Chapter 2

Adrian froze when I pushed him away.

Seeing the bright red mark on my cheek, regret and pain slowly filled his eyes.

"Elena, I'm sorry..."

"I didn't mean to. Please, let me look at it..."

Before he could reach me again, Lydia appeared at the doorway, her face pale and tears streaming down her cheeks.

She ran into the room and fell straight to her knees in front of me.

"Elena, this has nothing to do with Adrian! It's all my fault..."

"Blame me, hit me, scream at me if you want! But why did you have to turn the entire social circle against me?"

"I... I didn't even want to live anymore because of the hate..."

Adrian stood between us, but it didn't take him long to make his choice.

He turned his back on me, gently lifting Lydia from the floor and carefully wiping her tears.

He handled her as if she were a fragile piece of glass.

The tenderness in his eyes when he looked at Lydia felt like a thousand needles stabbing into my chest.

It hurt so bad I could barely breathe.

Once upon a time, he used to look at me like that.

When we were eighteen, Adrian would beat up any pack member who dared to bully me.

He always fought for my honor.

I remembered the golden sunset bathing his young face, and a ten-centimeter gash bleeding across his chest.

The healer said it was a miracle the blade wasn't silver and hadn't pierced his heart.

But Adrian hadn't cared about the pain. He only cared about my tears.

"As long as I'm breathing, I will protect you."

"Nobody gets to bully my Elena!"

"If they try, I'll make them pay a thousand times over, even if it kills me!"

Back then, my heart beat like a drum, and my tears flowed freely—deeply, desperately in love with his fierce protection.

But now, looking at the two of them comforting each other, my mind flashed through all the other women Adrian had held.

And then, I remembered kneeling on the floor, begging him to stay, while the pack members mocked me behind my back.

I finally realized that for the last five years, I hadn't been waiting for him to love me again.

I had just been waiting for my own heart to completely die.

The rage and sorrow in my chest suddenly vanished, replaced by an eerie, hollow peace.

I touched my burning cheek.

It was dry. No more tears.

I looked up and caught the flash of smug triumph in Lydia's eyes.

"I'm letting you go," I whispered.

I turned to leave, but Adrian grabbed my arm in a death grip.

His eyes were red, and a rare flicker of panic crossed his face. His voice trembled slightly.

"Elena Miller, stop right there!"

"If you walk out that door, I swear to God I will..."

"Then do it," I interrupted, pulling my arm free. "Reject me. It's what you want anyway."

Adrian made a move to follow me, but Lydia's pathetic sobbing pulled him back.

By the time he finished comforting her, I was already gone.

***