Chapter 3

The healer looked at my ultrasound results and fell into a long silence.

"Evelyn," she began carefully, "your physical state is terrible. I'm not just talking about the medical reports. I mean *you*. You look... completely crushed."

I didn't say anything.

She hesitated. "Where is your mate? Does he know you're here?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came. Aside from Alexander, I had no one else to call.

My parents died when I was young. I had lived alone for so many years before I finally thought I had found a home with him.

But now, as the healer asked about him, my fingers went cold against the paper.

I suddenly realized that my pain wasn't just a physical illness.

It was the sickness of a failing Mate Bond. It was the physical manifestation of his betrayal.

As I walked out of the Healing Center, I tried to mindlink Alexander, but I couldn't feel his presence. He had blocked our link.

Standing on the steps, I called him. No answer.

I sent him a text: [I have an emergency. Come home now.]

I took a cab back. When I opened the front door, I saw a pair of unfamiliar women's leather boots on the rug.

In the living room, Olivia was lounging on our couch. One of her legs was propped up on the coffee table, her ankle wrapped in a bandage.

Alexander was kneeling in front of her, gently massaging her foot with expert precision.

"Did you twist it?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a clumsy mistake." Olivia pouted, her voice sweet and helpless. "Alexander, am I going to be benched for two weeks?"

"Your ligaments are a bit tight. Don't walk on it too much." He squeezed her ankle gently. "Does it hurt?"

"Only a little," she whispered, her eyes locked onto his. "But it doesn't hurt when you're here."

"I'm here," he murmured.

Those two words.

In all the years we had been together, he had almost never said them to me.

A minor sprain was nothing to a werewolf warrior. They healed in hours.

He knew it wasn't serious. He just wanted to be there for her.

My abdomen flared with pain again. I gripped the entryway cabinet, my knuckles turning white.

Alexander finally noticed me.

"Where did you go? Why do you look so pale?"

I opened my mouth to say, *I just came from the clinic,* but Olivia cut me off with a sigh.

"Evelyn, please don't misunderstand! My ankle was so swollen I couldn't walk. Alexander was worried about me being alone, so he brought me here to treat it."

I ignored her and kept my eyes on Alexander. "I need to talk to you."

Before he could answer, Olivia gasped. "Alexander, my toes are going numb."

He immediately looked down, re-examining her foot. His voice softened even more. "Don't move. The ligament just loosened. Give it a minute."

I stood there, clutching my bag. "Alexander, can you please take me to the Healing Center?"

Olivia grabbed his wrist at that exact moment. "Did I break a bone? Why is it hurting more?"

Alexander frowned, checking her foot without looking up. "Evelyn, if you're not feeling well, go lie down. I’ll come check on you as soon as I'm done here."

"Never mind."

I turned, walked into the bedroom, and shoved my medical report into the very bottom drawer of the nightstand.

That night, Alexander knocked on the door.

"The guest bedroom is too damp. I’m going to let Olivia sleep in our bed tonight. You can crash in the guest room for one night."

I opened the door. Olivia had already walked into our master bedroom holding a glass of warm water.

She sat right on the edge of my bed and naturally reached into the nightstand to look for pain patches.

The bottom drawer held my medical report.

I blocked her hand. "Don't touch that. I’ll get it for you."

But Olivia's fingers had already brushed against something else in the top drawer.

A box of birth control pills.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You guys have been together for five years and you're still using these? I was starting to wonder if he even marked you."

She threw a meaningful look at Alexander.

"Didn't you use to hate birth control? You told me you never wanted a pup with anyone else."

The room went dead silent.

I looked at Alexander. He looked away, avoiding my eyes.

For five years, he had never brought up having children. I thought he was just being considerate of my career.

It turned out he had made the decision for me long ago.

My abdomen seized in a violent cramp. I gripped the edge of the drawer, cold sweat dripping down my face. I pulled the medical report out, held it tightly, and walked toward the front door.

"Evelyn, where are you going?" he called out from behind me.

I didn't look back.

Where else would I go?

I was going to deal with a pup that he never planned to have—and now, a pup he would never have the right to know.