ADESSA.

“So, you want a divorce,” I stated. I was trying my best to keep my voice from breaking.

“Adessa, I have a fiancée.” He said in a calm tone.

“You had a fiancée a year ago, but you have a wife now.”

“I can’t remember anything about you, and I am sure it is Desiree that I want, not anyone else.”

“Did you forget what she did to you?” I asked.

Instead of answering my question, he threw one back to me. “Tell me, did I love you? Are we together because we are in love?”

I swallowed. I could lie and tell him we were, but lying was not part of our relationship. We had always been honest with each other.

“No,” I answered, keeping my head high.

“Thank you for your honesty. So are we together for convenience? Or what? But it doesn’t matter anymore. Whatever reason brought us into this marriage, let’s forget about it. I want a divorce, Adessa. I never wanted to marry anyone I didn’t love. It was not how I grew up. I had always envisioned Desiree as my Luna.”

His words were too painful to bear. He was still obviously in love with her.

I nodded my head as I did my best to stop my tears from falling. There was no use telling him I loved him. I would only make a fool of myself.

“So this is what I get after you pull me from my simple life and drag me to yours. Now that you have no need for me, I will just be discarded as if I were just a piece of trash.”

“You will be compensated for your time.”

He was surely insulting me. “I don’t need your money.”

He didn’t say anything, but his jaw kept twitching.

“What did she promise you this time? Maybe I can counter it.”

“Adessa, let Desiree out of this. This is between you and me.”

“Of course, this is certainly about her.” I took a deep breath before I continued. “You disappoint me, Kael. I had always thought highly of you, but this game you’re playing is not amusing anymore.”

He didn’t say anything, but his forehead creased.

“Did you think I didn’t feel that you suddenly became cold when Desiree came back to the territory? You became unavailable for me. You were always out of the house and not in the central office either. I didn’t even know where you were most of the time. And then the next thing I knew, you were in a coma. Now you woke up with no memory of me. Just me.” My tears finally fell, but I wiped them with the back of my hand as I met his stare. “Just tell me if you don’t want me anymore. Stop playing me for a fool.”

“Adessa…”

I dropped my gaze from him and grabbed the folder. I opened it and took the pen that was lying on his desk. My hand was shaking while I signed the divorce paper.

After signing, I closed my eyes for a brief second to stop more tears from coming before I faced him again.

“I, Adessa Quejeros Daeyra, reject you, Alpha Kael Daeyra, as my mate.” My body jolted slightly, and pain hit my chest.

A low growl escaped from his throat as his hand went to his torso. It is always the person being rejected who gets most of the pain.

This was the only pain I could give him, but I was sure it was nothing compared to the pain of my broken heart.

My hands balled into tight fists as I tried to steady myself. I closed my eyes before I continued with the process. “And effective today, I am stepping down as your Luna and the Luna of the Ironcrest Pack.”

I waited for him to accept the rejection, but he didn’t say anything. I slowly opened my eyes and saw him looking at me.

“End my pain, Kael…” I said in a low voice.

His jaw tightened, and there were many things flitting in his eyes, but my senses were already clouded with pain that I didn’t bother to read his emotions anymore. “Accept my rejection, Alpha Kael.”

“I, Alpha Kael Daeyra, accept your rejection, Adessa Quejeros. You are no longer my Luna and no longer the Luna of the Ironcrest Pack…” He spoke his words softly, but it was echoing in my head.

I dropped my gaze from him before he could see my tears. The bond was breaking, and it was taking too much of me not to fall on my knees.

I turned away from him and walked toward the door, trying my best not to falter from my steps. I held the handle but didn’t turn it. Instead, I spoke without looking at him. “You met me in the river while I was trying to catch fish for dinner. On that same night, you asked me to be your Luna because you found Desiree in bed with another man. I saved you from her, and you saved me from hunger.”

I opened the door before I continued speaking. “Thank you for the one year, Alpha Kael.”

I didn’t wait for him to acknowledge my words. I left his office and let my tears roll down my cheeks.

A part of me regretted signing the divorce papers and rejecting him, but there was only so much a person could take. Even before he lost his memory of me, I already felt him slipping away. Maybe he realized he still wanted her, and I was on the way — that I needed to go.

I didn’t want to stay where I was not wanted, especially by the person I thought was on my side. Maybe Miranda was right — it was time to move on.

This was the end of Kael and me.

ADESSA.

I went to my office after I signed our divorce paper. I knew I should go, but I had many things in my hand that I didn’t want to leave without giving instructions about them.

I took my time to write the next step and the necessary confirmations for each matter I personally handled while he was in a coma. I knew I could tell him directly, but I didn’t want to see him anymore.

