Chapter 22

Silver’s POV

I didn’t know I could feel as bad as I did just now. My heart ached so much I thought it was going to explode from my chest. I stood at the doorway, staring at it with my mouth hanging open and tears in my eyes. I stood there until my legs could hardly hold me up any longer. I leaned against the wall, trying desperately not to fall over.

Their voice grew quiet and difficult to hear.

What were they saying that required such hushed voices?

A part of me wanted to barge right into his office and find out.

But another part of me, the rational part, kept reminding me that I had no right to be upset. Elliot made it perfectly clear that this was a marriage of convenience. It was a contract and nothing more. I shouldn’t have been surprised that it would turn out like this.

Shirley was beautiful and obviously, Elliot was very fond of her.

“Mrs. Crown. Why are you standing outside of the Alpha’s office?” A voice behind me brought me out of my stooper.

I turned to see Beta Leo approaching. I realized how ridiculous I looked and the voices inside the office stopped immediately upon hearing Beta Leo.

“Oh, uh. I was just leaving,” I told him, and I quickly hurried around him.

“Did you need the Alpha for something?”

I paused for a moment, feeling heat prick the back of my neck as Leo stared at me. But I wouldn’t dare turn around and face him.

“No,” I said, my voice coming out breathy. “I don’t need him at all.”

With those words left in the air, I returned to the dining hall, trying desperately to forget about what I had heard.

Cara and Erik were eating at one of the tables along with a couple of other girls. They all turned to look at me when I approached, and Cara gave me a big grin.

“Hey, want to join us?” She asked, glancing at her friends. “Have you met the Luna?”

One of the girls with dark straight hair and glasses peeked up at me and gave me a timid look.

“H…hello…” she stammered.

“This is Emma,” Cara introduced. “She’s the shy one and quiet but she’s very witty. She’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, forcing a smile despite the amount of pain I felt deep in my chest.

The other girl with flawless red hair and bright green eyes gave me a curious look, but she didn’t smile or say anything.

“And this is Alison. My other best friend,” Cara said. “She’s the one who keeps us in line.”

“You’re Silver right?” She asked, staring at me from head to toe. “That’s an interesting name.”

“My mother named me,” I blurted.

“I see,” she said, turning back around to continue eating her food.

“Ally stop being a bitch,” Cara said, rolling her eyes before looking at me. “Don’t mind her.”

“It’s okay,” I said, trying to remain positive.

I glanced at Erik who was busy eating his food but froze when he met my eyes.

“Can you take me back to the palace?” I asked him, trying hard not to show him my emotions.

“Yes, of course, Luna,” he said as he took his last bite.

“Is everything okay?” Cara asked, watching me carefully. “You seem upset.”

“I’m fine,” I lied. “I’m just not feeling well.”

None of them looked as if they bought it, but they didn’t say anything because they hardly knew me. It wasn’t any of their business and they all knew it.

Erik escorted me to his car, and we drove back to the palace in silence. I thanked him before getting out of the car.

As soon as I got inside, I wrapped my arms around my body like I was trying to hold myself together. Luckily, none of the palace staff were around to see me crumble. My legs were weak and I could hardly hold myself up. I rushed down the hallway that led to my studio and once I was securely inside, I allowed myself a moment of weakness. I fell to the ground just as the tears started.

I pressed my knees to my chest and buried my face in my lap. I hated that I was crumbling over a guy, but he was my husband after all. I had every right to be upset over what I had just heard. He was telling another woman that he couldn’t divorce me yet because he needed me. I was stupid to believe that he was actually starting to care about me.

After I allowed myself some time to cry, I decided to not shed any more tears on the matter. Instead, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the contact list until I found the person I was looking for.

I pressed the phone to my cheek and waited with bated breath.

“Hey, what’s up?” The voice on the other end of the line asked.

A relieved smile twitched at the corner of my lips.

“Hey. Want to hang out?”

---

“Holy Moon Goddess! This dress was made for you!!” Rebecca cooed as I stepped out of the dressing room.

I frowned at the little black dress I wore; it was shorter than what I was used to and it really brought out my cleavage.

“You don’t think it makes me look like a hussy?” I asked her.

“Of course not,” she said, shaking her head. “You look gorgeous, Silver.”

I smiled at my best friend; I was glad I called her. She was the exact person I needed to get my mind off things. I hadn’t told her what was wrong yet, but I knew she could hear something in my voice when we talked earlier.

We decided to not speak about it just yet and go shopping in the city. Between the two of us, we spent way too much money on clothing neither of us needed. But there was nothing wrong with a little shopping therapy. Especially considering Elliot gave me a black card without a limit and told me to use it to my heart’s content. I felt strange using his money for my own shopping splurge, but I was heartbroken, and it was his fault. The least he could do was buy me new clothes.

We went to a nice restaurant in the harbor and sat outside, looking out onto the beautiful water glistened by the afternoon sun.

The waiter brought us a couple of glasses of water and some white wine as ordered.

“So, tell me what happened,” Rebecca said as she shoved a piece of buttered bread in her mouth. “You sounded upset on the phone earlier. I was worried about you.”

I took a sip of my wine and nodded, feeling that heavy feeling weighing on my chest once again. The memory of what Elliot had said this morning haunted my mind and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from bursting out into tears again.

“Did you and Alpha Elliot have a fight?” She asked.

I shook my head and sighed.

“No, not really,” I told her. “I overheard something he said to someone, and it hurt me.”

Her eyes grew wide.

I opened my mouth to tell her what I had heard, but the waiter returned with our meals. We thanked him before he left and then we started eating.

“What did he say?” She asked as she bit a piece of chicken from her salad.

“He was talking to Shirley Darknight in his office,” I told her as I put a piece of pasta in my mouth. The food was delicious and made me feel a little lighter.

“She was asking him why he hasn’t left me and he told her he can’t divorce me yet.”

She nearly choked on her food after I said that.

“Yet?” She asked. “He said ‘yet?’”

I nodded; I wasn’t able to meet her eyes.

“So, he’s planning on divorcing you someday?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and took another sip of my wine.

“That’s what it sounded like,” I murmured.

“That jerk,” she said, her brows furrowed together. “How could he say such a thing?”

“It must be true if he’s saying it behind my back,” I murmured. “This marriage had always been for convenience. We both knew this. I shouldn’t be surprised that he was saying that to Shirley.”

“It doesn’t make it right!” Rebecca said, shaking her head. “He needs to pay for what he said.”

I raised my brows at my friend, not sure what she meant by that.

“What do you mean?” I asked her, worry starting to fill me.

I could tell the wheels were turning in her mind and it worried me when Rebecca got like that.

A mischief look crossed her face and she smirked at me as she bit into her salad. Then, she leaned back in her seat and met my eyes.

“I’m saying, we need to get revenge on your darling husband.”