The rain was coming down hard as I sped down the road, the windshield wipers barely able to keep up. My fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white as I glanced at the time on the dashboard. I was late. Landon hated it when I was late. The container of food in the passenger seat shifted as I made a sharp turn.

I pressed my foot down on the accelerator, trying to make up for lost time. Just a few more blocks and I’d be at his office. I could imagine him already there, seated behind his desk, looking at the clock, checking his phone... probably with that woman beside him—Daisy.

Suddenly, a truck—huge and fast—barreled through the intersection, heading straight toward me. I barely had time to react. The sound of metal crunching against metal was deafening, the impact throwing me violently to the side. My head slammed against the window, the world spinning in a dizzying blur of motion.

Pain shot through my body. My abdomen felt like it was being ripped apart from the inside, and when I looked down, I froze. Dark, thick blood gushing from between my thighs, soaking the seat beneath me. My breath caught in my throat as a horrifying realization clawed its way into my mind.

Am I... pregnant?

I hadn’t thought about it. I hadn’t felt anything different, but as the pain twisted my hand instinctively went to my belly, pressing against the searing ache. Tears welled in my eyes, panic rising like bile in my throat.

With shaking hands, I fumbled for my phone, my vision blurring as I tried to dial Landon’s number. The phone rang in my ear as I blinked through the tears, praying he would answer.

And then, through the shattered windshield, I saw him.

Landon was just across the street, supporting Daisy as they walked toward the car.

“Landon!”

I tried to call out, but my voice was barely a whisper. The pain in my abdomen was unbearable, each breath a struggle. I raised my hand weakly and tried to wave, but he didn’t see me.

No, no, no... please look my way.

I tried calling him again, my fingers slick with blood as I pressed redial. The ringing echoed in my ears, but he didn’t pick up. I could feel the world slipping away, the pain pulling me under, deeper and deeper. My vision darkened, and as I drifted into unconsciousness, the last thing I remembered was the sight of him—walking away.

...

When I opened my eyes, the bright lights of the hospital room made my head spin. Everything felt distant like I was floating in some kind of numb haze. My body ached, a dull, persistent throb, but there was a deeper emptiness, one that I couldn’t place at first.

It wasn’t until I saw the doctor standing by the bed, his face carefully neutral, that the dread settled in my chest.

“How are you feeling, Ms. Callie?” he asked.

I blinked up at him, my throat dry. “What... what happened?”

He took a breath, his eyes full of pity. “You were in an accident. We managed to stabilize you, but...” He paused, and the weight of that silence crushed me. “You were pregnant.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the air out of my lungs.

Pregnant...

I’d already known—somehow, deep down, I’d known. But hearing it, having it confirmed... it was like the ground was ripped out from under me.

“There was a lot of trauma from the accident,” the doctor continued gently, his voice distant as though it were coming from far away. “We did everything we could, but... we couldn’t save the baby. I’m so sorry.”

I stared at him, my mind unable to process the words. I felt cold all over, a numbness creeping through me.

My baby. It's gone.

Even though I hadn’t known, the loss was there, heavy and unbearable. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I couldn’t let them fall. I couldn’t let myself break. Not yet.

The doctor gave me a few more words of sympathy before he left, but I barely heard him. All I could hear was the hollow sound of my own heartbeat echoing in the empty space inside me. All I could feel was the pain of something lost before I even knew I had it.

I turned my head to the side, staring blankly at the empty chair in the corner of the room.

Landon wasn’t there.

Inhaling sharply, I grabbed my phone and dialed Landon's number again. After a few rings, the call was connected.

"Landon..." I murmured hoarsely.

"Oh Callie, it's you. Landon is in the bathroom, do you have something to say?" A coquettish voice sounded at the other end of the line.

As soon as I heard Daisy's voice, my grip around the phone tightened.

The day I was discharged from the hospital felt like a blur. My body still ached, and the grief of losing the baby clung to me like a weight I couldn’t shake off, but I still needed to go home.

When I pushed open the door to our condo, a gentle voice sounded.

“Callie?”

I turned to see Landon standing in the doorway to our bedroom. For a second—just a fleeting second—hope flickered in my chest.