I spent my whole day in my office, just waiting for someone to kick me out of the house, but it never came. So I also took the chance to make some calls to find a small apartment where I could go after I left this house.

Kael didn’t say anything about when I should go, but I was planning to stay at least until tonight and leave before dawn.

I didn’t want anyone to see me leaving.

Fortunately, no one disturbed me in my office. It was already nine o’clock in the evening when I finished all of the things I had prepared for him and his pack. I didn’t have lunch and dinner, and by the time I was already in bed, my stomach was growling from hunger.

It was almost midnight, and I was sure the whole house was already sleeping.

I had no idea if Desiree was here, as I didn’t meet anyone after my encounter with Kael. But my woman instinct was telling me she was because Kael was already free of me. So, there was nothing stopping them from being together anymore.

I shoved my blanket and rose from the bed. As much as I didn’t want to leave my room, my hunger wouldn’t let me sleep.

I carefully walked the corridor, hoping I wouldn’t meet anyone, when I heard footsteps by the stairs and something bumping against the wall.

I remained frozen in my spot, expecting the worst. What if it was them? Wrapped up in each other’s arms, kissing each other? I was sure that was possible because, in many instances, Kael carried me in his arms from the ground floor to our room while we devoured each other’s mouths.

I was still contemplating if I should turn around when Kael finally came into view.

He was alone.

And on the way his body was bumping and pressing on the wall, I could tell he was drunk. He drinks occasionally, but not so heavily as this.

“Adessa!” He exclaimed when he saw me.

“Kael.”

“I thought you left.”

“I am leaving tomorrow.”

“Sssh… Nonsense. This house is too big. Stay.”

My eyebrows raised as I watched him approach me. I had never seen him this drunk, so I had no idea how he usually acted in this condition.

“I have a big problem,” he said as he stopped in front of me. “I have two women in my house, and I’m only one. Imagine that, two!”

He raised his hand and showed me three fingers before he chuckled. “Oh fuck, I don’t know how to count anymore.”

“Kael, you’re drunk. Go to bed.”

“Tell me, my beautiful wife. Did I drink while we were together?”

Ì nodded. “But not as drunk as you are now.”

“Hmmm, does it mean I never had problems while I was with you?”

“Maybe…”

“I only drink hard when I don’t know what to do with my life.”

“You should go to bed. It’s late.” My eyes pooled with tears. If what he was saying was true, then at least I knew I never gave him a problem until now.

“Are you not going to scold me? A wife does that when their husband drinks too much.”

“Kael, I’m not your wife anymore.”

“Says who?”

“I’ll take you to your room,” I told him. This act he was playing was just breaking my heart.

“Sssh… Desiree is in my room.” He put his finger on his lips, telling me to be quiet.

My forehead creased. There was no way I would voluntarily return Kael to her, so instead, I made a detour and took him to one of the guestrooms at the farthest end of the second floor. The same floor of the room I was occupying.

“♫🎜What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive…🎝♬”

Kael was singing while we walked through the corridor and into the room. I couldn’t help smiling, yet my eyes were getting misty.

I would miss this. I’d miss the way he’d sing at me whenever I was upset with him. It was his way of making me laugh because, for the life of me, he couldn’t carry a tune.

“♫🎜And it’s you and me and all of the people. And I don’t know why I can’t keep my eyes off of you. 🎜🎝”

I lowered his body onto the bed, but his arm snaked around my waist so that he was able to take me with him, and I landed on top of him.

“Kael…” My voice came out throaty as my heart thudded loudly. It had been over a month since we became intimate, and with the situation we were in, I had no idea why the thought of sleeping with him crossed my mind.

I should learn to forget him. I should move on.

But maybe for tonight, I will let my eyes devour him. He was still singing with his eyes closed, and both his arms were now holding my body closer to him.

My hands on his chest were my leverage, so I could keep staring at him, trying to memorize his features.

All of a sudden, his eyes snapped open, and then he stopped singing. His hand on my waist moved up to cup the nape of my neck, and before I could think straight, he had already pushed my head closer.

Our mouths crashed against each other.

ADESSA.

I was staring at the ceiling, even if I couldn’t see anything in the darkness. Kael was snoring beside me. It was louder than usual, probably because he was too drunk.

I knew I should get up and leave his bed because he might not like it if he saw me beside him. However, a part of me wanted to stay because what happened between us gave me hope.

He couldn’t remember me, but his body surely knew how to move against mine.

Kael would always start slowly and carefully in our lovemaking. Then, he would amp up his pace and take me wildly. He knew all the right places to touch me, and he knew all the right words to say to make me whimper in ecstasy. And he did all of that tonight.

