So I gathered my courage and pursued him earnestly. After I became his mate, I held myself to the standards of the perfect wife every single day. I prepared delicious meals for him,organized everything he needed for work and travel, and racked my brain to plan romantic surprises for every holiday.
Even though I always knew Elias's heart wasn't with me, I believed that with enough effort, we could build a happy family and fulfill my lifelong dream.
For a while, I even thought I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Elias stopped rejecting me the way he had when we first married. He carefully ate every meal I brought him. He exposed his vulnerable throat in front of me, letting me tie his tie like a real partner.
These small, ordinary moments were so mundane, yet they filled me with happiness and hope for the future.
Until the day I saw disgust on Elias's face—the same look everyone else gave me. That was when I realized he had been lying all along.
Happiness and hope were just bubbles rising from that fountain, fragile and fleeting.
All those fairy-tale dreams had turned into nightmares.
I didn't notice when Alfred left.
When I came back to myself, tears had streamed down my face. I slid off the chair, cold sweat soaking through my clothes, too weak to even crawl up.
"Luna, are you all right?" Lizzie rushed in and held me, screaming, "Get Dr. Charles, quickly!"
I clutched her arm, trying to refuse, but the dizziness made it impossible to speak. The room spun around me, and the nausea intensified. Lizzie helped me onto the bed in my room. Twenty minutes later, the family doctor finally arrived.
He examined me carefully, and I nearly threw up several times during the process.
When he finally set down his stethoscope, his face held a strange mix of surprise, joy, and disbelief.
"Luna"—he cleared his throat—"congratulations."
I blinked in confusion. "What?"
"You're pregnant," Charles announced happily. "The baby is about three weeks along. Your symptoms are just normal pregnancy reactions."
Pregnant. Me?
I thought I must have heard wrong.
But werewolf hearing didn't make mistakes—especially when Lizzie started shrieking with excitement beside me.
Elias's child.
Our child.
My hand moved instinctively to my stomach. An intense tremor ran from my skin all the way to my scalp.
I looked out the window. Bright sunlight streamed in. I hadn't been outside in so long—not since my confinement began.
Suddenly, I realized this child could be my chance—a way out of here. Elias hated me, despised me, but he shouldn't hate his ownchild. I knew how desperately the Vernal pack wanted a new life. Maybe this baby could bridge the chasm between us.
Just imagining it made those old dream-bubbles rise to the surface again. All the memories of my time with Elias, all the kindness and protection he had once shown me—maybe I could find that Elias again.
We still had a chance to be a happy family.
CHAPTER 2
ELIAS VERNAL
In the noisy bar, I threw back a large gulp of smooth whiskey. Ice cubes clinked against the glass, and when I set it down, a woman's reflection appeared on its surface.
"Hey, Elias. You're alone tonight?"
