"Away," I replied curtly. His face twisted with confusion and irritation.

"Oh, come on! Are you still mad about yesterday?" Eddy scoffed. "It's just a hunt festival, Sal. Get over it."

"Yesterday?" I spat back, my voice quivering with barely controlled rage. "It's been over a week, Ed!"

If it weren’t for that wretched hunt, Elric would’ve had more time to recover from his fever. He wouldn’t have been left exhausted and dehydrated. He wouldn’t have ended up in Uncle Devon’s clinic.

Most importantly, Elric would still be alive!

“Yesterday, last week, both are in the past. They’re the same. The hunt is over now so all those are in the past. Get over it,” Eddy said dismissively as he walked closer and shoved the box to my hand, barely sparing me a glance.

Unbelievable, how could he just brush it off like that?

“Here, for you.”

Eddy moved past me then, heading towards the vanity mirror and took off some of his accessories.

I stood there in silence, gripping the box, my fingers tracing the infinity logo embossed on top. It was from Eight Jewelry, an expensive brand. I could see dirt smudged the edges, and when I opened it, I immediately recognized the piece inside—

White pearl necklace, this was Trista’s secondhand jewelry.

It was the same exact necklace she flaunted on her InstaPic a few days ago.

“Where is that kid? I rang his phone this afternoon but he didn’t answer.” I heard Elric's voice, accompanied by a clattering sound. “Is he throwing a tantrum because he couldn’t even get into the top ten in the hunting event?”

I turned to Eddy with a smile that masked my seething thoughts. Deep down, I thanked him for giving me another push towards claiming my own freedom.

Eddy chuckled. “Why are you smiling like that? Rare to see that nowadays. You like the necklace that much?”

Without a word, I closed the box and tossed it carelessly onto the bed.

“Have you called your lawyer?” I asked, locking eyes with him. “I’m still waiting for our divorce.”

Eddy’s mood darkened. “Isn’t that necklace enough, Salvia? Stop throwing tantrums. Don’t you see our son has picked up that bad habit from you?”

At least, if you want to make it up to me, don’t give someone’s leftovers, I thought. But I kept silent, handing him a blue case of documents instead.

“Here,” I said, my voice steady. “Since I got the feeling that it might take forever to wait for you, I’ve asked for the necessary papers from the court.” I paused to take a breath. “I’ve signed everything I needed to. Now, it’s your turn.”

Eddy looked stunned, his eyes darting from my face to the divorce papers and back again.

Eddy looked stunned, his eyes darting from my face to the divorce papers and back again.“You want to give me what I want, don’t you?” I continued, my tone steady. “Then this is what I want.”

“Alright, since you’re so eager to end this, I’ll sign!” He snatched the blue case from my hand, his voice rising with anger. “Just so you know, I’ll be the one who gets custody of the kid!” he taunted.

In the past, I would time and time again fall to his threat.

Yet, unfortunately, his current taunt only left bitterness in my stomach.

“It’s Elric, Eddy,” I said firmly. “Not ‘the kid’.” With that, I stepped back and picked up my rolling suitcase. “I’ll be waiting downstairs for those papers. Make sure you sign everything.”

“Salvia!”

Without another word, I left him standing there without giving him the chance to use his alpha influence on him. I plugged my ears with the earplug that I had prepared the day before.

Ignoring his calls for me to come back.

The first time I met Eddy.

That day was a disaster from the start. If it weren’t for the crowded public setting, I would’ve flipped the table and let him get drenched in the remaining spilled coffee on the table.

"Oh Great Goddess! I'm so sorry!" Eddy exclaimed, frantically grabbing tissues from the table.

“Shoot!” I gasped, eyes wide as I instinctively snatched up my laptop. My fingers flew over the keyboard, closing files, saving data, and finally pressing the power button until the screen went dark.

My heart pounded because my entire academic life, for one WHOLE semester, hung by a thread.

Desperately, I dabbed at the laptop with tissues, trying to soak up the coffee that had seeped into every crevice. My anger surged when I tilted the device and watched coffee-black liquid drip from the ports.

I glared at the nerdy-looking Eddy, my fury boiling over. If any of my final term data was lost, I swear....

