All Chapters of MARKED BY THE ALPHA CEO: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Elara's point of view The call had already ended, but I was still standing there with my phone pressed against my ear, staring at the dark screen as if Kit’s voice might come back if I waited long enough. It was now their wedding.My chest felt strangely hollow, like someone had scooped out something that had already been broken and left only the ache behind. I did not even know what exactly I was supposed to feel. Anger did not come. Jealousy did not rise. What lingered instead was a dull, exhausting disbelief that life could move on so easily for some people while others were still cleaning the mess they had left behind.By the time I reached Emily’s apartment, my head was buzzing. She looked up from the couch the moment I stepped inside.“Are you okay?”I forced a small nod, but she frowned immediately.“You look… lost.”I dropped my bag on the chair and sat beside her, my hands folding and unfolding over my lap without me noticing. “Kit called me.”Her head snapped toward me. “Wh

Elara's point of view I hopped into his car and shut the door quietly behind me.The engine roared to life almost immediately, and within seconds, Aeron pushed the car forward with a speed that pressed me back into the seat. The city lights blurred outside the window, stretching into long, broken streaks, and the silence between us felt far too loud for such a narrow space.He was tense. I could see it in the rigid line of his shoulders, in the way his knuckles had turned pale around the steering wheel, and in the way his eyes stayed fixed on the road as if looking at me might unravel something he was desperately trying to keep under control.Since the moment we had left the office, I had not been able to shake the image of his mother’s gaze. The way she had looked at me. As if I were a decision she had not yet approved of. It frightened me more than I wanted to admit.This world of his… it was not soft. It was not forgiving. And I was suddenly very aware of how easily someone like m

Elara's point of view I closed the apartment door quietly, pressing my back against it for a moment, trying to hold myself together. The tears I had been holding back all day threatened to spill over, and I realized with a sinking feeling that it wasn’t just about Aeron Blackwood. It was everything that had led me here—the warnings from Margaret, Emily’s worried expressions, the subtle hints of danger I had ignored. I had believed in him, in his promises, in the idea that someone like Aaron could actually care. I had been wrong. My mind kept running through the moments, the small gestures that had made me hope, and now all of it felt like a trap. How had I been so foolish? I had been willing to trust a man whose world I barely understood, who demanded pieces of me without offering clarity in return. And now, with Kit and Murphy moving on with their lives, I realized something harsh and bitter. I didn’t need him anymore. I had to survive on my own, with or without him.I slipped into

Elara's point of view Emily stood near the door with her arms crossed, watching me with a look that clearly said she didn’t approve of what I was doing. “Elara… I really don’t think this is a good idea,” she said again.I adjusted the pleats of my pale blue dress in the mirror, ignoring the knot tightening in my stomach. The dress was simple but elegant, flowing softly around my knees. My hair was tied into a neat bun, with a few loose strands framing my face.Minimal makeup. Just enough to look presentable. “This is their wedding, Emily,” I replied calmly. “Not a battlefield.”“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” she said sharply. “Something about this feels wrong.”I turned to face her. “What could possibly happen?” I asked with a tired smile. “Kit already talked to me. He said they want to move on. That’s all this is about. Closure.”Emily shook her head. “You’re too kind for your own good.”“And you’re too protective,” I teased gently.Her eyes softened, but worry still linge

Elara's point of view For several minutes after we left the wedding venue, the car was silent. I stared at the city lights rushing past the window while my mind replayed everything that had just happened.Murphy’s cruel smile and the red wine spilling over my dress. People laughing at me, those were the ones I knew from college and from Kit when we were in relationship.My hands clenched in my lap. I hated her for what she did. But if I was being honest with myself… the humiliation that had been choking me earlier had faded the moment Aeron walked into that hall. The moment his voice echoed through the room.I slowly looked at him Aeron was driving like nothing had happened. As if publicly threatening someone and stopping a wedding was just another evening for him.“How did you even know I was there?” I asked.“Emily told me.”Of course she did. I looked down at the jacket still wrapped around me. It was warm. It smelled faintly like his cologne. My mind replayed his words again. 'No