Chapter 3

When Jade opened the door and saw my tear-stained face, she jumped in alarm and quickly pulled me inside.

"Nora? What happened? Didn't you say you were going to ask Kai for a divorce? Did he fight with you?"

All the emotions I'd bottled up that night came crashing down. I buried myself in her arms and told her everything about Kai.

Jade's eyes went wide as saucers, her face full of disbelief.

"This is more insane than a movie plot! There are actually werewolves in the real world?"

"So he's not impotent-he's afraid of losing control and hurting you? And he's had a crush on you for four or five years?"

"Yes." I sniffled and grabbed the whiskey from the table, taking a large gulp,

"But my head's a complete mess right now, Jade. I don't know how to face him."

"So what are you going to do? Actually get divorced?" Jade handed me a tissue, asking carefully.

My hand holding the glass froze.

Divorce?

I'd been set on divorce before because I thought this marriage had no love-only half-hearted obligation.

But now that I knew about all his restraint and deep feelings, I couldn't bring myself to say the word "divorce."

Yet I couldn't immediately accept that he was a werewolf and interact with him without any reservations either.

"I don't know." I took another gulp of whiskey, my eyes reddening even more,

"I just feel so confused. He kept me in the dark for so long. Now when I look at him, he feels like a stranger."

Jade didn't push me further, just kept me company as I drank glass after glass.

My mind was chaotic and stifled. I drank quickly and heavily, and before long, my consciousness grew fuzzy.

In my daze, I thought I heard my phone vibrating non-stop, but my eyelids felt glued shut. I simply turned off my phone, rolled over, and passed out.

Meanwhile, at the villa,

Kai sat in the living room all night, the ashtray piling up with cigarette butts as the bloodshot in his eyes grew heavier.

Looking at the messages that remained unanswered, his mood grew increasingly heavy, but he didn't dare push too hard, afraid I'd become even more resistant.

He leaned back, muttering to himself, "Nora, what am I supposed to do with you?"

When I woke up the next day, my head felt like it was about to explode, my throat was parched, and my whole body was weak.

Rubbing my neck, I picked up my phone. The moment I turned it on, a flood of messages and missed calls poured in.

Reading through dozens of messages made my chest ache.

Jade woke up too, yawning as she asked me, "Awake? Figured things out yet?"

I shook my head, but I knew that no matter how confused I felt, I couldn't keep hiding here forever.

What needed to be faced would eventually have to be faced.

After saying goodbye to Jade, I drove back to the villa.

As soon as I pushed open the front door, the heavy smell of cigarette smoke hit me.

Kai sat on the couch, radiating unmistakable exhaustion.

Hearing the door open, he whipped his head around. The moment he saw me, he immediately stood and strode quickly toward me.

"Nora, you're back." His voice was extremely hoarse, his gaze urgently scanning me,

"Are you hungry? I kept some porridge warm for you."

His cautious demeanor made me feel even worse.

But thinking about how he'd hidden things from me for six months, I hardened my heart and didn't respond.

Just then, his gaze fell on my neck, and his pupils constricted sharply.

In that instant, I clearly felt the surrounding air turn cold.

An extremely strong sense of oppression emanated from him, and even his breathing grew several times heavier.

He opened his mouth, his Adam's apple rolling repeatedly. "You... who were you with last night?"

"None of your business. I didn't sleep well last night. I'm going upstairs."

I waved him off and walked straight upstairs without another glance.

After I turned to go upstairs, Kai's fists clenched so tight his knuckles went white, and he ground his teeth.

The werewolf possessiveness over one's fated mate was an instinct carved into their bloodline.

Those overlapping red marks on my neck stabbed into his heart like needles.

Jealousy and pain submerged him like a tidal wave, but he didn't even have the right to question me.

He was the one who'd hidden his identity first. He was the one who'd never dared touch her, making her suffer so much grievance.

He closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the metallic taste rising in his throat, left only with overwhelming bitterness.