Marcus’s mother was stunned.
She looked at me in disbelief. “Don’t you love Marcus the most? You used to be willing to do anything for him.”
“Once Marcus just had an argument with you, and you went out of your way to get him everything he wanted to make him happy.
“Now Marcus is just giving Serena a title and the child a home. He doesn’t mean anything else by it. Why are you being so stubborn?”
Her bringing up the past filled me with complicated emotions.
I was so foolish before.
I was too humble in this relationship.
I clearly came from an excellent family, yet I let Marcus manipulate me. I made everything about him, constantly afraid he
would be unhappy or upset.
Marcus figured out my temperament and became increasingly demanding.
He always belittled me, threatening to break up at the slightest provocation. The more he did this, the more anxious I became, worried he would abandon me.
Perhaps this was exactly why Marcus dared to openly bond with Serena.
He must have thought I had been completely “tamed.”
I had never been in a relationship before. I thought loving someone meant making them happy.
But I never considered that loving someone should first make yourself happy.
Thinking of this, I smiled at Marcus’s mother. It wasn’t a warm smile–it was the cold, calculated smile of someone who had finally seen through all the lies.
“Auntie, the past is the past, and now is now.”
“If I can’t get a satisfactory answer today, I’ll have no choice but to call the enforcement squad.”
My voice was steady and calm, but there was steel underneath. I was done being the weak, desperate girl who would do anything to keep their approval.
I opened the door and walked out, my head held high.
Marcus’s mother followed behind me, her desperation quickly turning to vicious anger as she realized her manipulation tactics weren’t working anymore.
She hissed at me in a rage: “Aria, you’d better think about the consequences of what you’re doing.”
“Plenty of people saw you acting like a homewrecker today. Everyone at this party witnessed you trying to break up a happy family.”
Her voice was getting shriller: “Whether it’s true or not, your reputation is completely ruined now. The whole pack will know what kind of person you really are.”
“When you come crawling back begging Marcus to bond with you–and you will–our family might not even be willing to take you back!”
She was practically spitting with fury: “You think you can find someone better than my son? You’re delusional! No decent Alpha will want damaged goods!”
I was so angry I could feel my wolf stirring beneath my skin, wanting to tear this woman’s throat out.
But I controlled myself and shot back: “Don’t worry about me finding someone, Auntie. I already have a mate–one who’s ten thousand times better than Marcus in every possible way.”
Her face went white with shock: “You’re lying! You’re just saying that to make us jealous!”
“Who would want you after this? You’re just a used–up omega who threw herself at my son for years!”
I picked up my phone from the floor where it had fallen during the earlier chaos, ready to call the enforcement squad immediately.
But before I could dial, Marcus grabbed my wrist hard enough to leave bruises.
His face was twisted with rage and something that looked almost like panic.
He said coldly, “Aria, you’re determined to destroy everything Serena and I carefully arranged for the child, aren’t you?”
“You can’t stand to see us happy, so you’re going to ruin an innocent child’s birthday celebration?”
His grip tightened painfully: “Fine. I’ve been trying to be nice to you for old times‘ sake, but you’re forcing my hand.”
“I won’t protect you from these people anymore.”
He turned to address the troublemakers around us, his voice carrying the authority he thought he still had: “Tie her up. Don’t let her keep causing trouble and ruining everything.”
“She wants to call the enforcement squad? Let’s make sure she can’t use that phone for a while.”
In an instant, seven or eight men surrounded me, their faces eager and cruel.
1/2
They’d been wanting to put me in my place all evening, and now they finally had permission.
“About time!” one of them sneered. “This bitch has been asking for it.”
“Let’s teach her some manners,” another added, cracking his knuckles.
They started dragging me toward the dark basement, their hands rough and grabbing
I could smell the alcohol on their breath, see the nasty gleam in their eyes.
Before we even reached the door, they started getting violent. One shoved me hard, making me stumble. Another grabbed my
hair.
