Chapter 3
They both stopped at the hospital. The driver stopped his taxi in a hidden spot; he seemed quite used to surveillance like this.
Ivana watched Caleb hugging and kissing Chloe affectionately before getting out of the car. Her heart ached; in less than a day, all the evidence of her husband’s affair had been revealed to her.
Caleb opened the car door for Chloe, he even placed his hand on the top of the car to protect Chloe if she accidentally bumped her head when getting out of Caleb’s sedan. Ivana smirked bitterly; Caleb had never protected her to that extent!
In contrast to his treatment of Chloe, Caleb never accompanied Ivana to her check-ups and always claimed to be busy, telling Ivana to go with her mother.
Ivana’s mind suddenly drifted back to when she had the miscarriage. The doctor said that it wasn’t her fault, but her husband's for not quickly bringing her to the hospital after her water broke. At that time, Ivana didn’t believe those words, thinking it was just the doctor’s way of comforting a grieving patient.
But today, Ivana realized the truth in the doctor’s words. If Caleb truly cared for her, he would have given her the same attention he was giving Chloe now. Ivana had been too blinded by love and the deep sense of loss that clouded her judgment.
She wasn't Caleb's priority, and this fact became even more painful because it had been happening from the start. Ivana felt terrible for being fooled.
After waiting for a while, they both came out of the hospital. Ivana decided to pay the taxi fare and got out. Caleb and Chloe didn't get into the car right away and instead chatted in the outer garden.
No matter how mixed her feelings were, she decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. There was still a part of Ivana that wanted to believe Caleb. Maybe, just maybe, that wasn't Caleb's child. Or maybe... All of this was just a nightmare.
"Did you throw away the strawberries I bought this morning? I just remembered they only last a day, and I don't want you and our baby to suffer from eating fruit that's not fresh anymore."
Ivana faintly heard Caleb warning Chloe with such care. Ivana sneaked closer, then found a hidden spot to listen to their conversation. She didn't forget to turn on the voice recorder.
"Please, Caleb. Strawberries don't spoil that easily, and they won't harm me and our baby. You're so silly!" Chloe exclaimed with a flirtatious laugh. The kind of laugh that sounded spoiled and seductive to any man's ears.
Ivana peeked from behind the lush hedge, witnessing with her own eyes Caleb kissing Chloe's cheek affectionately.
"But thanks for the strawberries. It would be even better if you could buy me lots of other sour and fresh tropical fruits," Chloe replied playfully.
Caleb nodded firmly, his arm wrapped lovingly around Chloe's shoulder. "Of course, your wish is my command, baby."
Chloe's laughter grew louder. "Then can you provide lots of tropical fruits at our wedding? You know how expensive and delicious tropical fruits are, and I bet all the guests will be jealous of me for having exclusive tropical fruits!"
"Our wedding will be the most impressive in the entire pack. I'll make it a wedding that everyone envies!" Caleb responded.
"Of course, that has to happen! Everyone must know that I should be Luna, not Ivana!" Chloe replied passionately.
Caleb gently stroked Chloe's hair and said, "Be patient. We just need to wait until Ivana gives birth, then I'll kick her out immediately."
Ivana's tears fell again, hearing those words directly from the mouth of her mate and husband.
Only God knew the immense anger mixed with sadness and disappointment that burned in Ivana's chest. She struggled to stay hidden, just to gather the evidence she needed.
The thick, dark clouds finally brought rain. Caleb hurriedly took off his jacket and used it as an umbrella to protect Chloe from the rain, urging her to get into the car.
Ivana followed them quietly, keeping a safe distance to avoid being noticed. Her eyes didn't blink as she watched their affection from behind the slightly lowered car window.
She watched every scene as Caleb's lips planted small kisses on every inch of Chloe's face. Then Chloe, laughing flirtatiously, responded by wrapping her arms around Caleb's neck.
