54. Into The Dark

The following day, the newspaper reached the masses, announcing to the public the divorce between Alpha Callum and Luna Viviana of the Savage Howl Pack. The news took everyone by surprise, reaching far and wide.

After reading the joint statement between the ex-couple, people from all walks of life began gossiping about the real reason why the legal separation of the powerful couple took place.

Meanwhile, in the beach house, Viviana was crying her heart out while reading the news. Today she was officially a nobody in her ex-husband's life.

Mia rubbed her friend's back, comforting her. "Shh, don't take it too hard. Just be glad that it's over now. You can finally begin a new life with your baby in your womb. Days will pass by, and the people will forget what happened. They will easily move on from one news story to another."

Enraged, Viviana threw the newspaper on the floor.

Mia sighed. She picked up the newspaper and dropped it in the trash can where it should belong so it could no longer hurt her friend. "What do you want to do today? Swim at the beach?" she asked, looking outside the window as the sun was about to set on the horizon.

"Let's go to the bar tonight!" Viviana suggested between tears.

Mia shook her head. "No. You are pregnant, you are not allowed to drink hard liquor. It's bad for the baby's health," she reminded her sternly. "I can't stay longer to be with you. I need to go back to the hospital," she added.

Viviana sighed. "OK, I understand. I'll go to the bar alone without you," she said stubbornly.

Mia took a deep breath, annoyed that her friend was acting stubbornly again. "Just stay here and don't go to shady places. Besides, you can't escape your bodyguards. They will follow you everywhere. They will never allow you to enter the club and Alpha Callum will forbid it."

"Then what should I do? How to numb the pain I feel inside?" Viviana asked, her eyes swollen with tears.

Here we go again.

Mia rolled her eyes. "You have the TV and the internet here. You have endless entertainment at your fingertips. You can watch millions of free movies and documentaries to pass your idle time. Find something interesting to watch online. Develop some hobbies like reading books, gardening, knitting and many more. You can also swim and stroll on the beach. You have money. You can do anything just avoid doing bad activities that can harm your body and your unborn child. Don't be stubborn, OK?"

"Yes, Mom." Viviana finally smiled, wiping her tears with a tissue. "I'm done crying. I'm fine now. Thank you for always looking after me. How I wish you were my mother," she joked.

Mia giggled. "I'm glad you're smiling now."

"Yeah. I'm fine now. I need to cry earlier because the pain is too much for me to handle, so crying is my only option for releasing my pain. If I don't cry and keep hiding my sorrow inside, my heart will explode." Viviana defended her meltdown. "You are right, I'm a lucky woman. I have everything I need, and I don't have to work every day to pay bills. Instead of sulking and licking my wounds, I should enjoy my life. It's about time I enjoyed my millions," she said, her eyes gleaming.

Mia eyed Viviana's face closely. "How will you enjoy your millions?" she asked suspiciously.

"By shopping in high-end stores with you! Let's go shopping today!" Viviana exclaimed.

"Next week, not now. I still need to return to the hospital every day to take care of my mother," Mia said.

"OK. Next week then," Viviana smiled excitedly.

"So what will you do now to entertain yourself?" Mia asked.

"I will watch movies, concerts and documentary films online. Then I would stroll on the beach every morning and meditate in my room. Maybe I will start a knitting hobby, make myself productive and busy, so I can recover quickly from my misery," Viviana said cheerily.

Mia smiled, pleased with her friend's answer. "I'm glad you are back on track. Don't let the pain of your divorce kick you down the gutter. Hold your head high and show the world that you are a strong woman. You don't need a man to survive and make you happy. You can do it on your own. OK?"

Viviana smiled and hugged her friend. "You're simply the best! Thank you for always being there for me through my highs and lows. I'm so lucky to have you as my best friend," she said gratefully.

Mia smiled and patted her friend's back. "I only want what's best for you."

They looked at each other and smiled.

"Come, let's stroll along the beach and watch the sunset before you leave," Viviana said cheerily.

"Okie Dokie," Mia responded with a smile.

The two women left the house, went to the beach and sat on the sun lounger, admiring the picturesque view of the beach and the beautiful sunset on the horizon.

After watching the sunset together, Mia left the beach and returned to the hospital to be with her mother.

That night, after dinner, Viviana retired to her room early.

She lay on the bed and watched two horror films that she truly enjoyed watching because of their suspenseful and gripping tales of survival.

After she finished watching the films, she browsed online stores, looking for something to buy for her and her baby.

After an hour of browsing online stores, nothing caught her fancy.

Feeling bored, she exited the online store and found herself venturing into the dark web.

That night, she went to sleep at 1:00 a.m., immensely enjoying her dark web experience. She found an interesting chat room there that caught her attention and she interacted with the anonymous users there.

She got the high she craved in that chat room after meeting several interesting individuals.

She slept peacefully that night, wearing a bright smile on her face.

...

Meanwhile, at the rental house 8 hours earlier.

Alpha Callum and Clarice can be seen cuddling, talking to each other on the bed. They had just finished eating dinner and were having a private moment in the bedroom while their son Caden was playing with his toys downstairs in the living room with Lorey.

"Babe, next month, you and Caden will finally live with me in the mansion. We will be together every day as one happy family. Then, after six months, we will have our lavish wedding attended by the leaders of the other packs. But if you are not comfortable seeing Alpha Bruce and Luna Aurelia again, we will not invite them," Alpha Callum said.

Clarice fell silent for a moment, weighing her options.

Alpha Callum noticed her silence. "Are you okay, babe?"

Clarice nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"But if you are not comfortable meeting your enemies, we will just keep our wedding simple and private. We will only invite a few people so that our wedding will be solemn, and you will enjoy the special event without worrying that the guests will discover your true identity," Alpha Callum suggested.

Clarice shook her head. "Nah, I'd be fine if you invited all the leaders of the pack to our wedding. I can't hide forever. I have to face them with my new identity. The old me was already dead in their eyes. It's about time they met the new me," she said boldly and confidently.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yup. I'm 100% sure!" Clarice smiled mischievously.

Alpha Callum noticed a malicious glimmer in her eyes. "Are you planning on doing something terrible to your former best friend on our wedding day?" he asked.