Chapter 91

Chapter 91
Bella's POV:

The drive back to Moonhunt Estate felt different this time. Lighter. Like I'd shed a weight I'd been carrying for three years without even realizing how heavy it had become.

As I pulled through the gates, I rolled my shoulders experimentally. The rejection ceremony had been brief, clinical. A formality witnessed by the pack elders. The severing of the mate bond had felt like cutting a rope that had been fraying for years anyway.

Now, as I parked in front of the manor, the phantom ache that had lived between my shoulder blades since the marking was gone. Completely gone.

Jane was waiting at the door, her face creased with concern that melted into relief when she saw me. "Miss Bella. How are you feeling?"

"Free," I said simply, and watched her eyes widen slightly before she nodded.

"Mr. Hunt called while you were out. He asked if you'd like company for dinner tonight."

I felt my lips curve into a genuine smile. "Tell him yes. And invite Skylar and Liam too. I want to celebrate."

Jane's whole face lit up. "Of course. I'll prepare something special."

As she hurried toward the kitchen, already mentally cataloging ingredients, I pulled out my phone and texted the group chat.

Bella: Dinner at my place tonight. 7 PM. No excuses.

Skylar: FINALLY. I've been dying to see the new place properly.

Liam: I'll bring wine.

Victor: I'll be there.

I pushed the feeling aside and headed upstairs to check on my mother. Melissa was asleep in her room, her breathing steady and even. The medication the doctor had prescribed seemed to be helping. Her episodes of confusion were less frequent now.

I watched her for a moment, then quietly closed the door.

My phone buzzed.

Skylar: Oh my GOD I'm so excited I could scream. Liam says I need to calm down but he doesn't understand GIRL TIME.

Liam: I understand perfectly. I just value my eardrums.

I laughed out loud, the sound echoing in the empty hallway. When was the last time I'd laughed like this? Not the polite, practiced laugh I'd perfected for Eclipse Pack functions, but real, unguarded amusement?

The afternoon passed in a blur of activity. Jane threw herself into meal preparation with the enthusiasm of someone who'd been waiting for exactly this opportunity. I could hear her humming in the kitchen, the sound punctuated by the rhythmic chopping of vegetables.

I spent the time working in my study, reviewing the architecture plans Victor had sent over for the new project. The technical specifications were elegant, ambitious. The kind of challenge that made my fingers itch to start coding.

At 7:15, the doorbell rang.

I opened it to find Skylar practically vibrating with excitement on my doorstep.

"BELLA!" She launched herself at me, wrapping me in a hug so tight I actually lifted off the ground for a second. "Oh my god oh my god oh my god you're really free!"

"Can't breathe," I gasped, but I was laughing.

"Sorry! Sorry!" She pulled back, but immediately grabbed my hands, bouncing on her toes. "But seriously, how do you feel? Are you okay? Do you need anything? Should I have brought ice cream? I should have brought ice cream."

"Skylar." Liam's voice came from behind her, dry and amused. "Let the woman breathe."

He stepped forward, clearly intending to join the hug, but Skylar had already grabbed my arm and was dragging me back into the house, spinning us both in a circle.

"This is amazing! Your house is gorgeous! Is that original molding? Oh my god, the chandelier!"

Liam stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets, shaking his head with a wry smile. "And I'm invisible. Perfect."

"You're always visible, Liam," I called back. "You're too tall to miss."

He grinned and followed us inside, closing the door behind him.

We made it to the living room, where Jane had set out appetizers and drinks. Skylar immediately claimed the armchair nearest the fireplace, tucking her legs underneath her like she owned the place. Liam sprawled on the couch with the casual grace of someone completely comfortable in his own skin.

"So," Skylar said, leaning forward with barely contained glee. "Tell me everything. How did it feel? Was Ethan pathetic? Please tell me he was pathetic."

I settled into the chair across from her. "It was... anticlimactic, honestly. We said the words. The elders witnessed it. And then it was done."

"That's it?" Skylar looked disappointed. "No dramatic speeches? No begging for forgiveness?"

"He's still planning to marry Faye," I said evenly. "I doubt there was much forgiveness on his mind."

The doorbell rang again.

