Recounting and recalling the four years Aldric and I had been dating, I'd been at the forefront of things. I always ensured that he had an unforgettable birthday experience and moments. I also made him a Marzipan birthday cake every single year—always manually.

But I strived to ensure that the cake is elegantly designed.The flowers were freshly and crisp. I also ensure that I mix some varieties of flavor- vanilla bean with raspberry filling and chocolate fudge. Providing a delightful and awesome taste.

When I glimpsed at the screen of his phone, I got the message. It was crystal clear to me. I instantly knew right then who it was for again.

I'd seen that digital animated avatar on his phone—it was Lyana’s profile photo.

I remained mute. Not uttering a single word. I didn't alter the aura of silence, making the living room feel ominously quiet.

Aldric was completely ignorant of how irrational his request had been. How could you tell your girlfriend to bake a cake for another lady? A lady she's fully aware that there's something suspicious going on between you and her. His lingering look was waiting for a positive answer from me. I knew what he's expecting to hear.

I eventually aligned my response to match his curiosity and desperation at that moment. I acknowledged, just nodding my head, keeping my expression neutral.

"Forward the picture to me. Let's see what I can do." I said, calmly standing up. "I am heading out now to get the ingredients."

Back forward to that dinner four years ago. If fate and circumstances were to be different and If Aldric hadn't been present, I wouldn't have made it out of my first job unscathed.

I stared at him for the last time. I wished he knew what plans are in my cards now. I just thought to myself, “Once this cake is baked, I'll finally be done with him. I will leave him for good this time around.”

I walked straight to the door, feeling the heaviness in my steps. But I maintained my composure.

Before I could reach the doorway, Aldric's voice, surprised, breached the silence behind me.

"Helena…" he started, his voice wavering. I was not moved. Likewise bothering turning around. "You care for something else?" I asked, my tone was concisely flat.

There was a transient pause before he spoke again. "...I'll Venmo you for the ingredients."

I maintained my tracks without saying a word.

When I got into the elevator, I brought out my phone. I went to our chat history and opened it. To make justice of the situation, the messages I've sent to him cannot be compared to the response and replies I got. Imagine! I sent a wholesome– 2600 messages and the replies I got were barely 15.

He only replied to 15!. What can you say about that? What kind of justification can be given to that act?

It was draining to care, so I could only smirk.

Upstairs, in the living room, Aldric's phone would buzz with the notification of the $230 transfer being repudiated. I could imagine his hand clenched around the phone as he read the alert.

Later that night, around 9:55 p.m., my phone rang. Aldric's name popped up on the screen.

"Hey! Where are you?" he inquired, sounding almost as if he was the world's best romantic partner. That kind gesture was clearly interpreted as a charade for me.

I was sitting in a booth at a diner near my apartment, picking at my food. "What's up?" I asked, evading his question.

"Cool. Nothing to stake for" Aldric replied, his voice moderate and calm now. "I just wanted to say… the cake you made was sumptuous. As it has always been."

There was a moment of silence on the line, then he adjusted his voice into a softer tone, "Thanks.I really appreciate you. I know it took a lot of effort from your end.”

Before I could say a word , I heard Lyana's luscious voice in the background.

"Helena!" she hollered, her tone silvery and melodious . "I heard from Aldric that you made my birthday cake today. Amazing! You're damn talented! I wish I could do that…, but I'm so gauched, Aldric's always calling me his silly goose."

I could picture her pouting as she spoke.

Before I could even assimilate and process all her words, boom ! She invited me to the party.

But I didn't get a chance to give my candid reply before Aldric's grating and sharp voice returned to the line. "Well, you don't need to come, there's no need for that." He said, a bit firmer this time, before the line was disconnected.

I was not shaken at all. I continued with my food. But just seven minutes later, my phone buzzed again. It was a message from him, with his location pinned and a note attached: [If you don't mind please,do stop by and grab a box of vanilla cream wafer biscuits for Lyana from the Mini-mart.]

I was perplexed by the level of guts he showed.I sighed and couldn't help but force a smile that felt brittle.It was sarcastic though.

When I pushed the door open to the VIP suite room, I spotted Aldric immediately.

He was feeding Lyana a piece of the cake, her eyes wide and doe-like as she looked up at him.

The very moment he glanced at me, his expression and emotions said everything. He was highly irritated by my presence.

To make it worse, I interrupted what would have been a beautiful moment for him.

His gaze darkened, and I knew what he was thinking.

Why do I have to show up?

I knew he wasn't the one that sent that message. It was Lyana's persuasion. I mean, judging from his expression, he wouldn't want me to come and spoil the blissful moments he wanted to have with her.

"Helena! Look who we have here.” Lyana said, welcoming me with a glowing smile, her voice as luscious as ever.

