I remained silent. The realization hit me harder but I tried my best not to show any emotions. But, she, as if wanted to get on my head, continued,"To be honest, I was going to tell you the day we met—don’t you think we look very similar, little sister? Your eyes are just like me and your dress’s brand and even the perfume you are wearing are the same as mine. It's like I’m seeing my twin."

I couldn't feel more humiliated that I already was. Out of shame, I couldn't even maintain eye contact with her.

I didn't reply to her and went back to my table. Even though my colleagues were cracking jokes and having fun, I couldn't divert my mind from what I heard from Winnie. Her voice was echoing in my head.

Suddenly the door to our private room pushed open and a familiar figure appeared before my eyes. Seeing my table filled with colleagues, Daniel hesitated for a moment and then looked up at me with a pair of cold eyes. He called my name, his voice laced with anger. I didn't understand why.

I excused myself and followed him out to the corridor only to get a hard slap by him. It took me a long time to recover from the shock. He had never raised his voice on me before, let alone hitting me in public. As I stared at him in disbelief. He didn't look apologetic at all. Instead he asked me in furious voice,

"Why did you throw hot coffee on Winnie? You know her skin is sensitive! I told you I will explain everything to you but you just had to act stubbornly?"

The slap was so hard that my teeth had started aching. Meanwhile Winnie walked up to us, her shirt was wet with coffee. I was just going to explain and Winnie hissed in pain. Daniel didn't waste a second and walked past me. He rushed over, holding her gently.

"I told you I'd bring her over to apologize to you. Why did you come out here?" he said.

Though his words sounded reproachful, his voice was filled with tenderness.

Winnie shook her head in refusal and said with tearful eyes, "Daniel, just let it be. I don't think she would have done it on purpose. Don’t force her to apologize."

"Besides, she is the daughter of your Pack's Alpha. Things will get hard on, if her brother or father hears about it." she added.

Daniel hesitated for a moment after listening to my brother's name, but soon his eyes turned dark as said,"Her brother asked me to guide her in the city, so it’s my duty to correct her when she makes any mistake," he said firmly.

I laughed bitterly before asking in a cold voice , "What mistake did I make that gave you the authority to hit me? Did you see me throwing coffee on her? How did you come to the conclusion without even hearing me out?"

Daniel clenched his fists. He said while glaring at me, "You knew I went with Winnie by lying to you. You surely didn't like it and decided to take revenge on Winnie when you saw her. You had a reason to attack her. I told you that I would explain everything. Why didn't you wait for me, Bella?”

I felt both surprised and angry with his conclusion, “How easily you accused me for everything? But, did you try to verify Winnie’s statement?"

"Why would Winnie lie to me? Are you saying that she burned herself to accuse you? Why would she do that? Besides, I've known her for years. She’s not the kind of person who lies."

"You think I am?" I asked, the volume of my voice rising by a few decibels.

We have lived seven years together. I thought we understood each other better than anyone else. But, I was wrong. Our seven years of togetherness meant nothing when it comes to Winnie.One word from her was all it took him to believe her and blame me..

It was blatant favoritism, a glaring display of partiality. I shouldn't be surprised by this. After all, I was only a temporary mate for him. What could I mean for him in front of his ‘Luna’.

I turned to leave, feeling uninterested in wasting my words on a person who claimed me as a sinner without giving me a chance to defend.

If I joined my colleagues in that condition, they would notice that something was off with me. So I chose not to return to the private room. Instead, I went to the counter, paid the bill and sent them a message:

"I've got to run and take care of something, but don't worry about the bill – I've got it covered. Enjoy the rest of your evening!”

After coming back home, I took a detailed look at every corner of this place. It acquired the memories of the past seven years with Daniel. The memories that once made my heart bloom with happiness was now stabbing into my heart like a thousand blades. I took a glance over the furniture and decorations of the house. It had taken me a long time to carefully select everything according to Daniel's preference as I wanted to surprise him. Now looking back in the past made me realize that those were useless efforts from my side. The man for whom I did everything, didn't deserve any of it.

I opened my cupboard and took out a big box filled with gifts given by Daniel. There was a red rose he had proposed to me with. Like my love for him, it was also withered away. There was a diamond ring that he gifted me when we first shifted to this home to live together. Now that I looked at it carefully, I recalled the same ring in Winnie's hand when first met at her welcome banquet. One by one I took all the gifts out. I either burn them or throw them in the dustbin, erasing all our past.

There were our toothbrushes with our "male and female wolf" love diary design, the matching coffee cups with cute black and white wolf printed on them, the keychains that sensed each other within ten meters because we were not a true mate and couldn't sense each other through smell at large distance and a whole box of photos and portraits. I used to keep everything safe so that I could look at them and feel relaxed when Daniel would be away from me. Our couple related things that once gave peace to my eyes had now become the cause of unrest. No matter how many things I destroyed that resembled our relationship in the past, there would always be something left to haunt me.

Daniel hadn't returned home for half a month. At that time, I was busy finishing my last project in the company. Also, I removed everything from the house that reminded me of our past days of living together. I nearly cleared out the entire house. I even sold the furniture I had chosen myself, leaving the place as empty as it was when I first moved in—black and white, so minimalist that you could see the entire room in a single glance.

A day before I was going to leave the city, I thought I should at least clear things between us, so I called him. But every time I dialed, he kept rejecting my calls. After a while, he sent me a message.

"If you're not willing to acknowledge your mistakes and offer a sincere apology to Emily, then I don't see the point in continuing this conversation."

"Fine, if that's how you feel, then let's just end it here." I typed this message with a tinge of sadness but later deleted it, not interested in wasting my words on him if he couldn't even pick up my call.

The next morning, I packed my bags and left the house that once felt like a warm haven. As I walked away, I felt an overwhelming sense of freedom. I was now free from my blind love. Winnie had taken the blindfold from my eyes. For this, I was really thankful to her. She made me realize that I shouldn't waste my youth on a man who takes me only as his temporary mate while chasing after his ‘Luna’.

Just before boarding my flight, my phone was flooded with birthday messages from friends and family. Some wished me prosperity, others wished me love and happiness, and a few even wished me a future filled with joy and companionship. I replied to each message, feeling grateful for the love and support. As I turned off my phone and the plane took off, I whispered to myself: I will be happy! With so many blessings and good wishes, I knew I was on the path to a brighter future.