Chapter 3
In the video, Vivian was crying softly, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I felt like I was dying without seeing you, so I went to the dinner. But seeing you two so in love... I went crazy with jealousy. That's why I said those sour things. And you still hit me."
Elias smiled faintly. It was obvious her desperate obsession fed his Alpha ego.
He was gently pressing a warm towel to her swollen cheek. "Alright, stop crying. You'll ruin your pretty face. Name something you want. Anything. I'll give it to you as compensation."
"Then... the twins' birthday is coming up. I want that new private island you just bought. For them."
Elias frowned. "No. That's for the baby Molly and I are having."
"Please~" Vivian whined, pressing herself against his chest. "I had the pack seer look into it. The island perfectly aligns with the twins' birth moon. It will bring them luck. You promised to compensate me!"
A long pause. Then, Elias sighed and nodded. "Fine. It's theirs."
The video ended with Vivian flashing a triumphant, provocative smirk at the hidden camera. A voice note immediately followed: See? Even the things he explicitly promised to you... all it takes is one word from me, and he hands them over. You lost.
I sat frozen in my chair, staring blankly at the screen.
I remembered years ago, when I injured my knee working a part-time job in college. Elias had sat on the floor just like that, applying a warm compress to my bruise with the exact same gentle devotion.
The tender things he did for me, he did for another woman.
A heavy, suffocating exhaustion washed over my entire body.
But it was fine. Once I left him, everything would be okay.
The morning sun felt cold against my skin. I sat on the floor of our walk-in closet, a pair of scissors in my hand.
Snap. Snap.
The cashmere sweaters I had spent months knitting for Elias fell into pieces. I tossed them into a trash bag. Next came the jewelry. I called my maid into the room and shoved a velvet box of diamond bracelets into her hands.
"Take them," I told her. "Sell them. I don't care."
Then, I carried the twenty leather-bound photo albums—three years of our so-called perfect marriage—downstairs to the living room. I threw them into the fireplace one by one, watching the flames curl around Elias’s smiling face.
The front door suddenly clicked open.
"Molly, I forgot my—" Elias froze in the hallway. His eyes darted from me to the roaring fire.
"No!" He lunged forward, plunging his bare hands directly into the flames. He yanked out a half-burned album, patting out the fire against his expensive suit. The smell of singed flesh filled the air. His palms were blistered and raw.
"Molly..." His voice shook, his golden eyes wide with panic. "Why? Why would you burn our memories?"
"The lighting was terrible in those," I lied, forcing a soft smile. "I looked awful. We can just take new ones."
The tension drained from his broad shoulders. He let out a shaky breath and stepped forward, wrapping his uninjured arms around me. "You scared me to death, baby. I thought... never mind. I'll book a photographer for next week."
He kissed my forehead, grabbed his briefcase, and hurried out.
The moment the door shut, my phone buzzed. A text from Vivian.
The Plaza Hotel. Astor Ballroom. Come see a good show, Molly.
I knew it was a trap. I knew it would hurt. But I grabbed my coat and called a cab anyway.
When I arrived at the Plaza, I slipped through the side doors and hid behind a massive marble pillar near the ballroom entrance. The doors were slightly ajar. Inside, the ceiling was filled with silver and blue balloons.
It was a first birthday party.
The entire Blackwood family was there. The elders, the cousins, the aunts. People who had smiled at me at Thanksgiving dinner, people who had kissed my cheek and called me family.
"Mrs. Blackwood, would you like a refill?" a waiter asked, holding a tray of champagne.
He was talking to Vivian.
She stood in the center of the room, wearing a stunning silver gown, holding two toddlers with faint wolf ears poking through their hair.
Elias stood right next to her, his arm resting casually on her waist. He didn't correct the waiter.
Elias’s mother walked up, beaming. She pinched one of the twins' cheeks. "You did well, Vivian. Producing pureblood heirs for the pack. Elias needs to treat you right."
Elias laughed. "Don't worry, Mom. Whatever Molly has, Vivian will get the exact same. She won't lack anything."