“Where have you been?” he asked, his tone casual like he was asking about the weather or something equally meaningless.

My heart jumped. It seemed he missed me.

“I... I was in the hospital. There was an accident. I—”

But before I could finish, he cut me off, his brows furrowing slightly. “You've been gone for two weeks without telling me, and you didn't send lunch or dinner.”

I blinked, trying to understand what he meant. “What?”

“Daisy hasn’t eaten all day. She said she didn’t have an appetite because you didn’t send anything for us.” His voice was sharp, almost annoyed as if I had inconvenienced him. “Why didn’t you call or at least leave something before you disappeared? I had to order takeout.”

I stared at him, the hope that had flared up when he said my name crumbled, leaving only emptiness in its wake. He wasn’t worried about me. His concern was for Daisy, not me. Not the fact that I’d been in a hospital bed, bleeding, losing our child.

“You’re upset because... I didn’t send food?” I asked wryly.

Landon sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not upset, Callie. But you could’ve told me. You just left, and Daisy’s been stressed out all day. She’s been dealing with a lot at work, and without you around, it’s hard on her.”

“Hard on her?” I repeated in disbelief. “I was in the hospital, Landon!”

His expression barely changed. He didn’t react the way I thought he would—no guilt, no apology.

“Well, I didn't know. I’m sorry, okay,” he said slowly, but there was no emotion behind the words. “But Daisy has been through a lot, and I need to make sure she’s okay too.”

I bit my lip and didn't reply. My stomach twisted painfully, and I realized that the Landon standing in front of me was not the man I had fallen in love with.

At that moment, I recalled the first time I met Daisy. She was shy, quiet, and looked like she had been through hell. Landon had told me she was an orphan, broke, and desperate for a job. I didn’t think much of it at the time. After all, Landon had always been responsible, always wanting to help those in need. Giving Daisy a job seemed like the kind of thing he’d do—the sweet side of him that few people ever got to see.

At first, everything was normal. Daisy worked in the office, and occasionally, Landon would mention how hard-working she was. I never felt threatened; if anything, I admired him for helping her out. But over time, Daisy would drop by our condo with files or stay late for meetings. I noticed how Landon’s demeanor shifted when she was around—he was softer and more open with her in ways I hadn’t seen in a long time.

And then, slowly he grew distant. He was always busy with work, or with Daisy. Every time I tried to bring it up, he’d brush it off, saying I was imagining things or that I was being insecure. I tried not to let it bother me, tried to rationalize it, thinking maybe it was just stress from work.

But deep down, I knew something had changed.

Still, I stayed. I couldn’t bring myself to walk away, so I did everything I could to hold on. I tried to be the perfect girlfriend, doing all the things I thought would make him happy, but no matter how hard I tried, it was never enough.

I walked into the bathroom, but I froze when I saw a pair of women’s undergarments draped over the edge of the bathtub that wasn't mine.

I felt a sickening jolt in my stomach. I grabbed the undergarments, holding them up in disbelief, my vision blurring with anger and hurt. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what this meant.

Without even thinking, I stormed out of the bathroom.

“Landon!” I called, my voice trembling with a mix of fury and disbelief.

He glanced up, eyebrows raised in mild surprise, but there was no real concern on his face. “Yeah? What’s up?”

I tossed the undergarments onto the coffee table in front of him, my breath shaky as I struggled to keep my voice steady. “What the hell is this?”

“Oh, those,” he said casually like it was no big deal. “It's Daisy’s.”

My blood turned to ice. “Daisy’s?” I echoed.

“Yeah, she got caught in the rain a few days ago when we were coming back from that client meeting. She didn’t have any extra clothes, so I let her come up here to change.”

“You let her change here, and just leave her things lying around like this?” I snapped.

Landon shrugged, barely meeting my gaze as he glanced back down at his phone. “It wasn’t a big deal, Callie. You weren’t home, and she was soaked. What was I supposed to do? Let her catch a cold?”

“You’re making this into something it’s not, Callie. It was just an act of kindness. Don’t make it weird,” he added.

Since that day, Landon acted as though nothing happened.