This time, when I opened it, Victor stood on my doorstep. His hair was slightly disheveled, his tie loosened. He looked tired.

"Apologies for the delay," he said, his voice carrying a rare note of exhaustion. "Emergency systems breach required immediate attention."

"Work emergencies happen," I said, stepping aside to let him in. "No one's blaming you."

In the living room, Liam stood to greet him with a handshake that turned into a brief, back-slapping hug. "Dude, we know how it is. Let's just eat."

Victor's eyes found mine across the room. "You waited for me."

It wasn't a question, but there was something in his voice. Surprise, maybe. Or gratitude.

"Of course we did," Skylar said, waving a hand dismissively. "What kind of friends would we be if we started without you?"

"I appreciate it," Victor said quietly. Then, with a hint of his usual dry humor, "And I'm starving."

Jane appeared in the doorway as if summoned. "Dinner is ready, Miss Bella."

The dining room table was a masterpiece. Jane had outdone herself. Roasted salmon with herbs, garlic butter asparagus, wild rice pilaf, and fresh-baked bread that filled the room with warmth.

We settled into our seats, the conversation flowing easily. Skylar launched into a story about a disastrous client meeting that had somehow ended with her accidentally insulting a CEO's haircut. Liam countered with his own tale of a pack dispute that had been resolved with an arm-wrestling match.

I found myself relaxing in a way I hadn't in years. This was what friendship was supposed to feel like. Easy. Natural. No ulterior motives or political maneuvering.

Victor sat across from me, and I noticed he'd barely touched his wine. His attention kept drifting, his mind clearly elsewhere.

I reached for the serving dish and placed a piece of salmon on his plate. "You should eat. Jane's cooking is incredible."

He glanced down at the fish, then back at me. "I don't doubt it."

"She made lavender honey cakes for dessert," Jane said, appearing with a fresh basket of bread. "Miss Bella's recipe."

Victor's eyebrows rose slightly. "You bake?"

"When I have time," I said. "Which hasn't been often lately."

"She's being modest," Skylar interjected. "Bella's lavender honey cakes are legendary. I've been begging her for the recipe for years."

"And I've been refusing for years," I replied sweetly.

Liam laughed. "Protective of your secrets?"

"Always."

When Jane brought out the dessert, I watched Victor's reaction carefully. He took a bite, and for a moment, his entire expression shifted. The tension in his jaw eased. His eyes closed briefly.

When he opened them again, he was looking directly at me.

"I never imagined someone who spends her life in binary code could create something this... exquisite."

"If cybersecurity fails, I could always open a bakery," I said lightly.

His expression turned serious. "I won't let that happen. Your mind is far too valuable."

The rest of dinner passed in comfortable conversation. By the time we'd finished the wine and moved back to the living room, it was nearly ten.

Jane appeared in the doorway. "Mr. Hunt, if I may be so bold. Bella gets so absorbed in her work she forgets to hydrate or eat. Please keep an eye on her at the lab."

I felt my face heat slightly. "Jane—"

"I'll make sure she takes care of herself too," Skylar announced.

Liam snorted. "You? You can't even remember to take care of yourself."

Skylar's response was to kick him in the shin. Hard.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being right," she said primly.

The room dissolved into laughter.

It was nearly eleven-thirty when Victor started gathering his things to leave.

I walked him to the door, the night air cool against my skin. The moon was high and bright, casting everything in silver.

He turned to face me on the doorstep.

"Thank you," he said.

I blinked. "For what? Dinner?"

"I mean..." He paused, looking vulnerable. "Thank you for reminding me what it feels like to have someone wait for me to come home."

My heart did something complicated in my chest.

"Since my mother passed," he continued, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper, "I've forgotten what it's like... to matter to someone at the end of the day."

The raw honesty in his words hit me like a physical blow. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

Victor held my gaze for a long moment. In the moonlight, his eyes were the color of amber, warm and deep.

Then he stepped back, breaking the moment.

"Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight," I managed.

I watched him walk to his car, watched him drive away.

Inside, I could hear Skylar and Liam arguing in my bedroom. They'd apparently decided to stay over, and from the sound of it, they were already making themselves at home.

I turned and went back inside.

