Semua Bab Dear Ex Mate, You're Mine to Ruin: Bab 81 - Bab 90

Lillian’s POVThe elders stood there stunned, clearly not having expected me to refuse their ultimatum so directly. I could see the shock on their faces, the disbelief that I would actually choose to confess to Dorian rather than run away or continue hiding.For a brief moment, I felt lighter, almost giddy with the relief of finally standing up to them, of taking control of my own narrative instead of letting them dictate my choices through fear and manipulation.I was reaching for my car door handle, ready to drive away and leave them standing there impotent and frustrated, when Elder Rex suddenly leaned closer. His expression shifted from shock to something darker, more menacing.“I thought you would be wiser than this, Lillian,” he said, his voice low and carrying a threat that made my skin crawl. “We all thought you’d have enough sense to take the easy way out. But we were wrong about you.”“Good,” I said, refusing to back down now. “I’m glad I surprised you.”“Oh, you’re definite

Dorian’s POVI stood there frozen, staring at the medical documents in my hands, my mind refusing to process what they were telling me. This couldn’t be happening. Not now, not like this, not when everything was already falling apart.I’d feared Miranda would come back eventually, had worried that whatever happened that night would resurface to haunt me. But I never imagined it would be like this, with her standing on my driveway announcing a pregnancy in front of Lillian and my entire security team.The look on Lillian’s face was unbearable. Shock and betrayal and devastation all mixed together in an expression that made me feel like I’d been gutted. She looked at me like I was Aaron, like I’d done to her exactly what her ex-mate had done cheated, betrayed, destroyed everything we’d built together.“I should probably introduce myself properly,” Miranda said, her voice cutting through my spiraling thoughts. She turned to Lillian with that same triumphant smirk I’d seen earlier. “Since

Lillian’s POVI was pained beyond anything I’d ever felt before, even worse than the betrayal with Aaron because this time I’d actually believed in what we had. I couldn’t believe I’d been drowning in guilt all week, torturing myself over the possibility that I’d cheated on Dorian while drugged, meanwhile he was out there getting other women pregnant.The irony was almost too much to bear. I’d been so worried about confessing my potential betrayal to him, so consumed with shame and fear about what might have happened during my missing hours, and all along he’d done the exact same thing worse, actually, because his actions had resulted in a pregnancy.Alanna had been knocking on my door endlessly, her voice pleading through the wood for me to let her in, to talk to her, to let someone help me through this. But I couldn’t face her. Couldn’t face anyone. I just stayed curled up in my private room, the one I’d retreated to when things got bad, weeping until my tear ducts felt completely

Lillian’s POVSeeing Miranda pressed against Dorian like that, her arms around him and his hands on her shoulders to steady her, infuriated me in ways I couldn’t even fully articulate. It hurt on a visceral level seeing another woman claiming physical comfort from my mate, playing the damsel in distress while he instinctively protected her.“She’s lying,” I said, my voice coming out stronger than I felt. “Dorian, she’s lying about all of this. She hit me first, she’s been threatening me and Celeste, and now she’s twisting everything to make herself look like the victim.”“I saw it happen,” Alanna interjected firmly, stepping forward to stand beside me in solidarity. “I came around the corner just in time to see Miranda slap Lillian across the face. Hard. Lillian only defended herself after being struck first. Everything Miranda is saying is a manipulation.”But Elder Rex moved to block Alanna’s path, his expression stern and dismissive. “You’re Lillian’s close friend and confidante. O

Lillian’s POVI held Celeste tightly against me, my hands running over her small body to check for any signs of injury. “Did she hurt you, baby? Did Miranda do anything to hurt you physically?”“No,” Celeste whimpered against my shoulder. “She just talked to me.”“What did she say?” I demanded, looking past Celeste to glare at Miranda who was still sitting calmly on the bench with that infuriating smirk on her face.Miranda actually laughed, the sound light and mocking. “Oh, Lillian, you need to calm down. I didn’t hurt your precious daughter. We just had a nice conversation about honesty and truth. Nothing wrong with that, is there?”“Everything about you is wrong,” I said, my voice shaking with rage.“Careful,” Miranda said, her smile widening. “You’re getting very worked up over nothing. You know, someone in my condition needs to be very cautious. Too much stress, too much conflict babies can be so fragile. They can just… slip away. And never come back.”The words were clearly mean