I think I should stay and sleep beside him.

I couldn’t wipe the smile on my face even after I closed my eyes and hugged him tightly. He purred softly before he turned to his side, facing me and wrapping his arms around me, tucking my head under his chin as he would usually do.

It had been too long since he hugged me, and I knew I would definitely have a good sleep tonight. So I let his warmth envelope me, cocooning me to sleep.

…….

“Aaah…” Kael’s grunts woke me up.

My eyes snapped open, and my body immediately jolted. I sat up to look at him. Fear coursed through me because I remembered he was in a coma, and I thought he was having a seizure until everything that happened in the last 24 hours sank in.

My eyes darted to the clock on one of the shelves, and I saw it was already three in the morning.

His eyes were closed. It looked like he was dreaming.

“Aaah…” He continued moaning, and sweat was forming on his forehead. His groans sound so sexual, like the one he would let out when we were having sex.

Is he having wet dreams?

I raised the blanket and peered inside, letting the light of the moon cascading from the window light up the area I wanted to see. I was right — he was sporting a hard erection.

A smile curled on my lips before my eyes widened because, suddenly, his fingers wrapped around his manhood. He kept groaning as he began moving his hand up and down.

The sight and sound coming from him caused tingles to spread throughout my thighs. It excited me, but before I could decide what to do next, he mumbled something.

A name.

And it wasn’t mine.

“Desiree…” It was so low, but enough for me to hear and enough for me to freeze.

My mouth hung open as I dropped the blanket I was holding, and I inched backward on my butt, away from his side. My lips quivered as I stared at him.

“Desiree..” He repeated.

I didn’t hear him wrong. He was moaning her name.

My heart shattered as my eyes watered. I carefully got out of bed and picked up my clothes, which Kael tossed everywhere around the room before slipping them on. I didn’t even give him a second look as I walked out of the room and headed for mine.

So many thoughts were running through my head while my body moved on its own, grabbing every private belonging that I planned to take with me and stuffed them inside my small luggage.

I made a fool of myself again.

Why did I ever think he enjoyed having sex with me last night? I was so lost in my own ecstasy that I didn’t notice he didn’t even once utter my name while we were in the act. All along that he was touching and fucking me, he thought it was Desiree under him and not me.

My tears had stopped falling as the pain in my chest was replaced by anger.

I had no one to blame but me. I kept living in my own fantasy that one day, Kael would fall in love with me. He didn’t when he knew everything about me, so why did I think he would when he couldn’t remember me?

I didn’t know what to think anymore. All I knew was I was a victim of a cruel game or circumstances.

I looked around the room, making sure it was as tidy as when I came in, before I walked out of the door and through the corridor.

I trod down the stairs and along the hallways of the house, which had witnessed the smiles and laughter that I shared with him. Even our random fights were a memory to behold.

The one year wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t meant to last forever.

My heart was heavy, but I knew I didn’t want to stay here anymore.

Before Kael, I was on my own, and I managed to survive. I could do it again. I learned a lot during my stay, and I was grateful for that. I learned to be confident in my skin and not let anyone take advantage of me. I will make sure to put it to good use.

It was the same reason I needed to leave. I would not let him and Desiree, or even Miranda, make fun of me.

I tilted my head up and refused to shed more tears, nor did I give in to looking around. I didn’t want more memories clouding my head. I should focus on making new memories.

I didn’t bother to call a cab, as I knew there were many passing by even at this hour, as Kael made sure transportation was accessible 24/7 for those who didn’t have cars or the capacity to drive.

I would have to walk around 200 meters to get to the next taxi stop, but I didn’t mind. I needed air. I needed to breathe.

I had no idea where I would go from here. The apartment owner I spoke with this morning could give me the key to his vacant room in three days as he was out on vacation. So, in the meantime, I needed to find a hostel where I could stay.

I didn’t have so much money with me. I only had cash as I didn’t take my cards. I left them all in Kael’s office before I went to bed. I also left the wedding ring that he gave me on his table, as it was his family’s heirloom. It was his mother’s before he gave it to me on our wedding day.

I was still halfway away from the taxi stop when the sound of screeching tires reached my ears.

I immediately jumped out of the way and into the bushes because it felt like it was heading my way. I hissed loudly as I landed on my butt, and at the same time, a black van stopped a few inches from where I was standing earlier.

I pushed my body up from the ground despite the pain I felt. I was about to knock on the car’s door when it slid open, and before I knew it, I was pulled in, and I landed on someone’s body.

I struggled and screamed, but I guess it didn’t help as the door was already shut, and my hands were immediately bound on my back before a cloth was tied around my mouth, suppressing me from making any sounds.