Chapter 55
Elodie’s POV
The second Liora buckled herself into the backseat, her phone was out.
I watched her in the rearview mirror, her little fingers flying across the screen as she typed out a message. Her face was pinched with worry, the same expression she’d had since Dante walked out of breakfast.
I knew who she was texting. Of course I knew.
A minute later, her phone buzzed with a reply. Liora’s face relaxed slightly as she read it, but the worry didn’t completely disappear.
She started typing again, faster this time.
I turned my eyes back to the road and said nothing.
What was there to say? That I didn’t want my daughter worrying about the woman who was slowly erasing me from my own life? That it hurt to watch her care so much about someone who’d taken everything from me?
She was six. She didn’t understand. And I wouldn’t make her choose.
When we pulled up to the school, Liora threw her arms around me from the backseat, squeezing tight. “Love you, Mommy. See you later p>
“Have a good day, baby p>
She was already halfway out the door when guilt seemed to flicker across her face. She hesitated, glancing back at me.
But then she just waved and ran off.
I watched her go, and I knew. I knew she’d made plans to see Sienna after school. Knew she’d chosen to spend the evening with her instead of me.
And I couldn’t even be angry about it.
I drove to the office in silence, that familiar numbness settling back over me like a blanket.
Around mid-morning, a notification popped up on my work email. The 10 AM meeting had been postponed to the afternoon due to an urgent matter.
Urgent matter.
I stared at those words, and I knew exactly what they meant.
Dante had gone to take care of Sienna. Probably sitting by her bedside right now, bringing her soup or medicine or whatever she needed. Being the kind of attentive, caring partner I’d always wished he’d be with me.
I closed the email and went back to work.
At two o’clock, Albert sent out another message. Meeting at 3 PM. And could I please prepare coffee for the Alpha?
Of course.
I made it the way he liked, dark roast, splash of cream, not too hot. My hands moved on autopilot, muscle memory from years of doing this exact thing.
When I walked into the conference room at three, Dante was already there.
And he was wearing different clothes.
Not the suit he’d left the house in this morning. A different shirt. Different tie.
I stopped typing mid-sentence, my fingers frozen over my laptop keyboard.
He’d changed. At her place. Which meant he’d been there long enough to need to change. Long enough that—
My mind went places I didn’t want it to go. Images I couldn’t stop from forming. Dante holding Sienna. Comforting her. Maybe more than that. Maybe crawling into bed with her because she was sick and needed him, and he’d never been able to say no to her.
The room tilted slightly.
God, I was pathetic. Sitting here imagining the details of my husband’s affair like some kind of masochist who couldn’t look away from her own destruction.
When I finally dragged my eyes away from his clothes and back to my screen, I realized he was looking at me.
His expression was cold. Irritated, almost. Like he was annoyed that I’d noticed. Like I’d done something wrong by existing in the same room as him.
I thought about the way he’d sounded on the phone this morning. That gentle tone. That immediate concern.
And then I thought about the way he looked at me now with nothing. Not even anger. Just… indifference.
My hand curled into a fist under the table.
I turned my gaze back to my laptop and didn’t look at him again for the rest of the meeting.
Afterward, as people filtered out, Albert appeared at my desk.
“Elodie, your handover is basically complete,” he said, his tone businesslike. “You won’t need to come in tomorrow p>
Tomorrow. My last day was today, then.
“Understood,” I said quietly.
I’d known it was coming. Had actually been looking forward to it, in a way, no more pretending, no more seeing Dante every day, no more reminders of everything I’d lost.
I held out my hand to Albert. “Thank you for everything over the years p>
He stared at my outstretched hand like it was something foreign, something he couldn’t quite process. Then, slowly, he shook it.
“You don’t need to thank me p>
His voice was stiff. Uncertain.
I gave him a small smile, probably didn’t reach my eyes and turned to gather the last of my things. My desk was already mostly empty. I’d been clearing it out bit by bit over the past few days, taking things home so this moment wouldn’t feel so final.
But it still felt final.
I walked out of the company without looking back, and I didn’t let myself think about the fact that I might never walk through those doors again.
Behind me, I heard Chad’s voice. “What are you standing there for p>
“Elodie just left the company.” Albert replied him.
“Wait, really? She actually left p>
I didn’t stick around to hear the rest of their conversation. Didn’t want to know what they were saying about me, what theories they were spinning about why I’d given up so easily.
Let them think whatever they wanted.
The next two days passed in a blur of silence.
Liora didn’t call. Didn’t text. Nothing.
I told myself it was fine. She was busy with school and friends and probably spending time with Sienna. She was a kid. Kids got distracted.
But it still hurt.
On the third night, Cara called me, her voice weak and scratchy. “Elodie? I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a really bad fever and I can’t p>
“I’m coming,” I said, already grabbing my keys. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there soon p>
The rain had been falling all day, turning the streets into rivers of dark water. By the time I pulled up to the pharmacy near Cara’s neighborhood in the old part of the city, it was nearly ten at night. The area was practically deserted had just a few flickering streetlights and the endless sound of rain.
I bought medicine and some electrolyte drinks, then ran back to my car, fumbling with my umbrella as I slid into the driver’s seat.
I was setting the bag of medicine on the passenger seat when the door suddenly opened.
My heart stopped.
A man, tall, broad-shouldered, dressed entirely in black dropped into the seat beside me.
Before I could scream, before I could even move, I saw A gun. The barrel pointed directly at my chest.
“Don’t move p>
His voice was low, cold. Absolutely devoid of emotion.
I froze, my hands still on the steering wheel, my whole body going rigid with terror.
He was wearing a mask and a low hat that shadowed most of his face, but his eyes, God, his eyes were sharp and predatory. Wolf eyes, even in human form.
My wolf whimpered inside me, sensing the danger, but she was too scared to even think about shifting.
The man reached over and grabbed my purse, then my phone from the cup holder. He pocketed both without taking his eyes or the gun off me.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said flatly. “You drive me where I need to go, and then you can leave. That’s it p>
My mouth was dry. My heart was slamming so hard against my ribs I thought it might break through.
“I—” My voice came out as barely a whisper. “Where p>
“Just drive p>