Ivana made one final attempt to give Caleb a chance, calling him in desperation. But he merely glanced at his phone screen, ignored the call, and then blocked her number.
As the moment reached its peak, Chloe suddenly noticed Ivana. Instead of stopping, she became even more
brazen, running her hands through Caleb's hair with exaggerated passion, her moans growing louder and more revolting.
Every so often, Chloe shot Ivana a triumphant smile, her eyes dripping with sarcasm. It was as if she wanted to make it clear that she had completely claimed Caleb, and it was only a matter of time before she stripped Ivana of her place in his life.
Lowering her phone, Ivana steadied her hand and continued recording every detail of their betrayal. She made sure the camera captured it all, sparing nothing. Only when their sordid affair ended, and they both left, did she finally dare to step out of her hiding spot.
Ivana barely noticed the rain drenching her to the bone. All that remained was a hollow emptiness.
And then, she laughed. She laughed loudly, uncontrollably, as the rain poured down around her. The world felt distant, irrelevant. She had given Caleb every
chance, but each one ended the same way: in despair.
They were both beyond saving.
"I give up on you, Caleb. You betrayed me and ignored all the chances I gave you. Take that man, Chloe. You two are perfect for each other!" I shouted in the rain.
Ivana let all her sadness pour out through her tears as she walked towards the lawyer's office.
"Oh my God, Ma’am, what happened?" the lawyer exclaimed as she greeted Ivana. She seemed ready to go home but canceled her plans due to Ivana's arrival.
Ivana's body shivered from the cold, and she quickly led Ivana to her warmer office, asking Ivana to take off her wet coat and giving her a towel and hot chocolate.
Ivana handed over her camera, still protected from the rain inside the camera bag, and her phone. Without saying much, Ivana played all the recordings in front of her.
Ivana played the most heinous recording from someone who was about to become a father.
"I will force Ivana to follow my wishes. If she gives birth to a son, I will take him and make Ivana my mistress.
But if she refuses, then I will threaten her and the child."
Chapter 4
"With all this evidence, I will make sure that you get rid of Alpha Caleb and live a better life," the lawyer assured Ivana.
Ivana left the lawyer's office, after declining her offer to drive her home. Ivana just wanted to be alone for now; calming herself under the rain didn't seem like a bad idea.
Unfortunately, she had to postpone that idea after her mother called. "Hello Mom?" Ivana greeted with a trembling voice.
"Ivana? Are you okay? Your voice sounds shaky. The maid at your house said you weren't home, where are you now?" her mother asked, full of concern.
Tears fell again, soaking Ivana's cheeks as if they were never in short supply. Amidst the disappointment and pain she was experiencing, she was grateful to still have a mother by her side. Her mother, the only one who always stood by Ivana, defended and loved her unconditionally.
"I'm fine. I'm outside, going for a check-up," Ivana lied, still with a trembling voice.
"Did you go alone? Where is your husband?" her mother asked again, sounding annoyed.
"He's buying me hot chocolate and I'm waiting in the hospital corridor. He's being very kind to me," Ivana responded, holding back the pain in her throat caused by holding back tears.
A long sigh was heard from the other end of the phone. It seemed her mother didn't buy Ivana's lie, but she didn’t want to argue with Ivana. Because Ivana always defended Caleb, no matter what happened.
"Come home after Caleb arrives. I miss you," her mother said before hanging up.
A mother's intuition is never wrong. Right after Ivana arrived at her mother's house, she got a fever and was bedridden for 2 days. When her fever started to subside, Caleb called.
A small part of Ivana’s heart felt somewhat happy about it. Unfortunately, what Caleb said next successfully turned the warmth in Ivana's heart into frozen ice.
"Ivana, I'm busy here. Can you ask the gamma to send you the treaty from the neighboring pack—" Ivana refused to hear the rest of Caleb's sentence and interrupted him immediately.
"Are you trying to kill me and this baby?" Ivana asked, her voice coming through clenched teeth.
