Jaxson’s voice was gentle, almost teasing, and the ends of his damp hair brushed lightly against Aveline’s cheek. But instead of stirring any warmth in her heart, the touch made her skin prickle with unease.
After discovering the affair with Lirael, Aveline had drawn a line. Whenever Jaxson reached for her, she always had a reason–any reason–not to let him near. His hands wandered aimlessly, never crossing the boundary she hadn’t allowed.
He was careful not to touch the places that would really make her react.
He was holding back–waiting for her to say yes.
There was a time when that kind of restraint meant everything to her. It had felt like love–that no matter how much he wanted her, he would never push her beyond her will.
She used to believe it was his way of loving her. But now she understood–when he didn’t get what he wanted, he simply turned to someone else. That was his idea of love. What a joke.
“Aveline, don’t be like this. You know you’re the only one I care about,” he whispered, the words sliding off his lips with the ease of someone who’d said them a hundred times before.
The taste of bile crept up her throat, but she kept it down. Gently placing a hand on his chest, she said, “Let me freshen up first, okay?”
Her response caught him off guard. His eyes lit up, hopeful. He leaned in, brushed a kiss by the edge of her lips, and murmured, “No need. I don’t
mind.”
Inside, she laughed bitterly. She knew this game well. If she pushed him away now, he’d only get more insistent.
With a soft, almost sweet smile, she whispered, “I want tonight to feel special, something to remember. I won’t take long.”
The fake tenderness in her eyes was all he needed. It puffed up his pride. To him, all her anger was just an emotional phase–nothing serious.
His mate still loved him deeply–Jaxson had no doubt about that.
C
In the bathroom, she stared at her reflection–cold, composed, emotionless. None of the softness she’d just shown remained.
She’d made sure to bring her phone. Turning on the rear camera, she snapped a mirror shot.
The mark had already faded, but the fresh bruise he’d just left on her neck stood out clearly–faint but noticeable in the picture.
She perched on the toilet seat and calmly sent the photo, along with the earlier bed shots, to Lirael. Then she sat still and began to count.
Sure enough, just a few seconds later, Jaxson’s phone lit up with a call from outside the bathroom.
Aveline twisted the faucet open, letting the sound of rushing water drown out any voices coming from the bedroom. A few minutes passed before Jaxson’s knock sounded lightly against the bathroom door.
“Aveline, something urgent came up at the office. I’ve got to go. Don’t wait up just get some rest after your
shower.”
A faint smile tugged at her lips, laced with irony and quiet disbelief. So eager to leave, huh? She hadn’t even stepped out of the bathroom, and he was already halfway out the door.
She stood still, listening as the bedroom door clicked shut. Then, with a steady breath, she opened the bathroom door and looked around. The room was quiet and empty. Her heart sank a little more at the sight.
10:12
Betrayed by Her Ex, Marked By the Alpha King
33.3%
Chapter 11
She had planned this from the start–sending those photos to Lirael, knowing full well that Lirael’s jealousy would spark an immediate reaction. And it had worked. Like clockwork.
Yet, deep inside, a tiny voice–faint and foolish–had hoped Jaxson would hesitate. That he might stay. That he’d choose her, just once.
But once again, reality proved crueler than hope. Jaxson, who swore he loved her, had dropped everything and run to Lirael without a second thought.
Was it really possible to share love like that–half for a mate, half for a mistress?
Aveline had already packed the things she cared about. Her suitcase sat quietly in the corner of the room, waiting.
If Jaxson had really meant all those words, he would’ve seen that most of her things were already gone from the bedroom.
But he didn’t. He noticed nothing, too sure of himself, thinking she would never actually walk away.
The only thing left in that room that still connected them was the photo on the nightstand,
She looked at their smiling faces in that picture, and her eyes filled with tears she hadn’t let fall.
It only took a few short years for their shared dreams to fall apart and turn into two separate lives.
Aveline didn’t know if all non–fated mate pairings ended like this, but she’d once stubbornly believed that marrying Jaxson was the best thing that would ever happen to her.
Now she knew how badly she had been mistaken.
Aveline took the photo out of its frame and quietly walked to the backyard. There, she found an old metal basin, tucked near the shed. She placed the photo inside, doused it in gasoline, and lit a match.
The flames flared up, lighting her face in a warm glow. The heat wrapped around her like a final goodbye to everything she and Jaxson once had.
Just as the photo burned halfway through, she heard the front door creak open. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned and saw Jaxson walking in.
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