Chapter 2
Under countless astonished gazes, I turned and walked away, my steps steady, my heart free of regret.
Back in Nicola’s quarters, I stripped off the cumbersome gown—a symbol of my servitude to him, Alpha Nicola.
Everyone knew me as his pathetic devotee.
Wherever his name was uttered, I was the fool who went ten steps further to ensure his life was flawless.
He’d once complained about the exhaustion of work, mentioning he longed to visit the lavender fields of southern France.
So, I meticulously planned a trip, aligning perfectly with his schedule, even though I knew in my heart he’d never take me.
And I was right.
When the day came, Nicola took Sasha instead.
I wasn’t invited as a partner but commanded to tag along—as their servant.
I still remember that stormy night.
The downpour was relentless, the road slick with rain. Sasha’s bag had fallen out of the car, and Nicola, with his signature icy authority, ordered me to retrieve it.
I barely stepped onto the road when a car struck me.
The agony was unimaginable. Six months in the hospital, teetering between life and death, abandoned by the one I had sacrificed everything for.
That helplessness, that descent into darkness—I would never allow it to happen again.
Leaving Nicola was the first step to reclaiming my life.
Without hesitation, I packed my things and grabbed my documents. As I made my way downstairs, the front doors slammed open, and there he was—Alpha Nicola, storming in with his perfect suit and searing aura of dominance.
The moment his piercing eyes landed on me, his lips curled into a mocking sneer. Without a word, he grabbed my suitcase and flung it to the floor.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, my voice sharp.
His voice was colder. “The real question is, Elisa, what are you doing?”
He crossed his arms, glaring down at me as if I were a petulant child. “Running away from home? How old are you?”
My breath hitched as his expression darkened.
“Or are you planning to leave another suicide note to manipulate me?” he spat, his voice laced with disdain.
The accusation hit me like a slap.
“Who told you I wanted to die?” I shot back, incredulous.
Nicola’s laughter was bitter, his tone cutting. “Don’t act innocent. You’re the one who left that pathetic note before, threatening to jump if you didn’t get your way.”
Memories surged—fragments of the past I had buried deep. After Nicola and Sasha became an item, I had, in a moment of rage and despair, left that message.
The fallout had been catastrophic.
Nicola’s mother, Sara, had panicked and forced him to break things off with Sasha. Since then, his hatred for me had only deepened. He ignored my pain, allowed Sasha and her clique to bully me, and treated me like a plague he couldn’t escape.
But that was the old Elisa.
Now, I met Nicola’s glare with unwavering eyes. “I never planned to die. You’re overthinking it. I’m packing because I’m going back to the countryside.”
Nicola’s expression faltered briefly, his brow twitching as if he didn’t believe me.
Before he could respond, Sasha entered, her voice dripping with false kindness.
“Elisa, if you wanted to join my party, you could have just asked. Nicola would never turn you away.”
Her words were sweet, but her eyes glittered with malice.
“I’m not interested,” I replied coldly. “I’m leaving for the countryside.”
Sasha let out a theatrical sigh, turning to Nicola. “Maybe we should invite her. It’s so pitiful seeing her like this.”
Nicola frowned, the creases in his perfect features deepening. For a moment, he looked like he might relent.
But I didn’t give him the chance. “There’s no need,” I said firmly. “I’m done here.”
Nicola’s face darkened, his lips curling into a scornful smirk. “Hear that? She’s done. Off to the countryside, like the common little girl she is.”
Sasha, ever the actress, sighed again. Her fingers, tipped with razor-sharp nails, reached out to grasp my arm. No one else noticed as she dug them into my skin, the pain sharp and deliberate.
I flinched and instinctively shoved her away.
Sasha stumbled, her delicate frame collapsing to the floor. She clutched her hand to her chest, her face painted with betrayal and fragility, lips trembling as if I had struck her.
“Elisa… how could you?” she whispered, tears brimming in her doe-like eyes.
Everyone stared, the room thick with unspoken accusations.
And Nicola? His icy glare now burned with fury, a storm brewing in his gaze.
