Chapter 2

After deciding to leave, I didn't feel as sad as I had thought that I would.

Maybe out of guilt, David suddenly showed up two days later, saying that he had come to take me back to the castle. He even brought my favorite dish—cream of mushroom soup.

It was the first time he had ever taken the initiative to show me kindness.

For seven years, no matter how impatient or cruel he was to me, I would eagerly rush back to his side as long as he offered me the slightest bit of warmth.

But this time, I didn't even open the door.

Outside, David was fuming with the bowl of soup in his hands.

"Did you run away for days and abandon your own child just because I made you kneel and apologize for Sarah?

"Hah! You've grown some nerve, haven't you, Evelyn? Don't regret this!"

That very night, he moved Sarah into the castle.

The next time I saw him was three days later when I returned to pack the few belongings I had left.

When I saw Sarah Lloyd acting as the lady of the house, I felt nothing.

I went upstairs to collect my things calmly.

David, on the other hand, seemed furious at my indifference. The moment he realized that I was only there to pack, he stormed into his study and slammed the door shut, making a show of his anger.

Sarah, assuming that I had returned to beg for forgiveness, stood in the doorway with her arms crossed as she sneered. "See how David treats you? He doesn't even want to look at you!

"Look at yourself. Your body's completely out of shape after giving birth. How do you still have the confidence to parade yourself in front of him?

"There's no place for you in this castle anymore. Get out."

I knew that she was trying to provoke me.

The old me would have argued with her and insisted that I was David's true mate, the rightful Luna. But now, I simply looked at her the way one would look at a clown.

She was infuriated by my lack of reaction. Hearing the study door creak open, she suddenly threw herself backward, tumbling down the stairs.

She landed perfectly in David's arms, then looked up at me with pitiful eyes.

"Luna Evelyn, I never wanted to take your place. I never wanted to be Luna. I just wanted to stay by David's side. How could you push me down the stairs?

"David, thank goodness you were here, or I—"

She choked back a sob and buried her face in his shoulder as she trembled.

This was her usual trick.

In the past, I would have panicked, scrambling to explain to David that I hadn't pushed her and that she had done it to herself. But this time, I kept quiet.

I simply stood there and watched David carry Sarah up the stairs toward me. His eyes burned with fury.

"What's wrong? You acted all calm when you refused to come back, pretending you didn't care. But now that Sarah's moved in, your jealousy is making you lose control, huh?

"Evelyn, there's a limit to how far you can take your jealousy! Pushing Sarah down the stairs? Were you trying to kill her?"

David set Sarah down. When he saw the small wound on her forehead, his expression darkened. He turned to me and ordered coldly, "Apologize to Sarah. If you do, I'll let you stay. Otherwise, get out."

I didn't even spare him a glance as I turned toward my room.

He grabbed my wrist, his voice thundering with rage. "Apologize now!"

He yanked me forward, forcing me toward Sarah. The sudden force made me stumble. I slammed into the doorframe. A sharp pain shot through my forehead as blood started trickling down my face.

I stared at the crimson drops in a daze.

He was still the same selfish person he had always been. He was violent toward his mate who had nearly died giving birth to his child.

When he saw the blood streaming down my face, his expression flickered with unease. But just as quickly, he composed himself. "You hurt Sarah, and now you're also bleeding. That makes things even," he said coldly.

I let out a bitter laugh, unable to suppress the anger and resentment bubbling inside me.

I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the countless scars crisscrossing my arm. "This is fair? Then what about these?"

His eyes widened in shock. His voice trembled as he asked, "How did you get those wounds on your arms?"

He seemed to forget that when he was young and gravely ill, the pack's healer said that only a pure healer's blood mixed with rare herbs could save him.

I was the only one in the entire pack with pure healer's blood and had fallen for him at first sight.

Time and time again, I cut open my arm, mixing my blood with herbs to create medicine that saved him from the brink of death.

Celine had witnessed my sacrifices and had been so moved by my love for him that she did everything she could to bring us together, telling him that Nighthowl Pack would have no other Luna but me.

He stared at my scars for a very long time.

I almost thought that he would remember. But in the end, he simply tightened his grip on my arm and sneered.

"Nice trick, Evelyn. So now that acting indifferent doesn't work, you're trying to get my attention by self-harming?

"Werewolf healing is strong. These wounds should've healed by now. Are you deliberately keeping them open just to gain my sympathy?"

Hearing those words, I realized that I wasn't even disappointed anymore.

Pure healers had extremely weak regeneration—even weaker than Omegas.

But it didn't matter. I had no interest in explaining.

Loving a heartless person was nothing but a waste of life—no matter how much blood, love, or hope you gave them.

His grip tightened painfully around my scars, but I didn't flinch.

It didn't matter.

The thought that I'd be leaving soon made the pain easier to bear.