When I went to the company, whispers followed me like a shadow.

“Poor thing… she has no idea…”

“I mean, how could she not know? It’s been going on for months.”

“I heard he’s practically moved her into his condo…”

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest as the pieces fell into place. They were talking about me and Landon.

I felt my throat tighten, but I forced myself to stay calm.

“Can you believe Landon’s cheating on her with Daisy? I saw them together last week. It was disgusting—he didn’t even try to hide it.”

The blood drained from my face. I clenched my hands into fists at my sides, trying to hold myself together as their words continued to wash over me.

“I feel so bad for Callie. She’s always been so nice. She doesn’t deserve this.”

“I heard she’s been working late every night, and he’s just out there with Daisy, playing house.”

A hot wave of humiliation rushed through me. The truth I had been trying so hard to ignore was now being laid bare in front of me, confirmed by the very people I had to see every day.

How many people had pitied me while I walked around, clueless? I felt like a fool.

I took a deep breath, forcing the lump in my throat down as I headed to Landon's office.

As I turned to leave, their conversation shifted, growing quieter when they noticed me. I could feel the weight of their stares, the awkward shuffling as they pretended not to notice me passing by.

The door to Landon's office was slightly ajar. As I pushed it open, my entire world seemed to freeze.

There he was, sitting at his desk with Daisy by his side, smiling softly at her as he fed her from a small plate. Daisy’s laughter filled the room, her eyes sparkling with affection as she leaned in closer to Landon.

My stomach churned, the familiar pang of betrayal clawing at my insides. This was the man I had loved for five long years, the man I had sacrificed so much for. But seeing him now, so wrapped up in another woman, made something inside me snap.

My hand trembled as I stepped into the office, but Landon didn’t even look up when I entered. It was as though my presence was no more significant than a shadow passing through the room. The realization stung, but it also strengthened my resolve.

"Landon," I said, my voice was steady but cold.

He glanced up briefly, his brow furrowing in confusion as if surprised to see me there. But the moment quickly passed, and his gaze returned to Daisy.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and stepped forward, placing the envelope on his desk. "I'll take an emergency leave for a while."

Landon finally looked at me then, blinking in surprise as if he hadn’t expected this. He stared at the envelope, then back at me, his expression unreadable. He picked it up and, without even bothering to read the content, he signed it.

'You finally snap out of your senses.'

I blinked, startled by the sudden voice in my head. It had been so long since I had heard from her—Crystal, my wolf. She had gone silent the day I chose to be with Landon, retreating into the farthest corners of my mind, refusing to speak to me as if she knew that this was not the path we were meant to walk.

’Don't be sad, you're doing the right thing. That scum isn't worthy of your love.’ Crystal whispered, her voice soft but powerful.

A strange warmth filled my chest, and despite the pain of the situation, I felt a small smile tug at the corner of my lips. It was as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and for the first time in years, I could breathe again.

Without another word, I left Landon's office. I went to the HR department and handed in my resignation letter. I packed my things and left the company.

After years of enduring pain, and humiliation, I wanted peace.

The drive back to my pack was long, and halfway through, my phone pinged with an email. I pulled over and glanced at the screen, my curiosity piqued.

It was an invitation to join an exclusive position at Landon’s rival company—something I’d never expected, especially not after just walking away from my job. I read the email twice, trying to absorb it all.

It didn’t take long for the realization to hit me. Joining them would make Landon furious. The thought of it brought a grim smile to my face. After everything he had put me through, this felt like the perfect way to sever any last threads that tied me to him. I deserved to be somewhere where I could thrive, somewhere that valued me, unlike him.

Without hesitation, accepted the offer. If this would make Landon realize what he’d lost, if it would throw his world into chaos the way he had done to mine, then it was more than worth it.

When I finally arrived at the company for my first day, I was greeted by the head of the firm, the man behind the invitation. As I stepped into his office, my breath caught in my throat.

Sitting behind the desk was someone I hadn’t seen in years—Amir.

My childhood friend, and my first love—the one who had been by my side long before Landon had ever existed in my life.

"Amir?" My eyes widened in surprise. "I didn’t expect it to be you."