Chapter 6 6

ELODIE'S POV~

"That little humiliation won't end her life. She's okay."

Those words wouldn't leave my head. Calhoun's voice.so calm, so certain kept ringing ceaselessly in my ears. Not Carmela's cruel laughter. Not the gasps or the whispers of the guests. Just him. Over and over, like a knife twisting in my chest. My tears wouldn't stop, falling freely down my cheeks as I clutched the shredded remains of my dress to my chest, trying in vain to cover what had been ripped away from me.

The crowd that had gathered to witness my humiliation began to disperse slowly. One by one, they left me there, and no one offered to help. No hand reached out. No sympathetic glance lingered. I was utterly alone. My sobs grew louder, spilling out of me in ragged, desperate gasps. I could feel my body shaking with shame, my chest heaving uncontrollably as I watched them walk away.

I tried to stand, my knees wobbling, my body weak and trembling. And then a jacket landed squarely on my face. Blinking through my tears, I looked up to see the waiter who had carried Carmela's silver tray toss it toward me and walk away without a word. No apology. No acknowledgment. Nothing. Just another reminder that no one cared, that I was invisible, unworthy of even the smallest kindness.

I wrapped the jacket around me, but it did nothing to stop the tremors coursing through my body. Shock. Pain. Fear. Humiliation. They clung to me like a second skin, seeping into my bones.

The world outside was gray, heavy with rain pouring, and as I stumbled into it, the heavens themselves seemed to join in my punishment. Rain pounded down, soaking the jacket, drenching the scraps of fabric that still clung to my skin. My tears mixed with it, but I had no strength left to cry. My mind had gone numb. My body moved on autopilot, dragging itself across the nearly empty streets, soaked and exhausted, my vision blurring.

I was approaching a dark alley, a shortcut home when a car honked beside me. I froze, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. Slowly, I turned. There was Calhoun. Clutching the steering wheel, his gaze locked onto me with that piercing intensity I had once craved, and he waved for me to get in.

Fresh pain, hatred, heartbreak, it all surged through me at once. My chest felt like it had been torn open. I wanted to scream at him. Fuck you. Go to hell with your ride. But the words caught in my throat. Did they even matter anymore? My vision was already swimming with black dots. My body felt like it was disintegrating, piece by piece, under the weight of everything.

So I ignored him. My feet dragged through the puddles. Rain pelted my head and my soaked jacket, but I barely noticed. I was already broken. Already numb. My heart hardened a little more with every step, my soul turning colder and colder.

The honking didn't stop. My head throbbed as I tried to ignore it, my soaked jacket clinging to me like a second skin, heavy with the rain and then his voice cut through the storm.

"Elodie! Get into the car now!"

I froze. Every nerve in my body screamed. Hot, furious anger surged through me, burning brighter than the cold rain pelting my skin. In the past, I would have panicked. I would have rushed to him, eager to please, desperate not to upset him. But not now. Not after today.

I turned on my heels slowly, letting the rain wash over my face as I faced him, giving him the coldest, deadest look I could muster.

"What for?" I spat, my voice trembling with fury and heartbreak. "What's the need for me to enter your car right now? Don't waste your time, Alpha Calhoun. Don't forget, I'm just a Gamma. I have no reason to be in the same car as you."

The words hung in the air, and I turned away, trudging slowly forward, letting each step pull me farther from him, from everything I had once believed in. I didn't care to see his expression. I didn't care if he followed.

But then I heard a car door slamming, footsteps rushing toward me. My heart thudded in panic, but I didn't look. I shouldn't have to. And just as I took another step, a hand clamped hard around my wrist and yanked me backward. Pain shot through me, and I gasped, stumbling.

His glare was fire, furious and unyielding.

"Didn't you hear me when I asked you to get in?" His voice was harsh. "Why are you so pissed? I get it, today's been bad. Misunderstandings everywhere. But I did what I had to! I didn't want to lose Carmela again. I've lost her once; I will never let that happen again. I'll make it up to you somehow, don't worry! You can't just mess everything up over this little misunderstanding!"

His words slapped me harder than any hand could. They burned, and I yanked my wrist from his grip, ignoring the sharp pain. I laughed, but it was empty, hollow, and bitter.

"Have you seen yourself?" I whispered, stepping back, my voice breaking with rage and grief. "Felt no shame? Left your mate to chase after a mistress? Why? Don't worry, Alpha Calhoun. I know my place now. I am a Gamma. Just his assistant. I would never hope for more. Happy now? Can I go?"

Something in his eyes snapped. Murderous. Furious. He stepped forward, pointing at me, shouting, his voice trembling with emotion I couldn't decipher.

"You know that's not what I meant! I never looked down on you! I did what I had to out there to calm Carmela, or there would have been chaos more than I could ever handle! And-"

The next words didn't reach me. My world tilted, the rain spinning, the street fading. The last thing I heard before everything went black was him calling my name. And then pain. Then cold, wet asphalt against my body, every inch of me aching.

The morning sunlight burned my eyes as it streamed through the window. I winced, trying to open them, only to be startled by a beeping sound. My eyes snapped open fully, and I gasped.

A woman in a nurse's uniform smiled at me warmly, checking my vitals.

"Good morning," she said softly. "You're finally awake."

My throat was raw, my voice gone. I tried to speak, but she beat me to it.

"Thankfully, your. boyfriend was helpful. He brought you to the hospital and stayed with you through the night, until just a few minutes ago. He stepped out."

A bitter, hollow laugh escaped me. My chest tightened. I turned my head slightly, staring at her, and said flatly,

"He's not my boyfriend. He never was. And he never will be."

The nurse nodded silently, scribbling notes. I looked away toward the window, sunlight spilling over the sky, a cruel contrast to the storm still raging inside me. My eyes stung. I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling the bitter, empty ache of realizing how foolish I had been.

How deluded I had been, thinking that one day Calhoun would fall for me. That one day, he would choose me as his mate. But not today. Not ever, perhaps.

I wanted to disappear from this life entirely, to erase myself from his world, from my own mistakes, from the pain that clung to me like a second skin.

I wanted to be gone.