Chapter 13

Anita's Pov

Martha, ever the joker, had kept up her teasing, but I was barely listening. My mind was elsewhere, running through all the possibilities, which none made sense. The flowers looked too much like the ones Alpha Hades had been holding earlier, but there was no reason for them to be here. It was impossible.

“Maybe it’s a secret admirer,” Martha suggested with a wink, nudging me playfully.

I scoffed, though a weak smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “Yeah, right. Some admirer who doesn’t have the guts to leave a name.”

Zach was still on edge, pacing slightly as he eyed the flowers suspiciously. “I don’t like it. You're trying to misquote me Martha. How can someone leave flowers outside our door after a creepy guy left. It doesn’t feel right.”

I glanced at him, trying to ease his nerves. “It’s probably nothing, Zach. Just a misunderstanding.”

Martha, ever the one to lighten the mood, grinned mischievously. “Or maybe… it’s your cheap husband who is finally coming back to claim you. You know, after abandoning you for so long.”

The words hung in the air, cutting through the tension like a knife. I forced a laugh, though it came out more sarcastic than I intended, “No way. There’s no chance it’s him.”

Martha’s teasing smile faltered as she looked at me, realizing she might’ve hit a nerve. “Hey, I’m just joking. But… I mean, it could be him, right? Maybe he’s finally crawling out of whatever hole he’s been hiding in.”

I shook my head, crossing my arms tightly across my chest. “It’s not him. There’s no way he’d just show up out of the blue like this. He hasn’t cared about me or this so-called marriage since the day we signed the papers.”

The truth was, even though I hadn’t thought about my husband in months, the mere mention of him brought a wave of bitterness and frustration crashing down on me.

There was no love, no connection. Just a legal bond that tied me to someone I barely knew. Someone who had left me to fend for myself as though I didn’t matter.

Zach frowned, clearly puzzled by the situation, “But why’d he disappear in the first place? I never understood that. I mean, who just walks out on a marriage like that?”

I sighed, leaning against the doorframe and rubbing my temples. “It was a contract marriage. We barely knew each other. Honestly, I didn’t expect much from him, but I didn’t expect him to just vanish either.”

Zach’s expression darkened with a mix of confusion and frustration. He’d always been protective of me, and the fact that my husband had abandoned me like that clearly didn’t sit well with him.

 “So he just left? No explanation? No reason?” Zach said.

I shook my head. “Nope. Just gone. I haven’t seen or heard from him since. And honestly, I don’t care anymore. I’ve been doing fine without him.”

Martha, who had been quiet for a moment, finally spoke up again, though her voice was softer this time. “I still think it’s messed up. He should’ve at least been man enough to explain himself. You didn’t deserve to be left hanging like that, Anita.”

I shrugged, forcing a smile, though it felt more like a shield than anything else, “It’s not like I expected much. He saved me that day and I was grateful. It wasn’t about love or anything real. So, when he left… I guess I wasn’t that surprised.”

Zach leaned against the wall, his arms still crossed,  “Still, doesn’t make it right. You deserve better than that.”

I appreciated their support, but the whole situation had been so surreal and distant for so long that it felt more like a bad memory than anything current.

The idea of my husband suddenly showing up now seemed almost laughable. But being forgotten by someone who was supposed to be your partner wasn’t something that went away easily.

Martha leaned in again, her usual lightheartedness returning as she gave me a playful grin, “Well, if your mysterious husband does decide to make a grand reappearance, I’ll make sure Zach here gives him a good talking-to.”

Zach grunted in agreement, clearly more than ready to handle that conversation, “Yeah, if that guy shows up, he better have a damn good reason for disappearing. Or else…”

I couldn’t help but laugh, though the sound was tinged with a bit of bitterness in them, “Thanks, Zach, but I doubt he’ll ever show up. If he cared about me or this marriage, he wouldn’t have vanished in the first place.”

Martha tilted her head, studying me for a moment before speaking again. “Do you ever wonder why? Like, why he just… disappeared?”

I shook my head. “I’ve thought about it before, but I always come back to the same answer. He didn’t want to be married. I was just a duty to him, an obligation. Once the papers were signed, he felt free to walk away.”

Zach nodded, but his brow furrowed slightly. “And you’ve never heard anything about him? Nothing at all?”

“No,” I replied quietly. “It’s like he fell off the face of the earth.”

HADES POV

The sound of the door slamming echoed in my head long after I had left that apartment building. My chest was tight with anger, confusion, and betrayal, each emotion twisting inside me like a knot I couldn’t untangle. How could this have happened? How could Anita, my mate, betray me like that?

I sped through the city streets, the growl of the engine barely drowning out the thoughts racing through my mind. My grip on the steering wheel was so tight I thought I might crush it.

I felt like I had been played for a fool. The image of that man—the one I’d found in her apartment—kept flashing before my eyes, each time sending a fresh surge of rage through my veins.

When I finally reached my home, I slammed the car door and stormed inside, my movements hard and wild. My mind was a mess, but one thought was clear: I couldn’t go on like this.

Since she have decided to get another person, another lover to herself then fine. How many times do I need to be shown signs and I ignore?

I can't keep doing that bro. I'm going to cut ties with her.

I needed to break the ties that connected me to her.

As soon as I entered my office, I felt my wolf stir inside me, uneasy and restless. It was pacing, agitated, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to deal with its confusion right now.