Aldric's eyes and gaze were firmly fixed at me. I could feel the tension building up in the room.

"Didn't I tell you not to come?" Aldric snapped, his irritation breaking through.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Lyana hastily interrupted,pouting dramatically.

"I'm very sorry, Aldric . I just craved for some vanilla cream wafer biscuits, so I tricked her into coming. Please, don't be mad at her." she said, her voice drizzling with pretentious innocence.

Aldric's hard expression deflated as he reached out, ruffling Lyana's hair affectionately. "You little silly goose," he muttered with a fond smile. I don't know whether he forgot I was standing right in front of him.

Watching him and calculating everything that was transpiring. I came to a conclusion that this was my moment to break the news to him.

I reached into my bag and brought out my letter of resignation.

"Aldric," I called out, stepping forward, " I will be visiting my pack. One of my colleagues has a family emergency and needs to leave. I'll need you to acknowledge and approve this."

Technically, the HR Department should've handled it. But since it was me, the chief accountant. The HR manager resigned some months back and the assistant does not have the right or power at the moment to counter my decision. Considering the cadre of authority, I am way above her.

The lighting in the room was dim, reflecting shadows across Aldric's face. He didn't even cross- check the lette. He just pen down his signature, his soul and spirit were completely focused on the birthday celebrant.

I was about to take the letter back,when Aldric's hand grasped mine. His expression shifted, his brow furrowing as he stared at my hand.

"Did you come all the way here just for this?" he asked. His face was curious and searching for an answer. His tone is low and unreadable.

I responded by slowly nodding my head.

His face darkened again, and for a second, I thought he was going to say something. But then he flinched, he pulled his hand back like he'd touched something cold and shocking.

I realized his fingers had brushed the burnt marks on my palm, the ones I obtained from making the cake.

“This must have disgusted him.” I thought to myself.

From the side of my eye, I saw Lyana's

eyes all bulged out. They flamed up with sudden interest. "Helena! That golden necklace you're wearing… It looks quite similar." She said, leaning in.

Her smile widened. "I recalled instantly that I'd seen something like that in Aldric’s disposable bin."

I watched closely as Aldric moved his hand to adjust and cover the collar of his shirt. But I feigned ignorance. Keeping my voice low, I replied, "These necklaces are pretty common. If you don't mind, I can give this one to you, If you care."

Lyana went mute. She didn't respond.

When I stepped out of the room, I headed straight for the nearest disposable bin and trashed the necklace. I'd worn it for the past four years. It doesn't hold any significance to be again.

As I got into the elevator, and while waiting, my phone buzzed. It was Mom calling. I picked it. “Hey mom, what's up?”

I enquired of her.

“I am good. Are you still coming home Helena?” My mom asked.

“I will mom” She proceeded to ask another question.

“Have you gotten your ticket?”

"Not yet," I replied, my voice steady. "I'll book it in a few days."

That's the only assurance I can give her to calm her curiosity.

Before I could hang up, I heard footsteps approaching from behind me.

Aldric's voice spoke out. . "You're booking a ticket?" he asked, his voice sounding confused.

I quickly ended the call, turning around with a blank expression. "Yeah, there's a newly launched salon near by. I would love to check it out.”

I lied smoothly. "You have to book a day in advance if you want to get your hair done."

He didn't press the matter any further. No long and lingering interrogation. He just pulled me along to a nearby hotel across the other side of the road. The hotel was at the center of the pack. So,the distance wasn't that far.We checked in and he booked us a suite.

He quickly got to work on his laptop, handling some urgent business. Professionally, I was his accountant. So, I have to stick beside him to work.

There was a wordless understanding between us as we worked side by side until dawn, waiting for a client overseas to respond. Eventually, I couldn't fight off the exhaustion. I was extremely tired.I surrendered and gave in to the cold hands and soft caress of sleep.

– –

The next morning, I woke up in bed, astonished to find myself tucked in.

Aldric sat beside me, casually leaning against the headboard, flipping through a financial magazine. He glanced at me as I stirred.

"Breakfast on its way," he said, already picking up his phone to call room service.

Halfway through breakfast, Preston suddenly asked, "What prompted you to change your password?"

I barely looked up from my plate. "Nothing, It was just a choice.” I replied casually.

Unfortunately, the solemn truth was that the old password was a combination of our birth months and our wolf's transformation took place on the same day. I conjoined the day with our birthday month and created a password.

Since my departure was imminent . It didn't make sense to keep it.

I heard him set down his knife and fork, his tone shifted. "You've always longed for me to go to the movies with you, weren't you? There's a theater nearby. We can check it out."

I knew there wasn't an option to say no, not with the CEO skipping work and giving me the outright license to do likewise. So, I just nodded my head all along .

