Chapter 195

Hannah

My fingers traced the delicate lace patterns on the pillowcase while my eyes wandered the floral wallpaper, picking out patterns that I had almost forgotten over the years. The sun streamed in through the open window, the sheer curtains billowing slightly in the wind.

Everything in this room was exactly as I had left it years ago. The soft pink duvet, the white furniture, the stuffed animals still arranged neatly on the window seat—it was all a testament to the girl I used to be.

Innocent, kindhearted, sweet…

All things that I didn’t feel anymore.

My eyes drifted to the desk beneath the large window, where I used to sit for hours, writing those letters to Noah during our two years apart. I could almost see my younger self sitting there, head bent over a piece of paper, pouring her heart out.

I closed my eyes, remembering the ritual that accompanied each letter. The careful selection of stationery, the meticulous handwriting, and finally, the light spritz of perfume before sealing the envelope.

How naive I had been back then, head over heels for the boy I had spent my summer with.

If only I could go back in time, back to those innocent days... and refuse the arranged marriage with Noah.

Maybe then, I could have spent the rest of my life looking back on that summer fondly. Maybe then, the memories wouldn’t have been spoiled.

But that day that my father announced the arranged marriage, I had been too elated to even think it over…

“Hannah, Noah, please come here,” my father’s voice boomed from his study. “We have something important to discuss with you both.”

I exchanged a curious glance with Noah as we entered the room. My father, Stephen, sat behind his mahogany desk. Noah’s father, Marcus, sat in one of the plush chairs beside it.

“We have something to tell you,” my father began, an excited glint in his brown eyes. “Please, sit.”

Noah and I obediently took our seats, still wearing our formal attire from the Alpha event we had been attending earlier that evening—some gala or another, I could hardly remember. Although I did remember what dress I wore: baby blue, with taffeta sleeves and a sparkling skirt that fell to my ankles.

And Noah… He was wearing a black tuxedo that night. There was nothing spectacular about it, but I remembered how astonished I had been when I finally saw him for the first time in two years.

He was nineteen by then, and I was seventeen. He was no longer the awkward and gangly boy I had met two summers ago, but had turned into a handsome young man. Lean, muscular, a chiseled jaw and stormy green eyes. A dark mop of nearly-black hair and prominent eyebrows.

There was an aloof look to him when we saw each other, but I knew the years hadn’t been particularly kind; his fated mate, Zoe, had severed their mate bond not long before that night. The rumors of the incident had spread like wildfire.

That was why I didn’t press when I had run into him earlier at the event and the look he had given me had been cold and distant; I told myself he was just grieving, and maybe a little awkward after our separation.

My father looked at Marcus. “I’ll allow you to share the news, Alpha Marcus,” he said with a wave of his hand.

“You two are to be married.”

Marcus’s words were so curt, so succinct, that I almost wondered if I had misheard him. But when I saw the look in his and my father’s eyes, I knew it was true.

I felt my world explode with happiness. It was everything I had dreamed of, everything I had hoped for during those two years apart.

I turned to Noah, expecting to see my own excitement mirrored in his eyes.

Instead, I was met with that same blank stare. His face was an expressionless mask, his green eyes cold and distant.

My smile faltered for a moment, but I quickly rationalized his reaction. He must be in shock, I told myself. Or maybe it was lingering heartbreak over Zoe. He just needed… time to warm up to the idea of us.

Just a little time.

The memory faded, leaving me with a hollow ache in my chest. Time passed, but he never did come around.

Despite the emotional depth of his letters, the Noah I married was cold and distant. He never mentioned our correspondence, and instead acted as if those two years of sharing our deepest thoughts and feelings had never happened.

And now, he didn’t even seem to remember them at all.

Sure, we went through the motions of a honeymoon phase for a few months; we had lots of sex, shared pillow secrets, went on dates. But now, looking back, I knew that it was all an act. A tactic to keep me happy, keep me obedient until I produced an heir.

Or maybe it was his own attempt at forcing himself to love me when he had never gotten over Zoe.

Suddenly, a soft knock at the door pulled me from my brooding. “Come in,” I called, sitting up on the bed and smoothing down my hair.

Lily poked her head in with Olivia cradled in her arms. Her long brown hair was tied back in a messy bun, and she looked tired but happy. “Up for some company?”

I smiled, grateful for the distraction. “Always. Come here, you two.”

Lily settled on the bed beside me, placing Olivia between us. The baby gurgled happily, waving her tiny fists in the air. I tickled her tummy, marveling at how something so small could bring such joy.

“She’s perfect, Lily,” I murmured, gently stroking Olivia’s soft cheek.

“She is, isn’t she?”

I nodded, but then bit my lower lip. “The father…”

Lily sighed and waved her hand. “I met him at a gala about ten months ago. I was stupid, and slept with him even though we didn’t know each other. Obviously, I never heard from him again; and when I told him I was pregnant, he just asked where to send the child support checks.”

I felt my shoulders slump slightly. “I’m sorry.”

My sister shook her head. “It’s alright. We’re happy the way things are, aren’t we?” she cooed, leaning down to nuzzle Olivia’s nose with her own. But then she turned her gaze to me, her expression growing serious. “So, want to tell me what’s going on with you and Noah? Things seemed... tense earlier.”

I sighed, my hand stilling on Olivia’s belly. I had never been able to keep secrets from my sister, and the weight of everything I had been carrying suddenly felt too heavy to bear alone.

“Oh, Lily,” I started, my voice cracking slightly, “everything’s such a mess.”

Over the next half hour, I poured out the whole story. The coldness of our marriage, the way Noah had locked me in my room, my plans for divorce… the pregnancy.

When I finished, Lily’s face was pale, her eyes fixed on my belly. “You’re… pregnant?”

I nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips despite everything. “Yeah. I am.”

My sister gasped, throwing her arms around me and squealing into my shoulder. “Oh, Hannah! I’m so happy for you!” she practically screeched, but then lowered her voice when I quickly shushed her. When we pulled apart, there were tears in her eyes. “Olivia is going to have a little cousin,” she finally whispered.

There were tears in my own eyes, too. “Lily, I want to be happy but I just… feel so trapped,” I murmured, my voice thick. “I think Noah is going to use Dad’s financial problems to force me to stay in this marriage. How can I bring a child into that kind of situation?”

Lily frowned, her brow furrowing. “You really think he’s doing that?”

“I know he is,” I insisted. “You should have seen him earlier, talking to Dad. I bet he was telling him about the divorce, trying to get something to use as leverage. He’ll probably offer money to help Dad, then tell him he has to force me to stay in the marriage in exchange.”

When I finished, I was breathless; and I hadn’t realized it, but at some point I had leapt to my feet, waving my hands wildly as I talked.

Lily gaped at me for a moment, and I stopped in my tracks, turning to face her. “What is it?” I whispered, sensing that something was wrong.

“Noah didn’t say anything about a divorce,” Lily explained. “But… he just wrote Dad a check. A big one.”

I felt the blood drain from my face, my legs suddenly weak. I sank back onto the bed, my mind reeling, my hand clutching my stomach.

A check…

So his plan was already in motion.