Eddy looked up, eyes wide with regret, and I could practically smell his fear. His apologies tumbled out, but they did nothing to calm my nerves.

“First, you came out of nowhere, invaded my space,” I growled, my voice rising. “then you spill MY coffee on MY laptop?” My wolf instincts flared, overriding my restraint with frustration.

In that moment, I remembered the bustling café fell silent instantly in the wake of my outburst.

I was seriously regretting my life choices that afternoon.

See, the café was buzzing with chatter when Eddy stumbled in. He looked like a lost puppy, scanning the room for an empty seat. Feeling a pang of sympathy, I didn’t avert my gaze when he finally noticed the empty spot next to me, thinking he was just another college student scrambling to finish an assignment.

Oh, Goddess. If only I knew what kind of chaos I was inviting into my life…

Eddy's face turned a shade of crimson as he clumsily took away the already spilled coffee cup at the table. Panic flashed in his eyes.

"I-I swear, I'll make it up to you! I work at a tech store just a few minutes walk from here. I can fix that, a-and I'll buy you another coffee. For the one I spilled?"

There was something about his genuine panic, the way his scent radiated fear, and his exaggerated gestures of apology that made it hard to stay mad at him. Plus, the curious eyes of the café patrons were all on us, making the scene even more embarrassing.

Taking a deep breath, I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to quell the rising tide of frustration. "Fine, but if my laptop dies, so do you," I warned, meticulously dabbing at the remaining wet keys with a tissues.

Eddy's nervous laughter filled the air. "Deal. By the way, I'm Eddy. Eddy Winslow. And I promise, I'll make sure your laptop is good as new."

Long story short, he did save my laptop, but half of my final assignment data was gone.

Eddy couldn't stop apologizing, his voice a constant drone that only amplified the throbbing in my sleep-deprived head. With only two days left to redo my work, I was a bundle of anxiety and frustration. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Eddy, just leave me be. No grudges, I just can't handle your whining right now. I need all the energy I have left to finish my finals."

But Eddy, being Eddy, refused to leave. He was determined to make things right, and his persistence paid off. Together, we managed to reconstruct my assignment just in time.

When it was all over, I thanked him. He simply shrugged and said he was just owning up to his mistake. For some reason, I expected we'd cross paths frequently after that day. But Eddy disappeared—no more sightings at the café, the tech shop, campus…

No nowhere.

I wasn't sad, just curious about where he had vanished to.

Our meeting was anything but a fairytale. The way he fumbled and apologized, his awkwardness blending with my own irritation—it was almost laughable.

Yet, beneath that mess, I couldn’t deny that something inexplicable began to stir.

It was the rainy month of Septus.

My Uncle Devon called my phone. Delivering devastating news that my parents got caught up in a stray group terror hijack at the Moonstone highway.

The following days were a blur. My uncle was always by my side, handling all the funeral arrangements. I vaguely remembered the presence of extended family, some of my uncle’s relatives, and a few college friends.

The details were hazy, except for the tears that seemed to permanently stain my cheeks. One by one, the guests left the funeral site after the urns were buried back in Duskhowl, my hometown.

To my surprise, someone besides my uncle and my parents’ immediate neighbor stayed. It was Eddy, the same nerdy guy who had wiped out my assignment data four semesters ago. He had traveled all the way from Central Metro to Duskhowl just to attend the funeral.

"Sal…" He approached me, dressed in a neat black suit, the typical funeral attire.

Despite still carrying that nerdy vibe, his overall appearance and neatly done hair made him look pleasantly refreshed compared to before.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said sincerely. I could see he was on the verge of tears, which was heartwarming despite the oddness of the situation.

I stood up and asked, “Why are you here? How?” I was so confused that I skipped over his heartfelt condolences.

“I’ve been looking for you. I-I was about to come to the graduation. I had a huge project the entire month and--”

I caught that familiar scent of fear from him. “Ed, slow down!” I slightly raised my voice, and that seemed to calm him down.

The man took a deep breath. “I had planned to meet you at your graduation. I know it might sound a bit stalker-ish, but since we were mutuals on social media, I kind of kept tabs on your schedule. A-and—”

I stared at him, trying to piece together the jigsaw of his words.

