Chapter 3

• Aurora’s POV
• “Enough!”
• John’s voice exploded through the room, the last thin layer of his patience disintegrating. “Aurora, stop pushing me. Let me make something very clear. You’re my mate. She’s only a friend I’m helping through her final days. Stop throwing a tantrum.”
• His words were cut short by the shrill ring of his phone. He glanced at the screen, and in an instant, his entire expression softened.
• The voice he used when he answered—gentle, coaxing—was one I had never heard before.
• “Grace, what’s wrong? Don’t be scared. I’m coming right away.”
• He hung up and jumped to his feet, ripping his tie off and tossing it carelessly onto the couch.
• “I don’t have time to argue. Grace’s condition just worsened. She fainted again. I need to go.”
• He didn’t spare me a single backward glance. He turned, strode out, and slammed the door so violently that the echo rattled across the villa, buzzing in my ears.
• On my phone screen, the ruby pendant gleamed on Grace’s chest, its light flashing like a poisoned dagger aimed straight at my heart.
• I lowered my head. Grace’s joyful smile and John’s tender kiss looked like a public execution. His cold, decisive exit shattered the last bit of hope inside me.
• I reached into my memories, searching desperately for proof that he had ever loved me. But all those warm moments had faded into blurry shadows. The only memory that remained vivid was from four years ago—his confession, his clear blue eyes, and the sincerity I had believed was real.
• I stood up and looked slowly around the villa he had brought me to after reclaiming his inheritance. He had held my hand tight, telling me this would be our future wedding home. The light in his eyes had made me believe I had finally reached happiness.
• But the truth hit me like a blow: the last time I saw him here was five days ago. And two weeks earlier, he had promised we would meet the witch today to officially become contract mates.
• I had waited from dawn to dusk, full of nerves and excitement.
• And what did I receive? A broken promise and a public display of betrayal.
• I walked upstairs and stared at my neatly packed bags in the corner of the closet. I didn’t own much. Over the years, John had showered me with expensive gifts, and I kept each piece perfectly stored in its box.
• I brushed my fingers over the jewelry, silently calculating how much I could earn if I sold them. Perhaps these things could be the final compensation for everything I lost.
• “Grace, if it weren’t for your seduction and John’s betrayal, I would never have made up my mind to marry into the Green Pack so easily. In a way, I should thank you.”
• “Nana, do you think the ‘substitute’ curse will end once I marry into the Green Pack?”
• “Aurora, this is your chance. And that John Palmer who stabbed you in the back? He’s a traitor. You can’t trust him anymore!” Nana’s fury only fueled the flame burning inside me.
• I grabbed my suitcase and paused when I noticed the only photo John and I had ever taken together resting on the nightstand.
• He hated pictures. This one existed only because I had begged and pestered him until he finally relented on my birthday last year.
• Smash.
• I lifted the frame and smashed it onto the floor. Glass shattered in every direction. I dropped to my knees and tore the photograph into pieces with every bit of strength I had.
• “John, we’re done. No more debts between us.”
• At the doorway, I looked back at the house that once held every dream I had.
• Finally, it was over.
• I exhaled slowly, opened the door, and left behind all the luxury, all the lies, and all the betrayal.
• Cold air slapped my face, clearing my mind instantly.
• My fingers curled into a fist around the ring on my left hand—the silver band John had given me when he confessed. He had made it himself, carving our initials inside it. Even after he bought me more elegant, expensive rings, I never removed this one.
• Without hesitation, I slid it off.
• It hit the ground with a faint metallic ding and disappeared into the shadows.
• The next morning, exactly at nine, I stood in front of the Palmer Group’s towering glass skyscraper.
• My mate—my former mate—had reclaimed control of his pack and put me to work as his assistant. The salary had been good, and the job gave me a life far away from Josephen Ginder’s cruelty.
• But now, what once felt like a fortress of hope only strangled me.
• I looked up at the top floor where John’s office was located, swallowed the bitterness in my throat, and stepped inside.
• “Good morning, Miss Aurora,” the receptionist greeted with her usual polished smile.
• I nodded stiffly and walked toward the elevator. The metal doors reflected my pale but determined face.
• Twenty-eight floors to Human Resources.
• With every floor the elevator climbed, my heart grew colder.
• “I’m here to resign.”
• I pushed the completed form across the counter.