Chapter 5 The Night I Threw Him Away

Aria's POV.

Luke ordered a lot of dishes, all of them my favorites.

He busied himself plating the food in the kitchen, glancing up now and then to talk to me.

I responded to him absently and lowered my head to check a new message on my communicator. It was from an unfamiliar code.

I opened it. Dozens of photos flooded in, from prenatal checkup reports to the birth of a child, and then another photo taken two years later, when a younger sister was born.

Both of these children were Luke and Layla's.

"I'm Layla, Luke's fated mate. These are my children with him. The older one is four, the younger is two. You've been married to Luke for five years, yet he only let me bear his children. Do you know why? Because you're a lowly human, completely unworthy of carrying Luke's offspring. You're the third party who ruined our family. Luke has been sick of your temper for a long time. Every second with you suffocated him. Do yourself a favor and leave on your own. Do you know how much Luke loves me? I said I liked the home you personally decorated, and he immediately let me move in. I said I liked your mother's Heart of the Ocean, and he gave it to me without hesitation. Oh, and by the way, I've known for a long time that you installed cameras in the house. So tell me, were you satisfied with the performance Luke and I gave you?"

My stomach churned violently. I covered my mouth and barely managed not to throw up.

It was disgusting. Layla's shamelessness and Luke's hypocrisy completely shattered my understanding of how low people could go.

I was about to block the number when another message from Layla popped up. "I know you saw everything. If you still don't believe me, I'll show you who Luke truly cares about."

Almost immediately, Luke's communicator rang in the living room.

He frowned and rushed out of the kitchen to answer the call, his tone respectful. "Jocelyn? What is it? Alright, I'll return to the Council immediately."

Luke set the fruit salad on the table and hurried toward the door. "Aria, I'm sorry. There's an emergency at the Council. I have to go back right now. Go ahead and eat. Don't wait for me. Get some rest early tonight."

The moment Luke left, Layla sent another boastful message. "Well? The second I said I needed him, didn't he abandon you right away? I didn't have anything important at all. I just told him my new lingerie had arrived. See? That's how obsessed he is with me. Let me tell you a secret. Every time Luke says the Council needs him, he's actually in my bed."

I trembled with rage. Looking at the food that had already gone cold in the kitchen, I had no appetite at all.

I dumped all the food into the trash, as if discarding every last bit of love I once had for Luke.

I didn't want this filthy Alpha anymore.

That night, Luke didn't come home. It was the first time in five years.

Just as dawn broke, I received photos from Layla.

Luke lay beside Layla, fast asleep. A pile of scattered clothes lay at the foot of the bed.

"Luke clung to me all night. He was completely wild. Aria, with that broken body of yours, could you ever satisfy him? You're not worthy of being his Luna."

I ignored Layla's provocation and watched as the sky outside gradually brightened.

I would be leaving soon, abandoning everyone and everything that wasn't worth keeping, and walking away cleanly from this place that had left me scarred.