Chapter 62
SOPHIA’S POV
I couldn’t sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them.
Damien, Tiffany, and Ashley.
In my mind, I saw them standing in my kitchen like they belonged together. It felt like I was the intruder in my own life.
My wolf whimpered inside me. She felt confused and hurt. She didn’t understand why our mate was pushing us away, why he was letting another female into our territory.
The next morning, I drove back to Stone Villa. I knew it was probably useless, but I had to try. I had to make Damien talk to me about my family, about stopping whatever he was doing to hurt them. I parked in the driveway and walked to the front door.
This time I knocked instead of using my key. It felt wrong to just walk in anymore.
Franca answered. Her expression shifted from surprise to pity when she saw me.
She bowed her head. “Good morning, Luna. Alpha Damien isn’t here p>
“When will he be back? I can wait p>
She hesitated. “He won’t be back today. He took Ashley somewhere p>
My stomach dropped. “Where? Where did he take her p>
“I don’t know for certain. But Franca glanced behind her like she was making sure no one could hear. “I heard him on the phone this morning, making plans with Miss Tiffany. Something about her place, about Ashley wanting to see her house p>
The words hit me hard. My daughter was with Tiffany. At Tiffany’s house spending the weekend there like it was normal like Tiffany was part of our family now. Damien didn’t even inform me.
Didn’t I have the right to know?
“He took my daughter to her house?” My voice came out small.
“I’m sorry, Luna I thought you should know p>
Franca’s eyes were sad.
I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t form words past the lump in my throat. I just nodded and walked back to my car. My hands shook as I started the engine. My wolf was howling now. The sound of her how echoed through my entire body.
Our pup was with another female.
I drove back to Sky Manor in a daze. When I walked in, my mother took one look at my face and pulled me into a hug. I broke down then. I sobbed into her shoulder like I was a child again.
“He took Ashley to Tiffany’s house,” I gasped between sobs.
“Oh honey.” she patted my back “I’m so sorry p>
I just stayed there crying as she comforted me.
Later that afternoon, I found Patricia in the study. She was on her laptop. I knocked softly on the doorframe.
“Hey. Can I come in?” I asked.
I really needed someone to talk to. My wolf was basically whimpering inside all day long.
“Of course.” She closed the laptop quickly.
I sat across from her. “How’s work going p>
“Everything’s fine.” But she wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Instantly, I knew something was wrong.
“Patricia. Please don’t lie to me. I know Damien is going after Marco’s firm. I know you’re losing clients.” I leaned forward. “How bad is it really p>
She was quiet for a long moment. Then she sighed.
“It’s bad, Sophia. We lost five more clients this week. All of them cited budget concerns or deciding to go with other firms but we know the truth p>
“What about the cases you’re already working on p>
“Some clients are sticking with us – The ones who don’t have connections to Damien’s circle. But it’s not enough to sustain the firm long-term.” She finally looked at me.
My chest tightened. “This is all my fault p>
“Stop saying that. This is Damien’s doing, not yours p>
I pulled out my bank card and set it on the desk.
“Take this. Use it for the firm, for whatever you need p>
She shook her head “Sophia, no. We can’t take your money p>
“It’s not much but it’s something. Please, let me help.” Tears burned in my eyes. “You’re all suffering because of me. The least I can do is try to help financially p>
Patricia stared at the card. Then she picked it up and held it out to me. “We don’t want your money. We want you to be safe and happy. That’s all we’ve ever wanted p>
“But p>
“No. Keep your money. You’re going to need it for a lot of things”
I wanted to argue more but I knew it was useless. My family was too proud. They wouldn’t take help even when they desperately needed it.
I spent the rest of the week trying to reach Damien. I called his phone over and over. It either went straight to voicemail or rang until it cut off.
Finally, on Friday evening, my call connected. The phone rang twice and then someone picked up. But it wasn’t Damien’s voice I heard.
“Hello?” Tiffany answered.
My wolf snarled. Why was she answering his phone?
I composed myself. “Where’s Damien? I need to speak with him p>
“Oh, Sophia. He’s a bit busy right now.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “He’s washing my underwear actually. Such a gentleman p>
The words felt like a knife to my chest. “What p>
“I said he’s washing my underwear. We had a bit of an accident earlier and he insisted on helping clean up. He’s so thoughtful, isn’t he?” Tiffany laughed.
“Would you like me to give him a message? Though he might be a while. He’s very thorough p>
I hung up. I just sat there on my bed, staring at nothing.
My wolf was howling so loud I thought my head would split open.
Damien was washing Tiffany’s underwear. I thought about the intimacy of it.
I doubled over, wrapping my arms around my stomach.
The pain was physical. It felt real, like there was something was tearing apart inside me. This was it. This was the moment I had to accept the truth.
Damien had moved on.
For good.
Saturday morning came too quickly. I forced myself to get up, to get dressed, to drive to Stone Villa. I’d promised myself I’d see Ashley this weekend.
Franca let me in. She told me Ashley was upstairs in her room and Damien was out. Tiffany wasn’t there. I climbed the stairs slowly.
When I reached Ashley’s door, I knocked softly.
“Come in p>
I opened the door. Ashley was sitting on her bed surrounded by stuffed animals. She looked up.
“Mommy p>
She ran to me and I caught her in a tight hug. For a moment, everything else faded away. There was just me and my daughter.
“I missed you so much, baby.” My voice cracked.
“I missed you too.” Ashley pulled back to look at me.
I sat on her bed.
Ashley climbed up next to me. “Daddy took me lots of places this week. We went to the zoo and the movies and Miss Tiffany’s house. She has a really big house, Mommy. Almost as big as this one p>
My chest felt tight but I forced myself to smile. “That sounds fun. Did you have a good time p>
“Yeah! Miss Tiffany is really nice. She let me play with her things and she made cookies and we watched princess movies.” Ashley’s excitement was genuine.
“That’s great, sweetheart.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Did Daddy stay with you the whole time p>
Ashley nodded. “Uh-huh. He stayed at Miss Tiffany’s house too. He said we’re going to go back next weekend. She’s going to teach me how to bake a cake p>
She said it so casually, like it was normal.
“Ashley, honey, can I ask you something?” I asked. “Did anything else happen this week? Anything you want to tell me about p>
Ashley’s expression changed. I saw something in her eyes. “No. Nothing p>
But I knew that look. I knew my daughter. She was hiding something. Something she’d been told not to tell me about.
My wolf tensed.
What could it be?