Chapter 4 FOUR

LYRA

They did not let me rest.

I had barely finished processing Selene's words when Lucinda straightened her sleeves and clapped her hands once, as if we were done with a meeting.

"Well," she said, "That concludes this."

I looked at her. "Concludes what?"

"This situation." She replied calmly. "You have fulfilled your role."

Darius finally spoke. "Lyra, you should calm down."

I laughed like a maniac, because at this point I was a manic.

"Calm down," I repeated.

"You took a part of my body. You lied to me. You stood beside another woman while I was cut open. And now you want me to calm down."

Selene stood up. "You are being dramatic."

"Dramatic," I said. "Is that what you call surgery without consent?"

Darius rubbed his temple. "You consented to it."

"To save your sister," I snapped. "Not your lover."

"She is both. It depends on how you want to see it," he replied.

"No," I said. "She is your mistress."

Silence stretched across the room. Selene tilted her head. "Mistress sounds cheap."

Lucinda smiled faintly. "Words do not change facts."

I turned to Darius again. "Did you know about the pregnancy?"

He did not answer immediately.

"That pause-" I said. "Is louder than any confession."

"Yes," he said. "I knew."

My hands shook against my lap. "And you still let me go under that knife."

"You were useful," he replied. "Do not act as if you did not gain anything."

"What did I gain, huh-tell me what did I gain?!" I asked.

He looked around the room. "This life."

"This house?" I scoffed. "It's not mine. This man is not mine. This marriage was never mine."

Lucinda slid the folder closer to me. "Sign the papers, darling."

I stared at it in annoyance and disgust. "No."

Darius frowned. "Do not start this."

"I will not sign," I repeated. "Not after everything."

Lucinda's smile vanished. "You do not get to negotiate."

"I gave you my kidney," I said. "So give it back."

Selene laughed. She actually laughed. The audacity of that bitch.

"Give it back," she repeated mockingly. "Can you hear yourself?"

"Yes," I said, meeting her gaze. "I want it back."

Darius stepped closer. "You cannot be serious."

"I am very serious."

He chuckled, slow and amused. "You think bodies work that way."

"You think people do," I shot back.

"You want me to tear open Selene's body," he replied, still amused. "Because you changed your mind."

"I want what is mine."

He leaned down, his face close to mine. "You were an omega with nothing. I gave you a name. I gave you a ring. I gave you relevance."

"You gave me scars," I said.

"And now I am taking everything else back," he replied.

Lucinda scoffed. "You should be grateful you survived."

"That was never part of the plan, was it?" I asked.

They went silent.

The front door opened then.

A girl in heels walked in, with her phone pressed to her ear. "Mother, you will not believe what happened at the-"

She stopped when she saw me.

Maris.

Darius's younger sister.

She looked me over slowly, from the wheelchair to my pale skin, then smiled. "Oh. You are still here."

Lucinda sighed. "She is refusing to cooperate."

Maris crossed her arms. "I told you marrying an omega was embarrassing."

I tilted my head. "Are you his sister as well?" I asked softly. "Or are you another secret?"

Her mouth dropped open. "What did you say?"

"I am trying to understand the family structure," I replied. "It's quite confusing."

Maris burst out laughing. "She is funny."

Lucinda frowned. "Watch your mouth."

I laughed weakly. "It is a fair question. You all lie so easily."

Maris walked closer. "You look awful."

"So do you," I replied. "For someone who got everything handed to her."

She gasped in fake shock. "She is bold."

Darius sighed. "Maris, ignore her."

"I cannot," she said. "She is entertaining."

I looked at her. "Tell me. Were you in on it?"

She shrugged. "Everyone was."

Selene smiled. "We tried to keep it gentle."

"Gentle," I said. "You took parts of my body."

Lucinda placed another folder on the table.

"Enough talk. Sign this."

I glanced at it. "The divorce papers."

"Yes," she replied. "We want this resolved today."

"I will not sign," I said.

Darius frowned. "Do not be dramatic."

"I am not," I replied. "I want my kidney back first."

Maris laughed. "She is insane."

Selene shook her head. "You are embarrassing yourself."

Lucinda's tone hardened. "You are an omega. You do not negotiate."

I looked at each of them. "You took my blood, my body, my name. What more do you want?"

Lucinda nodded toward the folder again. "Sign it."

"No."

Maris walked to the corner and picked up a black trash bag. Then another. Then another.

She tossed them at my feet.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Your things," she replied. "We packed them."

I stared at the bags. "You went through my belongings."

"There really wasn't anything much," she said. "Very forgettable."

My chest felt heavy. "I am still your wife."

Darius laughed. "In name only."

I turned to him. "Did any of it matter?"

"You mattered until you served your purpose."

Lucinda stepped forward. "Enough. This ends now."

She nodded at Maris, and she moved quickly. She grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and pushed it toward the door.

"Stop," I cried. "I can barely walk."

"That is not our problem," Maris replied.

Selene waved. "Take care of yourself."

The front door opened, and they pushed me outside.

The chair tipped forward, and I hit the ground. As I feel pain move through every part of my body.

And the door slammed shut.

I lay there for a moment, gasping in shock. Then I heard the lock.

Click.

I dragged myself upright and looked at the house. The lights were on, and I was outside.

I gathered the trash bags and stumbled down the driveway.

My legs shook badly with every step. And my sight began to fade. Blood soaked through the fabric beneath my clothes.

I pressed my hand against my side and kept walking.

Cars passed. No one stopped.

I wasn't even with my phone. Where do I go? What do I do?

By the time night fell, my body was failing miserably. I leaned against a wall, breathing heavily.

"Just keep moving," I whispered, trying to pull myself together. But I couldn't. I burst into tears. Why was this happening to me? Why me?

Still in the middle of my breakdown, I heard footsteps echoing behind me. Pausing to wipe my tears and turn around.

But there was no one there.

I walked, stood properly, and walked faster, and the further I walked, the more the footsteps increased. I eventually stopped and turned, yet no one was there.

"Hello," I called weakly.

Silence.

"That's the target." The voice came out really low.

My heart raced as the steps drew closer.

I broke into a run, but my legs gave out, and I fell.

A shadow loomed over me and the attacker drew a blade.

"No. No. Please no."