Chapter 16: 28 days countdown
(Olivia’s POV)
Twenty-eight days left.
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I lay on the hospital bed, planning how to escape from here with my unborn pup.
Just then, the door creaked open, and Theodore came in again. I didn’t want to face him, so I quickly shut
my eyes, forced my breathing to remain steady, and pretended to be asleep. The mattress dipped as he
sat down beside me.
His large hand enveloped my cold fingers, and I could feel his burning gaze fixed on my face. The intensity
of his stare made my skin prickle, but I remained motionless.
“Livvy,What are you going to Northwood Manor for?” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
I didn’t answer, and it seemed he didn’t expect me to.
His tone was still doting, but it made my blood run cold. “You can never leave me. I will protect you and
never let you be harmed again.”
His other hand moved to caress my head and cheek with that familiar tenderness I once craved. The gentle touch that used to bring me comfort now felt like torture.
Tears slid down my face despite my efforts to remain still. I couldn’t stop them from betraying my
consciousness.
Memories flooded back of how Theodore used to care for me during my menstrual pain. After Leo’s birth,
the cramping had worsened significantly.
He would personally supervise my moonlight herb medication, his hands gentle as he massaged my aching stomach. He’d hold me close until I fell asleep, whispering soothing words against my hair.
Now his affection felt like poison coursing through my veins. Every tender gesture caused unbearable pain throughout my body.
The weight of his betrayal pressed down on my chest like a crushing stone. I don’t understand how he could sleep with Clara so casually when he loves me so deeply.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook my racing thoughts and I drifted into restless sleep. When consciousness
returned, I found myself in the back seat of Theodore’s SUV.
We were parked near The Crimson Pup Creche. Confusion clouded my mind as I tried to piece together how I’d gotten here.
I fumbled for my phone and dialed Dr. Aris’s number. The call went straight to voicemail. I tried again with
the same result.
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Chapter 16 28 days countdown
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What had happened at the infirmary? Why wouldn’t she answer?
At 4:30 PM, dismissal time approached and I felt dizzy as I stepped out of the car. The fresh air helped
clear my head slightly, so I decided to take a short walk.
Familiar voices drifted from nearby, and my heart clenched as I recognized Leo’s small voice.
“Dad, why does Aunt Clara have to leave?” Leo’s words carried the confusion of a child who didn’t
understand adult complications.
I moved closer, hiding behind the bushes to observe the scene unfolding before me.
“Aunt Clara went abroad, and I won’t see her anymore,” Leo continued, his voice breaking with unshed
tears.
Theodore stood coldly to one side, his face an emotionless mask. Clara knelt before Leo, her movements graceful and practiced as she wiped his tears with tissues.
“I promise I’ll call you from abroad, little one,” Clara said softly, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
Leo’s face brightened with sudden hope. “Can I go abroad with you? For early study abroad?”
The suggestion hit me like a physical blow. This woman had manipulated my son so completely that he
would choose her over his own parents.
Clara’s back was turned to Theodore, and I caught a glimpse of her triumphant smile.
“You can’t leave your parents for my sake,” Clara said with practiced concern. “Especially your mother. She
would be very sad.”
Leo’s expression turned grim. “Mother must have forced you to leave,” he said, his voice rising with anger. “She’s a bad woman. She’s so hateful!”
The words pierced my heart like silver daggers. My own son, calling me hateful for trying to protect our
family.
I clutched my chest, feeling like my heart might stop beating entirely. But I refused to run away this time.
I would endure this pain completely. I needed to see the full extent of what Clara had done to my child.
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed through the air. Theodore’s hand had struck Leo across the face with
brutal force.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him hit our son.
My heart leaped to my throat. A mother’s instinct still made her heart ache uncontrollably when she saw
Leo’s red and swollen cheek.
Clara let out an exaggerated cry and caught Leo just as he was about to fall.
“How dare you speak about your mother that way?” Theodore’s voice carried the oppressive weight of an Alpha’s power, “Your mother’s poor health is because she gave birth to you and raised you.”
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Chapter 16:28 days countdown
Leo cried in Clara’s arms while she made soothing sounds, “I wish Mother would just disappear,” Leo
sobbed against Clara’s shoulder. “Then you could become my mother instead. Rosie is so lucky to have
such a gentle mother.”
The child’s words shattered what remained of my heart. Clara had poisoned him so thoroughly against
Theodore snatched him from Clara’s arms. “I’ll say it again. If you speak about your mother like that one
more time, I won’t hesitate to lock you in the pack’s confinement cell.”
Clara grabbed Leo from Theodore’s grasp. “Don’t do that. Don’t scare him.”
After Clara whispered something in his ear, Leo looked up at Theodore with red-rimmed eyes.”I’m sorry, Dad. I know I was wrong.”
“You need to apologize to your sick mother,” Theodore commanded. “And behave properly from now on.”
Theodore then turned his cold gaze to Clara. “Go directly to the airport. Don’t return without my
permission.”
I watched as the three of them walked away together, their silhouettes forming a twisted family portrait.
“Rosie!” Leo called out affectionately as they moved toward a waiting car.
The unusual intimacy in his voice when speaking about this supposed stranger struck me as deeply
wrong.
My phone buzzed with an incoming call. Dr. Aris’s name flashed on the screen.
“Olivia!” she said breathlessly when I answered. “I’m so sorry I missed your calls. I was in emergency
surgery.”
“I’d like to know about that pup of Theodore’s you mentioned.” I asked, my voice barely steady.
“There’s a rumor circulating among the staff,” she said hesitantly. “About a young she-wolf who gave birth five years ago. The birth certificate lists Theodore Redgrave as the father.”
My hands began shaking uncontrollably. “What’s the child’s name?”
“Something with ‘R,” Dr. Aris said, then I heard her shouting to colleagues in the background. “Darling, were
you joking when you said Alfasi odore had another pup?”
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