Chapter 3

"Grace, what happened?"

Victor pulled Grace into his chest, his eyes filled with worry.

Grace shook her head, looking utterly heartbroken.

"Nothing, Victor. It’s my fault. Don't blame Lily."

The more she played the martyr, the more Victor believed I had bullied her.

"Lily!"

He barked at me, his face cold. "Apologize to her!"

His tone was commanding, as if he were ordering a servant.

A cold smirk played on my lips.

He frowned, looking extremely annoyed.

"Grace grew up with me. She's like a sister to me!"

"She is my family. Why do you always have so much malice toward her?"

"Can't you just be nice to her for my sake?"

I stared at him blankly. I had seen this exact scene play out a thousand times three years ago.

I was sick of it.

Just as I was about to kick them out, my phone on the counter rang with a FaceTime call.

The screen lit up: *Baby Boy.*

The moment Victor saw the caller ID, his eyes lit up.

He reached out and swiped the screen before I could stop him.

I quickly snatched the phone back. Two-year-old Leo's adorable face appeared on the screen.

"Mommy, I miss you."

Hearing that sweet little voice call me "Mommy" made Victor practically vibrate with excitement.

He was absolutely convinced I had given birth to his son.

I quickly said a few words to Leo.

Before Victor could grab my phone to talk to him, I ended the call.

"Let me see my son!"

Victor was grinning from ear to ear. His anger vanished instantly, as if it had never happened.

Grace's face turned incredibly pale.

"He is not your son!"

I looked at him, my voice freezing cold.

"Stop bothering me. Both of you are insane."

He didn't get mad. Instead, he chuckled, still in his delusional world.

"Alright, alright, stop being stubborn."

"I really miss you and our boy."

I realized then that a man as arrogant as Victor would never believe I didn't love him anymore unless he saw my new Alpha with his own eyes.

He suddenly said, "My mother's birthday party is in a few days."

"You're a good cook. Prepare some of her favorite dishes."

"Use this chance to fix your relationship with her."

"Now that you've given her a grandson, she won't make things hard for you anymore."

So he *did* know.

During our three-year marriage, Elder Luna Margaret Smith had humiliated me in front of the entire pack, claiming I was unworthy.

Even though I was Victor's wife, she banned me from attending any official pack events.

When I tried to greet her politely, she would turn her back on me.

And through all of her bullying, Victor had always stayed silent.

I let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "Victor, why didn't I even have the right to eat dinner with your mother back then?"

He hesitated for a second.

"That's because you didn't know how to please her."

Grace chipped in, fake-smiling. "Lily, it's not humiliating for a junior to beg an elder. His mother loves it when people bow down to her."

She was subtly telling me to get on my knees and beg.

I smiled coldly. I looked straight into Victor's dark eyes, my voice dead serious.

"Victor, it’s been three years. Everything has changed."

"I am married. And the kid is not yours."

Then, I turned to Grace.

"Maybe you should do the kneeling. Who knows? Maybe you’ll finally get a chance to be the next Luna."