Chapter 2 The Perfect Act

Ciara POV

After some minute the ceo find his way to the conference room and follow was his mistress flora the young beautiful wolf he been taking around lately. The company meeting went well nothing much was discuss apart from the ongoing project handling by me and except Nelson glaring at me the whole time and putting on his strong alpha face which I'm less concerned about or better still not my problem anymore.

I headed home after the meeting

The driving back home feel like a dream , as I was looking at myself from somewhere far above. Both hands stayed steady on the steering wheel and both eyes fixed on the road, but within me, all was falling apart in slow motion. Why i kept telling myself one thing over and over. The voice in my head kept saying

Get out before you lose yourself.

By the time I finally reached the house, the sun was already sinking, painting the sky in soft orange and red. Normally, I loved evenings like this. They used to make me feel safe...Like this place..this house that I thought will always be my my home.

But right now, it felt like a cage.

As I walked inside silently, slipping off my shoes, and stood there for a moment in the hallway. The familiar house smelled . Furniture and electric A small trace of wolf musk.

My chest hurt my breath stop for a seconds , but I forced myself to keep moving.

I went straight to the my personal room and pulled out a stack of files I had prepared weeks ago and the company financial reports, land agreements, business contracts. Papers I had handled faithfully as the his wife. As his assistant. As the human who tried too hard to belong.

Hidden neatly beneath them was another document.

Divorce papers.

My fingers trembled as I slipped them back into place. Calm down, don't break as I said to myself

I needed him calm.

Unaware.

Time passed slowly. Too slowly.

When the front door finally opened, I felt it before I heard it.

His presence.

The house seemed to react to him, the air thickening, shifting. Heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. He didn't call my name. He never did these days.

Instead, he went straight to his home office. And after a moment i went to knock on the door The door closed.

A moment later, his voice came through the wood.

"Come in

Deep.

Husky.

Controlled.

The same voice that once whispered promises into my ear at night.

My fingers buried deep my flesh. around the files, knuckles turning white. I took a slow breath, careful not to let my emotions leak out. Other pack members could sense distress. Wolves were sensitive to changes in energy, scent, even heartbeats.

As a human married to the Alpha of the longwei wolf pack, I had learned how to hide myself well.

Too well.

I pushed the door open.

He was standing behind his desk, loosening his tie, his jacket tossed over the chair. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing strong forearms marked faintly with old battle scars. He looked tired.

Or maybe satisfied.

I forced myself into a practiced smile.

The one I had worn for years.

I walked closer, stopping at his side, careful not to inhale too deeply.

I didn't want to smell her on him.

But it was already there.

Faint.

Lingering.

Mocking me.

"Busy?" I asked lightly. Too lightly. "I have some documents that need your signature."

My question was rhetorical. I had already placed the files in front of him, flipping them open to the marked pages. My movements were smooth, efficient. Perfect.

The perfect Alpha's wife.

Still performing, even as my heart slowly turned to stone.

He glanced down at the papers, then at me.

"Now?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "They're time sensitive."

A pause.

He studied my face, his sharp wolf eyes narrowing slightly. For a second, my heart jumped.

Does he know?

But then he looked away.

"Fine."

He picked up the pen and signed.

One page.

Then another.

The sound of the pen scratching against paper felt unbearably loud.

I stood there, hands folded in front of me, posture straight, breathing controlled. Inside, my thoughts screamed.

This man touched another woman today.

This man kissed her.

This man came home to me like nothing happened.

"Are you angry ?" he asked suddenly, still not looking at me focusing on his phone and messages coming up

The question caught me off guard.

"No," I said after a beat. "I wasn't angry ." But just want to commit murder

He frown swiftly before returning back to normal .

Flora is like a sister to me and nothing else . so you should quit your drama . I could feel his attention shift back to me. I could sense the subtle change in his posture, the way his shoulders tensed.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. I didn't ask you what your relationship with her

As I met his gaze calmly. I lie.

and he accepted it.

Because he wanted to.

He leaned back against the desk, arms crossing over his chest. "You've been quiet lately."

"I've been busy," I answered. "Managing pack affairs. Preparing reports. Supporting you."

My tone was polite.

Neutral.

He frowned slightly. "You don't have to do everything alone."

I almost poisoned him to dead if not for self control

But instead, I said, "I know."

Another silence.

This one stretched longer.

He stepped closer.

Too close.

I could feel his warmth, his scent wrapping around me. My stomach twisted violently, but I stayed still.

"Ciara," he said, lowering his voice. "You know how much I Love you and how much you mean to me

I looked up at him then.

Really looked.

At the man I had loved for five years.

At the husband who had chosen another woman while I waited.

At the Alpha who thought I would stay silent forever.

My lips curved slightly.

"Of course," I said softly. "You're my husband."

Something flickered in his eyes.

Guilt?

No.

Annoyance.

He stepped back.

"I have a meeting later," he said. "I'll be out tonight."

Of course you will.

"I understand," I replied.

He nodded once, already mentally gone.

I gathered the signed files carefully, making sure the hidden papers remained unseen. As I turned to leave, his voice stopped me.

"Ciara."

I paused.

"Yes?"

He hesitated, then said, "You trust me, right?"

The question felt like a knife pressing against my ribs.

I turned slowly.

Met his eyes.

And smiled.

"I did," I said.

Past tense but he

didn't notice.

I walked out of the office without another word, closing the door gently behind me.

Only when I reached the bedroom did my composure finally crack.

I locked the door.

Then I slid down against it, my back lay on the wood as a silent sob tore out of my chest. I covered my mouth with both hands, shaking violently, my body folding in on itself.

The pain was unbearable now.

Hot.

Sharp.

Real.

I pressed my forehead to my knees, tears soaking into my clothes.

How did I become this woman?

The woman who smiled while dying inside.

The woman who handed her cheating husband documents with steady hands.

The woman who loved a wolf who no longer chose her.

I cried until my chest hurt.

Until my throat burned.

Until there were no tears left.

When the storm finally passed, I wiped my face slowly and stood up. My reflection in the mirror startled me.

Red eyes.

Pale skin.

But beneath it all-

Resolve.

I walked to the dresser and pulled out the hidden envelope.

Divorce papers.

I laid them flat on the bed.

This was no longer about love.

This was about survival.

If I stayed, I would disappear.

If I stayed, I would break.

I straightened my shoulders.

I will leave on my own terms.

And this time I would not look back.

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