Chapter 5：Death of the Heart
1663words
The pain of losing my baby followed me like a shadow, James's betrayal haunting my every waking moment.
"Emma, you need to eat something," James pleaded outside the door. "It's been three days."
I remained silent, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Please, open the door. We need to talk."
Talk about what? How he chose Aria over me? How he caused the death of our baby?
"Emma, the doctor is here," Helen's voice came through, feigning concern. "You need to be examined."
I finally spoke: "Tell them all to leave."
"Emma, don't be like this," James's voice grew anxious. "We're all worried about you."
Worried? If they were truly worried, why were they laughing on the lake while I was bleeding out in the woods?
Eventually, they gave up, and the sound of footsteps faded away.
Only Noah left food and water outside my door each day, never pushing me to talk.
A week later, I finally emerged from the bedroom, pale-faced with hollow eyes.
James was reading a newspaper in the living room. He jumped to his feet when he saw me.
"Emma! Thank God, you've finally come out."
I walked straight to the kitchen, ignoring him completely.
"We need to talk," he followed me. "About everything that happened."
I opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water, my movements mechanical.
"Emma, look at me," he grabbed my arm. "I'm sorry. Really."
I finally looked at him, nothing but ice in my eyes.
"Your apology means nothing to me."
"I know I made a mistake, but we can start over," he pleaded. "We can have another baby."
His words stabbed into my heart like a knife.
"Another baby?" My voice trembled. "Do you think children are items you can just replace?"
"That's not what I meant," he backpedaled. "I just meant we still have a future together."
"We have no future, James. You chose Aria and your family over me and our baby."
"That was a mistake!" he raised his voice. "I didn't realize how serious it was!"
"Because you never believed me," I said coldly. "In your eyes, I've always been that 'freak,' that 'burden.'"
He was speechless because he knew it was true.
"I'm going back to work," I turned to leave. "Don't follow me."
"You haven't recovered yet," he tried to block my path. "The doctor said you need rest."
"I don't need you telling me what I need," I pushed past him. "I just need you to stay the hell away from me."
The company was my sanctuary. There, I was Luna, the powerful Alpha—not the betrayed Emma.
When Lisa saw me, her eyes filled with concern.
"Emma, are you okay? I heard what happened..."
"I don't want to talk about it," I cut her off. "What needs my attention?"
She hesitated, then handed me a stack of documents.
"These are the most urgent ones. But Emma, you really should be resting."
"Work is the best therapy," I said, sitting down and diving into the files.
Buried in work, I could temporarily forget the pain.
But when night fell and I returned to what I once called home, the pain would hit me all over again.
One evening, after working late, I returned home to find the living room light still on.
James and Aria were sitting on the sofa, heads close together, talking in hushed tones.
When they saw me, they jumped apart, looking guilty.
"Emma," James stood up. "You're home."
"Obviously," I said coldly, my gaze shifting between them. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Don't be like that, Emma," Aria said, fake tears welling in her eyes. "I just came to check on you, to make sure you're okay."
"How touching," I said sarcastically. "My husband and my sister, so concerned about my wellbeing."
"Emma, you've got it all wrong," James explained. "Aria just came to help."
"Help with what? Help you get rid of your inconvenient werewolf wife?"
"Emma!" Aria gasped. "I would never think of you that way!"
"Save it," I turned and headed upstairs. "Carry on. Don't let me interrupt."
Back in the bedroom, I leaned against the door as silent tears streamed down my face.
I once thought James was my soulmate, but now I realized it was all a lie.
The next day, I moved my things from the master bedroom to the guest room.
James tried to stop me, but my mind was made up.
"This isn't good for us, Emma," he said. "We need to face this together."
"There is no 'us' anymore, James," I said calmly. "Just you and your choices."
In the days that followed, we lived under the same roof like strangers.
I left early and returned late, avoiding any interaction with him.
But fate always seemed to enjoy twisting the knife.
One afternoon, I went home early to grab some documents and heard noises coming from the master bedroom.