"What...?" Caleb asked, full of surprise. Faintly, Ivana could hear the sound of a late-night TV show and Chloe's playful purr leaking through his phone's microphone.
Ivana smirked bitterly. "It's already midnight, Alpha. I've had a fever for the past 2 days, and you're asking me to work?"
"But this is really for the pack's benefit. This is your duty as a Luna!" Caleb responded, sounding annoyed.
"Then do it yourself. Or ask someone else, instead of always asking your pregnant Luna! Or, be honest with me, you just want to repeat what happened 3 years ago, don't you? You want me to lose my child again, right?"
"Ivana!" Caleb shouted angrily. Ivana quickly hung up the phone, no longer willing to listen to more words that would make her even sadder. The small happiness that briefly appeared vanished just like that. What more could she expect from someone who cheated on his mate?
The next day, Ivana went to the lawyer's office to sign the divorce documents. Ivana sent one to White Villa, then returned to her home in the Summerstone Pack. Ivana gazed at the house that had been a silent witness to her 5-year marriage, making her nostalgic.
Until Chloe's presence destroyed it. Ivana didn’t want to see her, so she opened the door and intended to shut it in Chloe's face. But Chloe moved quickly and blocked the door with her foot.
"That's not how you welcome guests, Luna," Chloe mocked at the end of her sentence. Ivana had to let Chloe open the door and enter as she pleased.
"What do you want from me?" Ivana asked angrily, glaring at Chloe.
But Ivana was shocked when she saw a very familiar Gucci necklace around Chloe's neck. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes as sad memories flashed by. Pleased with Ivana's reaction, Chloe said, "This is the necklace that goes with your husband's watch. He gave it to me 2 years ago."
True. Ivana lost that necklace two years ago because Caleb accidentally misplaced her item. Ivana cried and mourned for a month because she couldn’t keep the memento from her Dad, who passed away a few months after she miscarried. The item was a matching set her Dad had given as a 2nd wedding anniversary gift.
A mocking smile appeared on Chloe's face at Ivana's reaction. She then walked casually inside the house. "Your taste is awful, Ivana. As boring as you are. Maybe that's why Caleb needed a change. I'll change everything in this house as soon as I become Luna!"
Ivana smirked bitterly. There was no ripple in her heart as if emotions had vanished after learning about their affair behind her back.
"That's all you can do, being a replacement for someone else and being a thief. I should have known from the first time I saw you, your sly gaze like a fox.
You begged Caleb to give you the house, and now you’re stealing someone else's husband. You can't even buy yourself a necklace and shamelessly steal someone else's. What else can you do? Ah, don’t tell me you're pretending to be pregnant too?"
Chloe's face paled, then she glared at Ivana sharply. Anger replaced the inappropriate surprise that had just appeared.
"So what about that? In the end, I will be Luna! And my child will be the heir. While your child? Will never have a place anywhere, just like their mother!" Chloe shouted angrily.
Ivana raised an eyebrow cynically.
"I am Luna, chosen directly by Caleb's father because he knew his son was incompetent.
Do you know, while you were cozying up under the same blanket with Caleb, I was busy dealing with rogue attacks. I was the one ensuring everything ran smoothly, day or night!
Do you think, with that level of stress, how could anyone easily get pregnant?
But it's okay, from now on, you will replace me in handling all the pack's difficulties!"
With Chloe's spoiled nature, Ivana was sure she wouldn't be able to last as Luna. Chloe stepped towards Ivana and yanked her hair hard.
"I don't care about your empty threats because Caleb has promised to give me an easy life. Now tell me, what did you say to Caleb last night that made him leave me just like that?"
The yank was so hard that Ivana lost her balance. Chloe then shoved her hand, making Ivana fall with her stomach down. Trauma flashed before Ivana's eyes, replaying memories of her miscarriage 3 years ago.
"Why is my vision turning red like this?"