"Why?" my wolf, Haddy, growled, pushing against my mind. "Why do you want to break the bond?"

I gritted my teeth, trying to silence the voice. “You want to know why?” I muttered under my breath, pulling at the tie around my neck, feeling like it was choking me. “She betrayed us.”

But Haddy wasn’t satisfied with my answer. It continued to pace, its energy vibrating through me, "She didn’t. You didn’t even speak to her. You saw a man. You don’t know anything for sure."

I slammed my hand down on the desk, making the papers scatter in every direction. “I know what I saw!” I snapped, my voice louder than I intended, “She was living with him. How could she do that if she was my mate? How could she—”

"She’s still your mate. The bond hasn’t changed. I can feel it," my wolf interrupted, its tone calm but firm. "Something isn’t right. You’re rushing to conclusions." He added.

I ran a hand through my hair, my fingers trembling as they tangled in the strands. “No,” I muttered, shaking my head. “No, she’s already chosen someone else. You saw the way he was in that apartment. She’s with him.”

"Did you ask her?" Haddy persisted, its voice low but steady. "You didn’t even ask. You’re letting your anger cloud your judgment."

My throat tightened. The truth was, I hadn’t asked her. I hadn’t confronted her, hadn’t demanded answers. But how could I? The sight of that man with her had been enough. It had confirmed everything I needed to know. There was no way she would have let someone else live with her unless she had chosen him over me.

“I can’t,” I whispered, sinking into the chair behind my desk, “I can’t stay tied to her if she’s with someone else. I need to end this.”

Haddy was silent for a moment, pacing slowing. I could feel its frustration, its confusion, but it couldn’t deny the pain I was feeling either. "You’re making a mistake," it finally said, its voice softer now. "But I can’t stop you."

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling, my vision blurring as the anger and hurt crashed over me again. My mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, and I didn’t know how to calm it. I needed to do something, anything, to stop this torment.

Without another thought, I grabbed my phone and called Damian, my Beta. He picked up after a few rings, his voice groggy with sleep. “Alpha Hades?"

“I need you to come over,” I said, my voice cold, “I want to discuss the annulment of my contract.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, as if Damian couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “The… the contract? You want to break your contract with your mate?”

“Yes,” I said sharply. “I want you to start drafting the papers. Now.”

“But—” Damian began, his voice hesitant. “Alpha, are you sure about this? I mean… isn’t it a bit rushed? We don’t even know the full situation yet.”

My teeth gritted together as the anger bubbled up again. “I don’t need to know anything else, Damian. She’s living with another man. I’m not going to stand here and wait for her to come back to me when she has already made her choice.”

I could hear Damian sigh on the other end of the line, “But Alpha, you haven’t even spoken to her. What if there’s been a misunderstanding?”

“There’s no misunderstanding,” I spat, my voice rising. “I saw it with my own eyes. Now do what I’m telling you to do.”

Another pause, and then finally, Damian relented. “Ok fine. I’ll come over. But Alpha… just think about this, okay? Don’t make a decision you’ll regret.”

I hung up the phone without answering, my hands shaking as I placed it on the desk. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I had already made my decision. There was no going back now.

It wasn’t long before Damian arrived. His face was tense as he walked into the room, his eyes were filled with concern. He sat down across from me, his hands were folded in his lap.

“You’re serious about this?” he asked in a low tone, “You really want to break the contract?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

Damian leaned forward, “Alpha Hades, I’m your Beta. I’ve known you for years. You’re not someone who makes rash decisions like this. Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”

I clenched my fists, the frustration rising in me again. “I’ve thought about it, Damian. She’s betrayed me. She’s living with someone else. What else do I need to know?”

“But you don’t know the full story,” Damian pressed further, “What if there’s more to it? What if you’re wrong?”

“I’m not wrong,” I growled. “I saw them together. That’s all I need to know.”

Damian sighed, shaking his head. “Alpha… I think you’re letting your emotions get the best of you. You need to take a step back and look at this rationally.”

“I don’t care about being rational right now,” I snapped. “I just want this over with. I want the contract broken.”

Damian looked at me for a long moment, his expression filled with worry. “Alright,” he said quietly. “I’ll draft the papers. But just… please, think about this before you make it final.”

I didn’t answer him. I just stared down at the floor, my chest heaving with the weight of everything. I wanted to feel relief, but all I felt was anger and hurt.

Damian stood up and left after a few minutes, his shoulders were slumped as he moved.

The room felt emptier without him, and the silence pressed in around me like a suffocating blanket. I reached for the bottle of whiskey on the shelf behind my desk, pouring myself a glass without even thinking.

I drank it quickly, the burn of the alcohol barely registered in my head. But it wasn’t enough to numb the pain. I poured another glass. Then another.

Before long, the world around me began to blur, the edges of my vision softening as the alcohol took hold. But the anger and confusion still churned inside me, relentless and unforgiving.

I stared at my phone, my eyes were blur now and unfocused. In my drunken haze, a thought began to form, and before I could stop myself, I grabbed the phone and dialed her number.

It rang only twice before she answered.

“Hello?” came her soft voice, filled with confusion.

The sound of her voice hit me like a punch to the gut. My heart clenched, the pain rising up again, sharper than before. My throat tightened, and the words tumbled out before I could stop them.

“My mate…” I said, the pain lacing my voice.