My breath hitched. My chest tightened so hard I thought my ribs would snap.
Whatever Molly has, Vivian will get the same.
Everyone knew. Every single person in that room knew I was the joke, the clueless human wife kept in the dark while the Alpha raised his real family.
"Elias, a word?"
I shrank back into the shadows as Elias and his cousin, Chloe, walked out into the corridor, stopping just a few feet from my hiding spot.
"What are you doing?" Chloe hissed, crossing her arms. "You can't keep playing house with two women. What happens when Molly finds out?"
Elias frowned. "She won't. I love Molly, Chloe. She’s my mate. But Vivian gave me pureblood pups. I can't just abandon them. I'll just give Molly more shares in the company, buy her that island she liked. I'll compensate her."
"You think money fixes this?" Chloe scoffed. "Look, as your cousin, I'm warning you. Uncle Magnus lands in New York today."
Elias’s posture instantly stiffened.
"You know how strict Magnus is," Chloe continued. "He’s old-school. He hates infidelity and pack drama. If he finds out you're hiding a second family, he’ll strip your Alpha title and tell Molly everything."
"He won't find out," Elias growled. "Keep your mouth shut, Chloe."
I couldn't listen anymore. I backed away, my vision blurring.
The physical toll of yesterday’s abortion crashed into me all at once. I stumbled toward the lobby, gasping for air. The marble floor rushed up to meet me, and everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, the harsh lights of the hotel lobby were gone. I was lying in a unfamiliar penthouse suite.
"Drink this."
A deep, gravelly voice broke the silence.
I turned my head. Sitting in an armchair by the window was a man. He looked like Elias, but older, sharper, and far more intimidating.
Magnus Blackwood. The former Alpha.
I pushed myself up, panicking. "How did I—"
"You collapsed in the lobby," Magnus said coldly, passing me a glass of warm water. "I had my private doctor look at you."
He paused, his piercing gray eyes locking onto mine.
"The doctor said you recently terminated a pregnancy. And that your body is failing from the stress." Magnus leaned forward slightly. "Elias doesn't know, does he? If he did, he’d be tearing this city apart right now."
My blood ran cold. The most dangerous man in the Blackwood family knew my secret.
"Please," I choked out, grabbing the edge of his sleeve. "Please, Mr. Blackwood. Don't tell him. I'm leaving. I'm disappearing in two days. Just... let me go."
Magnus stared at my hand on his sleeve. He hated being touched. But he didn't pull away.
He looked at my face, a strange, unrecognizable emotion flashing in his eyes. He stayed silent for what felt like an eternity.
Finally, he stood up. "I will have my driver take you home."
He didn't promise to keep my secret, but he didn't call Elias.
When I finally got back to home. Elias was sitting on the couch, looking at his phone. When he saw me, he jumped up, his face lighting up with that fake, perfect devotion.
"Where were you? I was worried," he said, pulling me into a hug. He smelled like Vivian’s perfume.
"Just went for a walk," I said lightly.
"I have a surprise for you." He pulled a velvet box from his pocket and opened it. Inside sat a massive diamond necklace.
I stared at it. It was the exact same necklace Vivian was wearing at the birthday party. One for the wife, one for the mistress.
"It's beautiful," I said, letting him clasp it around my neck. "Elias, I want to go to Moonlight Valley tomorrow. Just the two of us. I miss our cabin."
Elias’s hands froze on my neck.
Moonlight Valley was our private sanctuary. The place he swore only I would ever have access to.
"Tomorrow?" he stammered, stepping back. A bead of sweat formed on his temple. "Uh, baby, the weather is supposed to be bad up there..."
"I don't care about the weather," I said. "I want to go."
"Right. Of course." Elias forced a stiff smile. His hands slid behind his back. I could hear the faint tap-tap of his fingers frantically typing on his phone screen.
He was texting Vivian to get the hell out of our cabin.
I turned around and walked upstairs, leaving him to his panic.