Unmistakable sounds—heavy breathing, creaking bedsprings, and Aria's moans.
"James... oh God... right there..."
I stood frozen outside the door, my heart turning to ashes.
Even in our worst moments, I never imagined he would betray me so completely.
I didn't burst in. Didn't make a scene. I just quietly left the house.
My heart was already dead—no amount of pain could touch me now.
I drove to a bar and ordered one strong drink after another.
As a werewolf, alcohol had limited effect on me, but I desperately wanted to numb the pain.
"Drinking alone?" A stranger slid onto the stool beside me.
"Get lost," I said without looking up.
"Don't be so cold, beautiful," he moved closer, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I can show you a good time."
I looked up at him, my eyes flashing gold.
"I said, get lost."
He recoiled at my inhuman gaze and quickly retreated.
I kept drinking until the bar closed.
Back home, I found James waiting in the living room, looking anxious.
"Where have you been? I was worried sick."
I gave a cold laugh. "Worried? You weren't worried about me when you were fucking my sister in our bed."
The color drained from his face.
"You... you know."
"I heard everything," I said calmly, as if discussing the weather. "You two really are perfect for each other."
"Emma, I can explain..."
"Save it," I cut him off. "I should have known from the moment you refused to help me. That was when you made your choice."
"That was a mistake!" he cried. "I didn't know you were in real danger!"
"But you knew I was carrying your child," I said coldly. "You knew I'm a werewolf and what the full moon means to me."
He was speechless because he knew I was right.
"I want a divorce," I finally said. "I'm done with all of this."
"No," he immediately refused. "I won't agree to a divorce."
"Why? Because of my money? Because of my company?"
"Because I love you!" he shouted, but the insincerity in his voice was something even he couldn't hide.
"Love?" I laughed bitterly. "You don't even know what love is."
I turned to go upstairs, but he grabbed my arm.
"Emma, please, give me one more chance. I'll prove I'm sincere."
I yanked my arm free, my eyes filled with nothing but disgust.
"It's too late, James. My heart is already dead."
The next day, I visited a law firm and started preparing divorce papers.
Back at the company, Lisa informed me I had a visitor.
"Who is it?"
"Noah Reed," she answered. "Says he has something important to tell you."
I let him in, curious about what brought him here.
"Emma," Noah said as soon as he entered. "There are things you need to know."
He looked nervous, anxiously glancing around the room.
"What things?"
"About James and Aria, and your wolf pack," he lowered his voice. "I overheard them talking. They planned everything."
My heart started racing. "What do you mean?"
"That text message about your pack being attacked," Noah explained. "Aria sent it. She knew you'd go help, and she knew it was close to the full moon."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"How could she know about my werewolf identity? How could she know about the pack?"
"Because Victor told her," Noah continued. "They've been monitoring your every move to... gain control of your wealth."
My hands began to shake, rage boiling in my blood.
"They planned all of this? Including... my baby?"
Noah nodded grimly. "I don't think they planned the miscarriage, but they definitely wanted to trap you during the full moon when you couldn't control your transformation."
"Why?" My voice was barely audible.
"Because according to your prenuptial agreement, if your werewolf identity poses a danger to the public, James can gain control of your company."
It was true. I had naively signed that agreement, believing James would never use it against me.
"They've been waiting for the perfect opportunity," Noah continued. "And Aria is their accomplice. She's been seducing James, turning him against you."
My world completely collapsed.
Not just James's betrayal, but an entire family conspiracy.
They exploited my love, my trust, even my werewolf identity—all for my money.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked Noah. "You're a Reed too."
"Because I'm sick of their games," he confessed. "I was involved at first, but after seeing you lose your baby, seeing your pain... I couldn't stay silent."
I stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the city below.
I once thought this place was my home, but now it felt alien.
"Thank you for telling me the truth," I finally said, my voice calm but firm. "Now I know what to do."
Noah looked at me with concern. "What are you planning?"
I turned to face him, my eyes flashing gold.
"They want war? Then I'll give them war."
