Chapter 9

Emma

I smiled bitterly. I was the wife, yet my husband seemed more interested in caring for another woman than me.

I watched in silence as Andrew and Jessica disappeared from my sight. I waited a few more seconds, hoping Andrew would remember I was still in the vehicle. But once again, he disappointed me.

My hands went to my belly. I guess I needed to get used to this setup. From now on, it was going to be just me and my baby against the world.

I stepped out of the vehicle and followed them. I even caught Andrew walking upstairs, carrying Jessica into one of our guest rooms. Three years ago, my naïve self had believed we’d live a happy, fairy-tale life together, just like we had promised. I thought we’d build a future side by side, and make the Dark Desert Pack one of the most powerful in the northern U.S.

Instead, here I was, sitting on the couch, eyes stinging with yet another wave of tears.

Pathetic.

How long was I going to let myself live like this?

“You know what, I can’t do this anymore,” I whispered to myself. I was so done with this life. I couldn’t keep waiting around, hoping someone would finally see my worth. It was time to walk away—from my neglectful husband, and from the toxic people around me. The last thing I wanted was for my child to be born into this.

A plan began to take shape in my mind.

I walked straight to the room with the printer, opened a long-saved file, and hit print without hesitation.

I stared as the divorce papers slowly slid out of the machine. It felt strange—why did it feel like I should’ve done this a long time ago?

My mind was made up. I was going to file for divorce.

There was a rule in the pack: both parties had to sign the divorce papers for them to be recognized by the court. I had already signed mine. All I needed now was Andrew’s signature. Whether he liked it or not, I’d find a way to get it.

I picked up the papers with trembling hands. I never imagined my marriage would end this way—but maybe, deep down, it was always leading here.

“OH MY GOD, EMMA!”

I was in one of the empty rooms when Jessica’s voice suddenly pierced the air. I rushed to her room, heart racing.

“What happened?” I asked, eyes scanning her from head to toe.

There was nothing unusual. She was standing just fine.

“I just realized… you and Alpha Andrew sleep in separate rooms?!” she gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

I froze. Her words caught me completely off guard.

I had only ever wanted to help Jessica, but once again, here I was—receiving another passive-aggressive jab.

What could I even say? As much as her words stung, they weren’t wrong. That was exactly our situation. We lived in the same house but slept in different rooms, like distant roommates.

Shame crept up my skin. I could hear the smugness in her voice. She was enjoying this. And it hurt—especially as a woman. I could only imagine how much worse it would be if she knew everything.

That Andrew only came to me when he needed someone to warm his bed—and afterward, he cast me aside like I was nothing.

How ironic.

How did things fall apart so fast?

I looked at Jessica. Gone was her fake innocence. I saw her for who she really was. Even without words, her eyes told me what she thought—I didn’t deserve love or respect.

And just when I thought she was done, she added one more line.

“No wonder you can’t get pregnant,” she whispered.

I stared at her in shock. Did she really just mock me in my own house?

I wanted to remind her that in this house, I was the wife—not her. That I had just as much right as Andrew. I could call for omegas and have her thrown out if I wanted to.

That is, if this were a normal marriage. If Andrew actually loved me.

But that wasn’t our reality. And I knew better than to engage her. Anything I said would only come back to bite me. So I stayed silent, letting her words slide past me.

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Just as I was walking back to my room, my phone rang. Without thinking, I answered it.

“Hi, may I speak with Miss Emma Watson?”

“Yes, this is her,” I replied.

“This is Jerry from Medcare Pharmaceuticals. I’m calling to let you know you’ve been accepted for the role you applied for. We’d like to confirm whether you’re accepting the job offer—please note the position is based in New York.”

The timing was uncanny—almost like fate was speaking to me.

I took a deep breath and thought of all the sadness, the neglect, the loneliness I had experienced with Andrew. Maybe it really was time to choose myself for once.

“Yes,” I said clearly, without hesitation. “I accept the offer. I can move to New York and start next month.”