Evaline:
Sunday arrived with a pale grey sky and a heart heavier than it had been the night before.
It should have been a good day considering it was payday.
I got my salary, more than I had ever held in my hands before. River kept his word about the bonus, letting me earn twice my usual salary.
I should have been thrilled. Proud. Excited to finally make real money from honest, hard work, especially with no one else to depend on.
But instead, I was feeling... nothing.
There was no joy. No pride. Just a hollow ache in my chest that hadn’t eased since Friday evening.
Forty hours. That’s how long it had been since I stood in that cottage and watched my mates walk away. Since I dropped the truth on them like shattering glass, one shard after another. Since I saw Draven’s back as he stormed out, and Oscar’s detached voice as he told me he would drop me off like I was some stranger.
It had been forty long hours without a single message from either of them, let alone a call.
That’s right! A foolish, desperate part of me - one that I thought I had buried long ago - kept checking my phone. Hoping. Praying.
But there was nothing.
It was like they hadn’t just walked out of that cottage, but out of my life. And the truth was... I couldn’t blame them.
How could they possibly accept everything I dumped on them? Being mated to both brothers was one thing - unusual, even rare, but it had happened before. But carrying another man’s child? A child from a mate who had already rejected me?
Even I wouldn’t have accepted that if I were in their place.
So really, the silence shouldn’t have hurt. But it did. It was hurting more than Ethan’s rejection ever had.
Maybe because this time, I had let myself hope. And my life had taught me one thing very clearly... hope was a dangerous thing.
By Sunday afternoon, even River started to notice something wasn’t right.
I felt his eyes on me as I fumbled over the third set of documents I was supposed to finalize. I was usually ahead of schedule, efficient to the second. But this weekend? I misspelled a major Alpha’s name in an official report, a name I had written dozens of times before. I misplaced an important report. And failed to respond to three calls that I received from River.
"I’m starting to think you have been swapped with a body double," River muttered as he leaned back in his chair, narrowing his eyes on me. "One that’s too stupid to function properly."
I blinked up at him, startled out of my daze.
"I-I’m sorry," I mumbled while straightening the papers that were scattered over the desk. "I didn’t mean to-"
"That’s not what I’m talking about." He snapped the folder shut and leaned forward on his elbows. "You haven’t made a single damn mistake in two months, and now suddenly you are fumbling over basic tasks?"
He paused. "What the hell is going on with you?"
I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t exactly tell him that the girl he saw as a walking intern manual had her world fall apart two nights ago.
So I just lowered my head and offered a weak apology again.
He sighed. For once, it didn’t sound annoyed. It sounded... disappointed. He was looking even confused at my behavior.
"You are one of the best I have ever had in this position," he said suddenly.
My eyes shot up, only to catch the look of surprise taking over him in time. He didn’t mean to let the praise slip.
"I mean, you were," he said quickly, trying to cover his slip. "Before you started screwing things up."
The corner of my mouth twitched. I hadn’t smiled in days. It was small, barely there, but it was something. And of course, he noticed.
He frowned. "Don’t smile. You are still on thin ice."
Then, without giving me a chance to respond, he stood abruptly and grabbed his blazer. "I have got a meeting with Alpha Marcus. Try not to burn the place down while I’m gone."
And just like that, he was out the door, fleeing like a man who had accidentally shown a sliver of humanity and hated himself for it.
For the rest of the day, I forced myself to keep working. I did everything twice, triple-checked my spellings, and read reports out loud until they no longer made sense.
I made it to 6 PM.
When the office hours ended, I was barely able to lift my arms. My body was drained. But my mind was worse.
I declined my friends’ invitation to meet them in Lakeshire. Noah had texted twice. Kyros once. And Mallory had been calling.
I turned my phone on silent and shoved it in my bag.
I just wanted quiet. So I told Mr. Wood to take me back to the Academy when he asked about where I wanted to go.
The dorm was empty when I entered. Everyone still out enjoying the weekend.
I took a long shower, letting the water run until my fingers wrinkled and my skin turned pink. Still, I wasn’t able to wash away the ache.
Back in the room, I slipped into bed, pulling the covers over my head and hoping for sleep to take me away from the reality I didn’t want to face.
But my bed was cold. The room was colder. And everywhere I looked... I saw memories.
Draven sitting on the edge of my bed, brushing a strand of hair from my face. Him leaning against the windowsill, grinning at something stupid I said. His laughter. His warmth. It was all gone.
Just like that.
I closed my eyes, hoping to escape into nothingness. And at some point, I finally drifted off.
Until-
Knock. Knock. Knock.
My eyes shot open as the sound came again. Then there was a pause before-
Knock. Knock.
I sat up, trying to brush away the heaviness of the sleep.
Someone was at the door.