Chapter 6 Call off the wedding

I awoke with a jolt, startled by the relentless vibration of my phone on the bedside table. My heart was pounding wildly, rattled by the sudden disturbance from my sleep. I fumbled around in a daze, trying to locate the annoying device with my blurry vision.

Finally, my fingers closed around the familiar surface of my phone, and I hastily checked the caller ID. The name of my cheating ex, Brent, flashed across the screen. Narrowing my eyes, I pressed the reject button, tossing the phone aside and flopping back onto the bed. The display showed 32 missed calls and a stream of messages across SMS and social media from him. I snorted derisively.

Turning my head to the side, I scanned my room. A wry smile crept onto my face when my gaze landed on the crumpled wedding dress in the corner. I was supposed to be getting married today... a day I had dreamed of and meticulously planned for years, shattered in mere moments.

My phone vibrated noisily in my hand again, displaying yet another call from Brent. With an internal sigh, I answered.

"What?" I sneered into the phone.

"Anastasia, please, you have to believe me, it's not what it looked like..." Brent began hurriedly, only for me to cut him off with an incredulous laugh.

"Oh, f*ck off, Brent. It was exactly what it looked like, and you know it. Don't take me for a fool more than you already have. We're done."

"Wait! Anastasia! You can't be serious? One mistake after all these years..."

"Only one? That's funny... Eve was quite eager to fill me in on all the glorious details of your sordid relationship over the years that you conducted behind my back."

"What? She's lying! I swear, Anastasia, it was only once, and I was blind drunk..."

"She's pregnant with your child, Brent," I spat icily.

A cold silence stretched between us for several minutes. I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling cold. I wished Maine would chime in with some cocky, inappropriate comment, but since we returned last night, there had been nothing but silence.

"Impossible. It's not my child. There's no way..." Brent finally answered, a note of panic in his voice.

"I don't care, Brent. This isn't my business. Find a way to sort it out yourself," I replied flippantly, already building walls around my heart so he could never hurt me like this again.

"What? Of course, it's your business! You'll be my wife in a matter of hours! We can face this together, Anastasia. We'll work through it..."

I let out a loud snort followed by a harsh, mocking laugh, completely devoid of any genuine amusement. "Are you seriously suggesting I go through with the wedding after all of this, Brent? Get over yourself. I absolutely refuse to play stepmother to my step-sister's child... that's beyond any kind of twisted situation I could imagine," I sneered with derision.

"You can't just call off the wedding! We've spent months organizing everything! People have traveled from different counties just to be here! What am I supposed to tell everyone?" Brent protested.

"Tell them you slept with my sister. Honesty isn't exactly your specialty, is it?" I shot back.

"Anastasia... please..."

"Go to hell, Brent. I hope your wolf leaves you."

"Anastasia... don't..."

"I, Anastasia Vanes, reject you..."

The line suddenly went dead, leaving the beeping sound of a disconnected call ringing in my ear. I stared at the phone incredulously.

"Did he just... MOTHER...F*CKER!" I screamed, hurling my phone across the room, watching it ricochet off the wall and land on the floor. If Brent thought he could avoid my rejection that easily, he had another thing coming. I slipped off the bed angrily, quickly taking a shower and washing my hair before getting ready.

"Self-centered, arrogant little prick. How dare he refuse to acknowledge my rejection? Just wait until I get my hands on that little twerp," I muttered furiously as I hurriedly dressed, retrieving my phone from where it had landed.

Storming out of the bedroom, I barely dodged the housekeepers as I entered the kitchen, intent on grabbing a quick breakfast to go.

The kitchen staff handed me a bag with a hastily prepared bacon and egg panini, and I thanked them quickly before turning and colliding headfirst into Eve.

Eve shrieked as the coffee she carried spilled down her front, glaring at me with fury.

"Watch where you're going, freak! Damn it! This was new, and now it's completely ruined!" she wailed.

"New? I thought hand-me-downs were more your style," I snapped, pushing past her.

"Aww, is the little princess sore because I'll be marrying her man? I'm obviously the better choice. Honestly, Anastasia, you're already unpleasant to look at, and if you let jealousy consume you even more, no one will ever want you."

Eve's shrill laugh pierced through me, and I whirled around, snarling furiously, charging towards her.

She yelped, fear filling her eyes as she tried to retreat, but she was too slow.

I slammed her against the wall with enough force to knock the air from her lungs. My forearm pressed dangerously against her neck as she gasped for breath, panic-stricken eyes locked onto mine.

The fury I felt was unlike anything I had ever known, my eyes blazing with an intensity that even startled me. In a voice dripping with menace, I snarled at Eve, communicating my deadly intent with absolute clarity.

"You've gone too far this time, Eve. Brent is all yours—keep him, enjoy all the time you want with him, have as many pups as you desire, and live blissfully. But know this: never darken my doorstep or speak to me again, do you understand?"

Eve nodded furiously, her face turning a frightening shade of purple as she clawed desperately at my arm.

"If I ever hear of any harm coming to my father or if he meets an untimely end, I will return with a wrath you've never witnessed before, and I won't hesitate to destroy both you and your mother. Am I clear?" I roared, full of rage.

Eve nodded again, her eyes beginning to roll up into her skull as her attempts to fight off my hold grew weaker.

With a derisive snort, I released her roughly. Casting one final look of contempt over my shoulder, I headed for the front door.

"What is going on here?!" my father's voice boomed angrily from behind me. I heard Nerissa's terrified cries as she fussed over Eve, who had slumped to the floor.

I paused and slowly turned to face my father.

"I'm stepping aside. I won't be marrying Brent today, or ever," I said calmly.

"You can't just call off..."

"Eve is pregnant with Brent's child," I interjected coldly, cutting him off.

My father paled, and Nerissa's genuine gasp of shock forced an ironic smile to twitch at the corners of my lips. It was probably the first sincere reaction I had ever witnessed from Nerissa.

"So you see, Father, I'm stepping aside and letting Eve take my place in this marriage."