LOGINShare
#Chapter 34: Confronting Cruelty
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 35: Clash of Expectations
I finally returned home after my grueling appointment with Angela. As I sat in the driveway and leaned my head back, closing my eyes for a moment while weariness enveloped me like a heavy shroud, I was suddenly startled by someone knocking on the car window.I opened my eyes to see Nathan standing there. He looked upset.Sighing, I pulled the key out of the ignition and climbed out of the car."Hey," I said, barely managing a weak smile. "Everything alright?"Nathan stared down at me for a moment with his arms folded across his chest."Olivia," he finally said, "did you go to your first maternity appointment without me?"I raised my eyebrows. He did look genuinely upset, but I didn’t understand why. "Yeah," I replied casually as I reached back into the car to retrieve my purse, then shut the door and locked it. "Why?"I started to head up the driveway toward the villa with Nathan on my heels. "I figured as much," he said, sounding almost annoyed. "I’ve already received some messages a
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 36: Unraveling Emotions
My childhood friend’s face was pale and his eyes were wide."Olivia," he said, his annoyed voice melting into concern, "who said those horrible things to you?"Instantly, I felt myself soften beneath his worried gaze. I wished all of a sudden that I hadn’t said anything at all about what Angela said to me during my appointment, as now I realized that all I accomplished was making Nathan worried for me."Um… Forget it," I said, taking a step back. "It’s nothing. I think I’m just tired, and blowing things out of proportion."Nathan’s frown deepened. "Tell me the truth, Olivia," he replied as he closed the gap between us again. "Who said that to you? I want to speak to them."I swallowed. Nathan’s face was too intense for me to ignore it, and so I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep the truth from him any longer."It was… Angela," I replied, staring embarrassingly down at the floor. "She was the nurse at my appointment this morning. She said some really awful things, and made me take se
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 37: A Mother’s Scrutiny
The disdainful gaze and harsh comments of Nathan’s father, Colin, had always made me want to avoid him at all costs. But Nathan’s mother, Maria, was a different story.She never seemed to particularly go out of her way to be cruel toward me like Colin did, but I also knew that she never really liked me. She exuded rigidity and coldness, and left a lasting impression on me when I was a kid that still weighed heavily on my mind.Her imminent visit sent a shiver down my spine, but it seemed as though I had no choice now but to get dressed and wait for her.Sighing, I crumpled up Nathan’s handwritten note and tossed it in the wastebasket. I wanted to look presentable for Maria, so I showered quickly, then put on a nice, modest dress and pulled my hair back neatly.Just as I was finishing getting ready, I felt myself jump as I suddenly heard the sound of Maria’s fist rapping on the front door impatiently.I practically ran down the steps and flung the door open, having reached the door in
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 38: A Bitter Brew
As I stumbled out of the bathroom, my head was still spinning from the overwhelming wave of nausea caused by the pungent smell and horrid taste of Maria’s soup.At least it’s over, I thought to myself as I clutched my stomach. She’ll go home now.I just wanted to go up to my room and lie down on my bed for the rest of the day after that whole ordeal. But when I walked out into the hallway and met Maria there with yet another bowl of steaming hot soup in her hands, I felt my stomach drop.“There you are,” she said, sounding annoyed and completely oblivious to my obvious sickness. “I’ve been waiting for you.”I blinked, completely taken aback by her brusque tone. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Ford,” I said, feeling ill already just from being in the vicinity of the wretched soup. “I wasn’t feeling well.”“Hm.” Maria eyed me up and down with a disbelieving look on her face, then thrust the bowl of soup closer to me. I nearly gagged just from that, and instantly felt my eyes begin to water. “Here. Hav
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 39: Tangled Emotions
I couldn’t shake off the burning annoyance and hurt that gnawed at my insides as Olivia came home from her first maternity appointment without even bothering to invite me.Already that morning, not long after I woke up and discovered that Olivia was gone, I had begun receiving messages from friends and family who got wind of the fact that she went without me.They were wondering why I didn’t go with her to her very first maternity appointment, and I had no feasible explanation. Thankfully, I was able to convince them that I simply was busy, but still; eyebrows were already raised when it came to our ‘relationship’, and this didn’t help any.Truthfully, I didn’t even know that she had an appointment because she didn’t have the decency to let me know!I was slowly growing more and more furious with her as she seemed to be incapable of understanding my frustrations. When she kept reminding me that it wasn’t my baby, I only felt myself begin to fill with a pang of sadness.Of course it wa
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 40: Unveiling Shadows
I was lying in my bed in the dim light. I had been dozing on and off all day, but this time I was fast asleep.Suddenly, a creak caught my attention. I stirred from my nap, my eyes blinking away the remnants of sleep. The room felt hazy, and as my vision cleared, I noticed Nathan standing in the doorway.His face flushed a deep shade of red, and he quickly concealed his lower half behind the door.Confusion clouded my mind as I sat up, pulling the covers closer to me."What are you doing, Nathan?" I asked, my voice laced with both curiosity and concern.Nathan’s face somehow turned an even deeper shade of red as he stammered out a response. “I… I… Um…” He cleared his throat. “How did everything go with my mom this morning?”At the mention of Nathan’s mother and her horrible soup, I practically felt nauseous just thinking about it. I shook my head and laid back down with a shrug. “It was fine.”Nathan shot me a puzzled look. He hovered there for a few moments, still with his lower half
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 41: High Expectations
