Chapter 5

As I said those words, I could feel my heart tearing into pieces.

Maybe my quiet compliance actually triggered a rare pang of guilt in him.

For once, Jack actually hailed an Uber for me.

He even made a show of noting down the license plate number.

After watching my car pull away, he and Violet got into another ride together.

The moment I stepped inside our apartment and closed the door, all my fake strength crumbled.

I slid down against the door, sobbing until my entire body shook and my throat went raw.

My palms still stung from the scraped gravel, but that minor flesh wound was nothing compared to the death of our five-year relationship.

My werewolf healing abilities would make these scrapes disappear in a few hours.

But the cracks in my heart would never heal.

In the early hours of the morning, I had just finished washing up and was lying in bed when Jack finally pushed the bedroom door open.

I quickly closed my eyes, pretending to be fast asleep.

I heard him hesitate at the edge of the bed before speaking softly, "Don't overthink tonight. It was just an old friend coming back. There's nothing going on."

He walked closer to the bed and realized I was already asleep.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he tossed his phone onto the mattress.

Then he turned and walked into the bathroom to shower.

The light from the bathroom illuminated the room. I slowly opened my eyes.

His phone screen was still unlocked.

As if possessed, I reached out and picked it up.

The screen was open to his Snapchat chat with Violet.

His last message read:

[Emma is just someone my pack arranged for me. My family has been pressuring me to settle down. I didn't expect you to fly back just because of this... What's the matter? It's been five years, and you still haven't let me go? Want to meet up and talk in person?]

It felt as if an invisible hand had gripped my heart, squeezing all the air out of my lungs.

To the outside world, Jack had always been the perfect boyfriend.

He bought me gifts for every anniversary.

He brought home cakes on random days.

He filled my closet with the latest fashion lines the moment they dropped.

But only I knew the truth. He was using me to love someone else.

Everything he did during our relationship was just him fulfilling what he thought were the "duties" of a boyfriend. It had nothing to do with me.

His heart only beat for Violet.

Even the Mate Ceremony I had anticipated for five years was just a trap to lure Violet back.

With the cold, hard truth staring me in the face, I could no longer lie to myself.

I pressed a hand over my mouth to stifle my sobs.

As I went to put the phone down, my finger accidentally swiped back to the main chat list.

There was an unread message from the friend who had set them up:

[Bro, I did what I could tonight. Once you and Violet get back together, you owe me a steak dinner!]

I instantly locked the screen.

Taking a few deep breaths, I unlocked my own phone and opened the email I had just received.

It was a confirmation from the apartment agency I had contacted. The keys had already been mailed to the new address.

Without hesitation, I booked a flight for tomorrow morning.

Just as the payment went through, Jack's phone rang.

He rushed out of the bathroom. I rubbed my eyes, pretending I had just been woken up by the noise.

He declined the call and quickly read a text.

Meeting my sleepy gaze, he said, "My friend's power went out at his place. I'm going over to help him check it. Go back to sleep, I'll be back soon."

He leaned down, planted a quick kiss on my forehead, and practically sprinted out of the room.

As the front door slammed shut, the final tear rolled down my cheek.

I used the back of my hand to scrub my forehead frantically.

Jack, oh Jack. You didn't even bother to come up with a believable lie.

I stared at the ceiling until the sun rose.

I got up, washed my face, dragged my suitcase, and headed straight to the airport.

On my way, Jack finally sent me a text.

[Sorry, babe. By the time I fixed his power, it was almost dawn. I didn't want to wake you, so I stayed over at his place. Violet is coming to the ceremony today. Save a seat for her, she wants to watch.]

I turned off my phone.

Right before boarding, I sent him my very last reply.

[I saved a seat. But it's the bride's seat.]

[Jack, we're done.]