to do." "Right," he said. "Homework. Even though

Raven's POV I didn't expect to see Luella at Alaric's house, but there she was on Tuesday afternoon, sitting in the living room like she owned the place. She was wearing a tight dress that showed off her skinny frame. Her hair was done up all nice and her makeup was perfect. She was here for Alaric. "Hey Raven," she said when she saw me standing in the doorway. Her voice was sweet like honey, but poison underneath. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "I came to see Alaric," she said, smiling. "Is he home?" "No," I said, which wasn't a lie. He'd gone to his evening class. "Oh well," she said, standing up. "I guess I'll just wait for him." "He won't be back for hours," I said. "That's okay," she said. "I don't mind waiting." She sat back down, crossing her legs in a way that showed off her thighs. "Why are you really here?" I asked. "I told you," she said. "I wanted to see Alaric." "No, you didn't," I said. "You're here to cause problems." Luella's smile turned mean. She

Raven's POV I found out the truth about Jake completely by accident. I was walking past his room on Thursday afternoon when I heard him on the phone. His door was cracked open just a little. "I told you it's working," Jake said. His voice was low, like he didn't want anyone to hear. "The rumors are everywhere. People are already turning against her." I stopped in the hallway, holding my breath. My heart started pounding. "Dante, you need to relax," Jake continued. "She's not going to figure it out. She's too stupid and trusting." He was talking to Dante about me. "Yes, I'm watching her," Jake said. "She barely leaves her room. Alaric is always hovering around her like some kind of guard dog. It's pathetic really." I pressed myself against the wall, trying to hear better without being seen. "The hit and run was genius by the way," Jake said laughing. "I can't believe Luella actually went through with it." My blood went cold. Luella was the one who hit me with the car and Jake

Raven's POV We were staying at Alaric's dad's house now, which was bigger and quieter than anywhere I'd lived before. His dad worked long hours, so we had the place to ourselves most days. On Sunday morning, Alaric spread papers across the dining room table. Screenshots of social media posts. A timeline of everything that had happened to me and notes about Jake, Luella and Dante. "Okay," he said. "We need a real plan. Something that will actually work." I sat down across from him, looking at all the evidence we'd collected so far. It was a lot, but also not enough. Nothing that directly proved Luella hit me with the car or that showed Jake was spreading rumors on Dante's orders. "We need recordings," I said. "Or text messages. Something they can't deny." "Agreed," Alaric said. "But how do we get them?" "Jake's phone," I said. "If we could get into his phone we'd probably find messages between him and Dante. Maybe even messages about the hit and run." "There's no way he'd just