“Okay,” I said quietly, feeling the weight of Nathan’s fervent gaze hanging heavily in the air between us. “I promise I won’t say a word about it.”Nathan's sigh filled the space between us, and the tension in the room hung so thickly that I felt as though I could cut it with a knife. He looked at me awkwardly before finally making his confession.“Layla and I have never been pregnant.”I cocked my head to the side, confusion evident on my face.“And?” I asked, completely baffled by this sudden revelation. “What does that have to do with anything?”Nathan shifted uncomfortably where he stood. There was a bit of a silence before he finally spoke.When he did finally speak, his voice was tinged with a mix of resignation and frustration.“The thing is, we did try to a certain extent,” he said, sounding a little embarrassed. “It’s helpful for Alphas to have partners and children, so we felt a bit pressured to do it.”“So you tried, but you didn’t want to?” I asked, still confused as to wh
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 42: Standing Up Against Disrespect
We weren’t expecting any visitors the next morning, so when I heard the sound of someone knocking impatiently on the front door, I was a bit confused.Nathan was in the shower, so I ran to open the door in my pajamas. My stomach dropped when I saw none other than Maria standing there with another pot of soup in her hands.“Oh— Mar— I mean, Mrs. Ford,” I said, opening the door a little wider, “I wasn’t expecting you.”Maria scoffed as she walked in. Her judgmental eyes wandered up and down my body. “Still in your pajamas, I see,” she said, her voice mocking me. “It’s almost ten o’clock.”“Y-Yes,” I said, managing a bit of a smile. “It’s Saturday.”“Hmph.” Maria gave me a cold look. “Well, I thought I did tell you that I would be back today, so shame on me for assuming that you would bother to make yourself presentable. Well, it’s no matter. I made more soup for you.”I felt like an idiot. Maria did mention that she would be back today, but I was so sick when she told me that it complet
Latest chapter
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 568: True Vows
OliviaI gripped the edges of the podium, my knuckles whitening from the strain as I stared out over the sea of faces. All eyes were trained squarely on me, awaiting my words. But I was frozen.A tremor of nausea wormed its way up my throat as I stared out at them. What was I thinking—how could I have ever agreed to this? Speaking to crowds had never been my forte; that was Nathan’s arena, not mine. I was just the woman behind the scenes, the young mom who had never gone to college, the one who had been handed her job by her husband…Suddenly, a flicker of motion off to the side caught my eye—Nathan, standing just at the edge of the stage with his arms folded across his chest. Even from this distance, I could feel the weight of his steady gaze, that piercing Alpha stare that always seemed to see straight into the depths of my soul.He must have sensed my faltering because, slowly, deliberately, he offered me the faintest of smiles and a single, reassuring nod.And just like that, the
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 567: True Luna
Olivia I looped my arm through Nathan’s as we stepped down from the podium, the applause from the crowd and the flashing of cameras having finally subsided after what felt like an eternity. “It’s over,” Nathan beamed, giving my arm a squeeze. “That wasn’t so bad.” I couldn’t help but grin back at him. “No, it wasn’t. You were great up there.” And he really had been great; the press conference had been an overwhelming success—any lingering doubts or trepidation we had harbored before had been utterly blown away by the sheer force of the crowd’s enthusiastic response. For so long, it had felt like we were fighting this battle alone, like the victims who had suffered under Dan’s horrific operation were little more than nameless, faceless casualties. But today, we had finally given them a voice. Their stories had reached the masses, had resonated and struck a chord with everyone who watched. Nathan had handled all of the questions that were thrown his way with poise and ease
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 566: Vignettes
OliviaI rapped my knuckles lightly on the door to Nathan’s office. A moment later, his voice called out, “Come in.”Stepping into the room, I placed my hands on my hips upon seeing the scene in front of me: Nathan was standing in front of the mirror, his shirt still untucked and his tie loosened. His desk was a mess of papers and folders, and it was clear that he had been checking over his notes last-minute before the press conference.
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 565: By Your Side
OliviaI wiped a bead of sweat from my brow, slowly turning to survey the progress that had been made in the park. The banners we had hung were a bold purple color, signifying our support of the women who had been affected by the trafficking ring.I couldn’t help but smile a bit as I looked at our progress. With the press conference today, followed by a festival to help raise funds for the shelter we were building, the park was bustling with activity as our pack members worked hard
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 564: One Step
NathanI leaned back in my chair with a weary sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose in a futile attempt to stave off the encroaching headache. Spread out on my desk was an array of file folders, legal pads scrawled with notes, and printed transcripts—a minefield of information that would need to be carefully navigated on the day of the upcoming press conference.It had been two weeks since Dan and Montgomery’s bodies were found in the confinement pit, and it had been a dizzyin
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 563: The End of an Era
OliviaMy hands shook uncontrollably as I stepped up to the edge of the pit, clutching the metal grating until my knuckles turned white. A thick, cloying stench wafted up from the darkness below—the unmistakable reek of death and decay.Despite the waves of nausea already roiling in my gut, I leaned forward for a closer look.
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 562: The Rise & The Fall
OliviaThe air coming through the open windows smelled like the fresh sea breeze as we made our way from room to room, touring every nook and cranny of the newly completed cottage. It was perfect—cozy and quaint, while still boasting all the modern amenities one could want. But more than that, it was a sanctuary, a haven.A fresh start.
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 561: Spring Air
OliviaThe sound of power tools outside streamed in through the window while I folded the laundry, a distant backdrop to my swirling thoughts. I had grown used to the sound, and actually kind of enjoyed it. It was a reminder that life went on, that our family was growing.It had been a couple of weeks since I had made the decision to take a temporary leave from work in order to really focus on my family—on rebuilding that long-severed bond with my mother—and I was glad I did.
Fake Vow, True Luna #Chapter 560: Rage
NathanI couldn’t stop the rage from simmering just beneath the surface as I made my way through the darkened forest toward the confinement pit. No one knew I was here—I was coming under the cover of night, my hair and face concealed by a hood.But I had to come. I couldn’t stop thinking about Dan and Montgomery, and I needed to see them.