“I’m really sorry I’ve been MIA for months,” Eddy continued. “My company had this massive project, and I was working to secure a major partnership with SigmaTech—y'know, the biggest tech firm on the continent—”

He cleared his throat, stopping himself from rambling. “A-anyway…”

He fumbled with his suit pocket, finally producing a velvet box that wobbled precariously in his grasp. It was the kind of box you’d expect for an engagement ring, and he almost dropped it.

“I intended to propose to you once the long term deal was finalized,” he said, his voice wavering. “And it just so happens that the deal went through this evening, but—” He hesitated, as if the box was too heavy for him to hold. “I-I know this is terrible timing. But, Salvia, I want to marry you. I really do. I’ll cherish you for the rest of my life.”

...

His eyes locked with mine, a mix of nervousness and sincerity in his gaze.

I was completely stunned.

With us not staying in touch, it never crossed my mind that Eddy had any romantic interest in me, let alone that he had been planning this all along.

“Ed, we haven’t exactly spoken since we finished my final term assignment,” I said, my voice tinged with doubt. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this. You’re a decent guy, and I’d like to get to know you better, but marriage feels like a huge leap, don’t you think?”

I paused, trying to make sense of his sudden declaration. “How can you be so sure you want a relationship with me and not just some fleeting impulse?”

“I’m sure,” he said with unshakeable determination. “You’ve been on my mind constantly. You’re fun and amazing to be around. I’ve thought this through carefully—this isn’t some spontaneous whim.”

His eyes locked onto mine with a sincerity that was impossible to ignore. “I want to be your Alpha, to protect you and build a life together. I want to share my days with you. Please, Salvia—marry me. Be my Luna. Give me a chance.”

I recognized that his plea was genuine. There was something in the way he spoke—his nervous but earnest gestures, the firmness of his words—that began to break through my reservations.

After a few more months of getting to know each other better, we decided to get married.

Despite his increasingly busy schedule, Eddy always made time for me and Elric, our alpha son, who soon became the center of our world.

I’ll never forget the moment Eddy first held Elric.

Tears streamed down his face as he realized he had become a father. He swore to give his utmost to support our son, and he did.

He truly did.

Eddy stepped up in every way possible, becoming everything we needed and more.

Right.

Eddy was a loving guy. That was the exact reason why I agreed to marry him. His caring nature made me believe in a future with him.

When we received the devastating news that Elric had a rare disease, where his wolf spirit was developing too fast for his body to handle, Eddy was relentless in his efforts. He poured his time and energy into finding the best doctors in the world, refusing to give up.

He attended many of Elric’s therapy and psychology consultation sessions, often leaving important company meetings in the capable hands of Gareth, his private butler secretary.

So why?

"That kid is fine. He’s just pretending to be sick."

"Stop throwing tantrums. Don’t you see our son has picked up that bad habit from you?"

"I’ve told you. A pampered kid like him wouldn't even stand a chance against the top ten."

Eddy’s harsh words echoed in my mind. Each one of them carried venom that made me wonder...

Why did Eddy turn... hateful towards Elric?

Since when?

I had long concluded that Eddy was so deeply smitten with Trista that I blamed all his harsh behavior on her influence.

But now that I think about it...

Had he really changed so much because of Trista?

Plop!

A blue case landed on the sofa beside me, jolting me awake from my thoughts.

Eddy stood there, his face set in a grumpy scowl. “Here are your documents,” he muttered, after throwing the plastic case of divorce papers onto the seat. He then slumped into the sofa across from me in the living room.

I picked up the case and opened it, quickly scanning to ensure he had signed everything.

“Happy now?” Eddy’s foot tapped impatiently as he watched me.

I ignored him, focusing on the papers.

He clicked his tongue in irritation. “This better be enough, or—”

I snapped the case shut with a loud thud.

“This is enough.” Rising to my feet, I grabbed the document case with one hand and the handle of my suitcase with the other.

“Thank you for being so cooperative, Eddy,” I said, my voice sincere for the first time in a long while.

With that, I left the manor for good.