Kael wouldn't allow pets. Said they were too messy and expensive and needy. But I've always wanted one. Always dreamed about having a loyal companion. Someone who loves unconditionally. Who's always happy to see you. Who just wants to be near you. A dog seemed like the physical embodiment of pure joy.
Nash walks over from where he was adjusting garland on the mantle, his blue eyes soft and reassuring.
"The shelters don't close until 6pm the day before Christmas Eve, Sugarplum. We should make it on time even with the hearing. What time is the court date scheduled for?"
I look back down at the paper, scanning for the time.
"Two pm. Tomorrow. December twenty-third."
Nash nods confidently. "We should definitely make it to the shelter even if things run into overtime. Most hearings don't go past three hours maximum. That gives us plenty of buffer time. We'll get your puppy."
Relief floods through me. "Really? We can still go?"
"Really," he confirms with a small smile. "We're not letting Kael's nonsense ruin our Christmas plans. That's exactly what he wants. We're not giving him that power."
After my complete panic attack meltdown last week outside Charlotte's office—which I'm still slightly embarrassed about even though Nash keeps telling me it was completely understandable and normal—we went inside to confront Kael.
Except we didn't have to.
Charlotte had already shooed away Kael and his so-called 'lawyer' because of their hostile and aggressive behavior toward her staff. Apparently Kael started yelling and making threats the moment Charlotte questioned the validity of his claims. Made himself look terrible. Made it easy for Charlotte to kick them out.
So we didn't have to confront them face-to-face after all that mental preparation. Part of me was relieved. Part of me felt like I'd psyched myself up for nothing. But mostly I was just grateful I didn't have to see Kael's face or hear his voice or smell his scent.
After Nash and Theo and Grayson explained everything to Charlotte—showed her all the documentation they'd been secretly gathering, all the evidence proving Kael was lying, all the legal verification that my dissolution was completely legitimate—Charlotte immediately decided to stay firmly on our side. She said to let Kael's defamation tactics go into full effect.
Let him commit completely to his lies.
Then we'd destroy him with facts.
That was when the absolute chaos started to explode on social media.
Kael went absolutely nuclear on every social media platform.
TikTok. Instagram. Twitter. Facebook. Even LinkedIn somehow. Telling anyone and everyone who would possiblylisten that I was a cheater and a liar and a fraud. That I was using my new pack cynically for fame and money and clout.
That I'd never properly or legally dissolved our pack bond. I was violating sacred pack law. A calculating gold-digger who deliberately trapped innocent unsuspecting Alphas. That everything about my entire social media presence was fake and staged and scripted. I was a manipulative Omega who knew exactly what she was doing to gain sympathy and followers.
He posted long rambling rants filled with lies.
Made dramatic videos with crying and yelling. Did multiple live streams where he answered questions and spun more lies. Showed up uninvited in my comment sections on every single post.
Tagged me repeatedly in posts and stories. His entire pack members joined in the campaign. Created a coordinated harassment effort. It was relentless and overwhelming and absolutely terrifying to watch unfold.
His pack mates made their own posts.
Shared old photos of me looking sad or tired with captions about how miserable I made everyone. Claimed I was difficult to live with. Said I was lazy and entitled. Made up stories about me being mean or rude or selfish.
Created this entirely fictional narrative about who I was as a person.
Drama channels picked up the story. Made videos analyzing everything. Dissecting my relationship timeline. Questioning my motives. Speculating about my character. Getting details wrong but presenting them as facts. Getting millions of views off my pain.
That was probably the hardest part of the entire last week.
Maybe the hardest week of my entire life including when I actually lived with Kael. Watching my carefully built follower count drop by thousands daily.The negative hateful commentsflood in faster than I could delete them. Brand deals get put on indefinite hold or cancelled entirely. People I genuinely thought were supporters and friends turn on me instantly. Complete strangers dissect my entire life and relationship and judge me harshly without knowing anything real or true about the actual situation.
I cried constantly.
Had multiple severe panic attacks daily. Stopped posting any new content. Gave up checking my phone unless Nash or Theo or Grayson made me eat or shower. Stopped sleeping properly because nightmares about Kael taking me back kept waking me up.
