ANNA'S POV
The moment Damien stepped into the living room, I sprang to my feet, my heart pounding so loud it filled my ears. He looked at me, with an expression so blank it sliced through my soul.
I forced a smile, hoping it would melt the ice between us. “Hey…” My voice cracked under the weight of my emotions.
He didn’t smile back. Not even a twitch of his lips. Just silence. Crushing, suffocating silence.
Gathering every ounce of courage I had left, I asked, “Why didn’t you visit me at the hospital?”
He didn’t even blink before replying, “I had too much work to do. Court cases piling up.”
At first, I believed him. I wanted to believe him. After all, he was Alpha. He had responsibilities. But deep down, a small voice whispered, If he cared, he would have come.
I nodded stiffly, biting my bottom lip to stop it from trembling. We stood there, staring at each other across the cold, yawning distance that had opened up between us.
Seconds stretched into an eternity. I couldn’t take it anymore.
Slowly, cautiously, I walked towards him. Each step felt heavier than the last. When I finally stood before him, I lifted my hand, aiming to cup his cheek.
To feel the warmth that used to calm every storm inside me. I leaned in, desperate to kiss him, to remind him that we were still real.
But he flinched back.
My hand froze mid-air, burning with rejection. My lips quivered.
I dropped my hand uselessly by my side, my face crumbling.
He’s disgusted by me.
The thought stabbed me straight through the heart. Maybe he thought… Maybe he believed Kosturos had done more than beat me. Maybe he thought I was tainted.
Tears welled in my eyes, but I blinked them back fiercely. I couldn’t let them fall. Not yet.
My voice wavered as I whispered, “Kosturos didn’t touch me. Not like that.”
He said nothing. No relief. No anger. No anything.
I swallowed, my throat painfully dry. I tried again, louder this time. “None of them… They didn’t rape me. If that’s what you’re thinking. They didn’t.”
Still, nothing.
No flicker in his eyes. No sigh of relief. Not even a muscle twitch.
My anger flared, fierce and blinding. I couldn’t hold it back anymore.
“Is this what you meant,” I demanded, my voice rising, “when you promised me heaven and earth?”
He stared at me, unmoving.
I took a step closer, my fists clenching. “Is this what you meant when you asked me to be your Luna? When you said you’d stand by me, fight for me, love me no matter what?”
Still, no answer. Just that cold, dead silence.
Tears streamed freely down my cheeks now, and I didn’t bother wiping them away.
“Where’s that love now, Damien?” I whispered brokenly. “Was it all a lie?”
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but he still refused to speak.
I hated the way my heart ached for him even now.
I reached up, touching the side of my swollen face lightly. “Is it because of this?” I asked bitterly. “Because I’m ugly now? Because you can’t stand to look at me?”
He looked away.
The final crack echoed through me. My heart shattered so loudly I was surprised he didn’t flinch from the noise.
I reached into the envelope clutched in my trembling hand and pulled out the folded paper inside.
Without a word, I walked over to the coffee table and placed it down with a soft thud.
“That’s my resignation letter,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.
I turned on my heel, every step toward the door feeling like I was dragging my soul behind me.
I paused when I reached him, standing so close I could smell his familiar scent. For a fleeting second, I prayed he would reach out. Grab my hand. Hold me. Beg me to stay.
But he didn’t.
He just stood there. Cold, distant, a ghost of the man who once held me like I was his entire world.
Swallowing a sob, I brushed past him. The moment my shoulder barely grazed his arm, I felt it, the bond between us, frayed and aching.
The door creaked open under my hand and I didn’t dare look back.