Carena:We stared at each other, my steps slowing down in front of my house before I turned to give him my back.I was so angry that I didn't even want to face him again.What the heck was wrong with him?His ego was so big that he didn't even think about how he had hurt me, even after he calmed down.So, his anger was not the only problem he had."Dad! Please calm down," Maanya was speaking to Dad when I stepped into the house."It's all because of her!" Dad raised his head to acknowledge my arrival and then grunted as he pointed his finger at me.I had no clue what had happened now and what I had done wrong this time.Maanya had served dinner for Dad, but it seemed like something so bad had happened that he hadn't eaten anything."What happened?" I asked, reaching them."Step away from Dad," Maanya warned me, her eyes filled with anger for me."Why are you guys treating me like a culprit? Sawyer has moved on. I just saw him share a very intimate moment with his fated mate," I argued
Ashley:I couldn't believe Sawyer came home in such a good mood but then went straight to his study. At least I had Payton and Ronan to lean on for comfort."Here, I got you this," Ronan said, handing me a coffee and smiling at me.I was lucky to have friends here. Living alone and fighting alone while trying to win Sawyer’s love would have been so difficult if everyone was against me, just like they were against Carena. That's why I made sure to stay on good terms with everyone."Thank you. I don't know what I would do without the two of you," I said, giving them a sad smile as I sipped my coffee."Hey, why do you sound so low? She was never your competition. And now she's gone too. Sawyer hasn’t asked about her even once. He threw out her clothes and stuff the minute he got back home. He’s done with her," Payton was right.This is exactly how Sawyer was. He didn't really care about anyone."I’m sure he is. I remember when our breakup happened, he was so quick to forget about me," I
Carena:I listened to him speak with the confidence of an alpha king, but this time, I refused to submit to him like the Luna Queen he envisioned. That phase of my life was over. I have grown up now and no longer wanted a charming prince to come riding his horse and save me with his intimate kiss.After enduring enough of his rambling, I tilted my head and spoke with certainty."I'm not here to beg you or to be accepted by you. I'm here to ask you, how do you call yourself an alpha king and then turn your back on your words?"I watched him squint, trying to grasp what he had just heard. But I wasn't finished yet."I appreciate you making me believe I made the right choice, but I never expected you to stoop so low," my tone turned harsh, deepening his frown as he slammed his hand on the table. It was his way of warning me to quit yapping."Watch your tongue, Carena!" he bellowed.Though my body flinched, I quickly regained my composure. I needed to confront him for what he had done to
Carena: Once I stepped back into my house, I caught my father and sister staring at me with confusion written all over their faces."What happened? Please don't tell me he's so upset that he didn't accept your apology," my sister stood up beside my father, her hands clasped together as if pleading for the answer she hoped to hear."I didn't go there to apologize to him," I raised my voice, startling her enough to take a step back, her eyes fixed on my face with her mouth slightly agape."How could you two--why did you lie to me?" I yelled, feeling drained from constantly being manipulated by so many people. Was my worth not even considered?My father appeared so stunned by my statement that he hurriedly got up and rushed toward me. Grabbing my arms, he shook my body, confirming my suspicion that he had indeed lied."Why the hell would you go there if you didn't want to apologize?" he demanded, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from me."You two lied to me. And I went there to
Carena:The melodic chirping of birds and the warm sunlight streaming through the window signaled the arrival of morning. I forced my eyes open and realized I was lying on the cold bedroom floor. With effort, I struggled to rise, my body feeling numb on one side. Sitting up, I surveyed the room, realizing I had passed out there the night before.Glancing at the clock on the wall, another shock hit me. "9 am! I'm so late," I muttered to myself, noting with a pang that no one had come to check on me. It was saddening because I should have known I always deal with sorrow alone.As I showered, memories of last night flooded back. Sawyer with Ashley, my father's slap, and then those screams and the earthquake. "No!" I immediately regretted opening my mouth under the rush of water. But surely, the earthquake wasn't my doing. My freak-out wasn't that special. It was probably just an anxiety attack. Why the hell would the world shake when I am angry?Pushing aside my worries, I focused on get
Carena:I left the bakery with him after telling Yamin I needed to go fetch my ID. The car ride was terribly quiet. However, I did notice him adjusting his mirror a few times to keep an eye on me. He hadn't really said much until we were outside the office. He led me in and flicked on the light, chuckling to himself. I reckon he wanted me to ask why he was laughing so he could say something absurd to me. So, I kept quiet and didn't respond to his little chuckling."Have a seat," he said, plopping down and gesturing to the chair. Before leaving the bakery, he grabbed a donut which he now chewed on rather ungracefully."I'm fine, thank you. I'll just grab my ID and head home," I muttered, not in the mood for conversation."What's the rush? Sit down," he insisted, but it sounded more like a command. I was slightly taken aback by the way he kept smirking, as if he had uncovered my secret or something. So, I sat down with my spine erect, ready to bolt once I got my hands on my ID."I've be
Carena:“Here’s your ID. Keep it safe because I heard someone in the North is stealing identities,” he whispered as he got closer, too close for my comfort.I tried to snatch it out of his hands, but he held it so tight that my fingers slipped over it. It was only after I shot him a disapproving glare that he let it go.His face was so close to mine that I could clearly see the brown in his eyes.“Let’s drop you home now, Miss Arrogant Carena!”It really hit me when he used that word for me. I was always known as the nice girl. The naive and idiot girl, in fact.I don’t know why, but hearing the word “arrogant” didn’t offend me. For the first time in my life, it felt like somebody recognized that I do have a spine.I walked out to sit in the back seat when I noticed him holding the passenger seat open for me.“You don’t want people to think you were arrested, do you?” That man was so cunning.He was able to make me agree with him in such a sly way. I walked over to the passenger side
Carena:I was staring at her face in disbelief. Is this what she thought of me?"You didn't say all that when you asked me to marry Sawyer right after I was rejected by my first mate," I said, folding my arms over my chest, casually calling her out on her hypocrisy."So now you're talking back to me? Where are you getting this confidence from?" she replied, folding her arms over her chest, looking shocked as if she were the only one who could defend herself."I guess I've come to realize that in order to live in this world, I will have to stand up for myself," I replied, grabbing the bowl of white rice out of her hands and walking out of the kitchen to serve it on the table.Theodore was engaging in a conversation with my father, who was pretending to be in a pleasant mood. I knew him too well.After all the food was set out, I sat down with Theodore while Maanya was sitting with my dad and eating.It was my first meal with them after I told them I was leaving Sawyer."So, how is work