Sitting in the quiet, almost empty theater, the image I'd once dreamed of played out before me—the two of us, snuggled close, sharing popcorn while watching a rom-com.

It was a scene that had once felt so romantic and lively to me.

But when it was already happening for real, though, I was struggling to stay awake, yawning every few minutes.

Aldric must've noticed. "Are you bored?” he said. "You don't like it? You picked it yourself."

"Fine.. fine, It's good," I said, not even bothering to feign enthusiasm.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, clearly not satisfied by what I said. Just as he was about to say something, his phone buzzed.

Without whispering a word to me, he stood up and disappeared out of the theater.

The movie finished and Aldric still hadn't returned.

Furious, I picked my phone and was about to dial his line when I heard a familiar, melodious luscious voice from a distance.

"Huh! Aldric, You're so lovely!"Lyana was holding tightly unto Aldric, caressing his mustache.

I turned and saw her practically bouncing up and down, clutching a massive stuffed toy as she leaped into Aldric's arms, planting a kiss on his forehead.

He held her, laughing softly, but the moment his eyes fell on me, his smile disappeared and his face emptied, as if it hadn't known happiness for ages.

"Helena! I didn't know you came either." Lyana exclaimed. Her eyebrows raised, pretending to be saints. A few seconds later, she put on a show, covering her mouth. "Oh no! Don't get the wrong picture! I just got hyper excited, that's all…"

Aldric tapped her on the nose, his tone playful and romantic. "Did you commit any offense? Why are you apologizing?" he said, then turned to me, acting confidently as if nothing went wrong. "Is the movie still playing?"

That moment I wanted to respond, the shrill sound of a fire alarm rang audibly throughout the mall.

In an instant, fear gripped everyone and people started panicking. They

rushed toward the exits.

In the midst of the pandemonium going on, Aldric grabbed Penelope's hand immediately , shielding her as they ran toward the emergency exit. I was left alone once again. He chose his priority and I wasn't the one.

Ten minutes later, the alarm went off—it had been a false alarm and the mall apologized to the people for the sudden panic they caused.

Aldric came back to his position. He looked around. His eyes scanned the area, but I was out of sight.

An hour later, I was at the bus station, my luggage intact, waiting for my departure.

My phone kept buzzing nonstop. Aldric's name flashed on the screen over and over again, but I didn't waver.

Instead, I set my phone to silent. As if that was not enough,I turned the airplane mode on. I wasn't expecting any call at the moment. When I start the journey, I will change it.

Right before the bus kicked off and left the park, I dropped a bombshell of a message to him: [It's over between us.Never call me and do not look for me!]

As soon as the message was sent, I pulled out my SIM and tossed it in the nearest disposable can.

It was nearly eleven ‘o'clock when I arrived at the station in my hometown. As I came off the bus, I saw Dad and younger sibling–Derek waiting for me. They smiled the moment they saw me and led me to the car.

Sitting in the passenger seat, I noticed a large bag of my favorite snacks and yogurt staring boldly at me. As I stretched my hands to get them, my younger brother Derek held me.

He quietly spoke. “Don't dare!”. He smiled. I chuckled at him and responded. “Get your hands off me you silly wolf.” We both laughed sarcastically.

My Dad chuckled softly, grabbing one of the yogurts and poking a straw through the lid, handing it to me. "Here, drink this," he said warmly. I teased my younger brother before collecting it .

As I took it from him, I noticed the gray hairs at his temples, and something inside me broke. I could control my emotions. At that instance, I burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Dad, I'm home for good this time," I choked out between sobs. "I'm never leaving again. I'm going to stay here with you and Mom and Derek Forever."

My Dad and brother were astonished by the swing in emotions. He chuckled again, this time, more tenderly. "You silly girl. Whether you stay in the pack with us or not, you'll always be our precious daughter. It's okay Helena, don't make us emotional.”

He understood everything. He could tell I wasn't having the best of life at Howler pack. But he didn't ask me to explain. He just drove, respecting my silence.

When we got home, I showered and ate a simple dinner my mom had prepared.

I have actually missed the fun and adventures of the Vortex Howl pack. I am home now and I have returned for good.

It was almost 12 a.m., and I laid on my bed. Sleep was actually far from my reach. I stared at my phone. I grabbed it and opened my music app, hoping to find something relaxing to help me sleep.

That's when I noticed several unread private messages.

They were actually sent by Naomi—-one of my closest colleagues. She seemed shocked by my sudden resignation. Her message was full of curiosity, empathy and concern. She asked if everything was okay and if there was anything she could do to help.

Just as I was trying to devise what I will tell her, another message from her came in—this time a video file.

It came with a note.

[Helena, this video has been trending uncontrollably in the company group chat. It all centered on Aldric and Lyana.]