Upstairs, I found exactly the chaos I'd expected. Skylar was bouncing on my bed while Liam tried unsuccessfully to convince her to calm down.

"This mattress is amazing!" Skylar declared. "Is this memory foam? It has to be memory foam."

"Skylar, you're going to break it," Liam said wearily.

"I'm not going to break it. It's a bed. Beds are designed to be bounced on."

"I'm pretty sure they're not—"

"Oh my GOD." Skylar froze mid-bounce, her eyes locked on something on my bedside table. "Oh my GOD."

She scrambled off the bed and grabbed the picture frame I'd forgotten was there. My wedding photo with Ethan.

My stomach sank.

"Bella," Skylar said slowly, her voice taking on a strange quality. "Who is this in the background?"

Liam came to stand beside Skylar, peering over her shoulder. His entire body went still.

"Wait," he said. "That's—"

"Doesn't this guy's silhouette look exactly like Victor?" Skylar interrupted, her voice rising with excitement.

Liam nodded slowly. "It is him. I'd recognize my best friend's build anywhere."

I stared at the photo, my mind racing. Could that silhouette really be Victor? But why would he have been there?

"I don't know if it's him," I said slowly. "I didn't know him at all back then. But the build does look similar."

Skylar leaned closer to the photo. "Is it possible you two met somewhere before? At some event or conference, but you just didn't realize?"

I frowned, trying to recall. "That doesn't make sense. Our only connection before recently was online—through our hacker aliases. I only just told him I was Blade."

Liam made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "Bella. Victor's known you were Blade from the beginning."

The room tilted slightly.

"What?"

Skylar sat down on the bed, the photo still in her hands. "So Victor knew Bella was 'Blade' from the beginning..."

"And he fell for her back then, didn't he?" She looked at Liam for confirmation.

Liam ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. He wanted to make sure she was truly happy before he let go."

"He saw her smiling in that gown and left without a word."

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Victor had known. All this time, he'd known.

And he'd come to my wedding. To watch me marry someone else.

"This is perfect!" Skylar suddenly burst out, her earlier shock transforming into unbridled enthusiasm. "Bella, this is PERFECT! You just got free, and there's this amazing guy who's been in love with you for YEARS!"

"Skylar—" Liam started.

"No, seriously! This is like something out of a movie! The patient, devoted man who's been waiting in the wings, and now finally—"

"And what about his fiancée?" Liam cut in, his voice sharp. "His family obligations? The alliance his engagement secured?"

Skylar deflated slightly. "I mean... yeah, but—"

"Should he just abandon all of that for love?" Liam pressed. "Throw away his responsibilities?"

"What's wrong with choosing love over duty?" Skylar shot back.

Liam's expression turned serious. "Bella wouldn't want him to. A woman like her—especially after what she's been through—would lose respect for a man who abandons his word."

He was right. If Victor broke his engagement, tore up his family's carefully negotiated alliance, destroyed his own integrity just to be with me... I would never be able to look at him the same way.

Skylar seemed to realize it too. Her excitement faded, replaced by something sadder and more resigned.

"You're right," she said quietly. "Love isn't the only thing that matters."

"A woman who's been through a failed marriage knows that better than anyone," Liam added gently.

Silence settled over the room. The weight of reality crushing the brief, shining moment of possibility.

I sat down on the bed next to Skylar, taking the photo from her hands. I looked at Victor's blurred silhouette, trying to imagine what he must have been thinking that day. Watching me pledge my life to someone else.

"Does it bother you?" Skylar asked suddenly, turning to Liam. "Knowing Victor's in love with Bella when you... you know."

Liam's jaw tightened. "What am I supposed to do? Fight my best friend over a woman who doesn't see me that way?"

"After all these years, you should've moved on by now," Skylar said, but there was no mockery in her voice. Just sympathy.

Liam shot her a look that could have melted steel. Skylar grinned despite the heavy atmosphere.

Then she turned to me, her expression shifting to something more serious.

"Bella," she said carefully. "What do you really think of Victor?"

I considered the question. "He's exceptional. Brilliant."

"I mean romantically. Do you feel anything for him?"

"Feel what?" I kept my voice neutral.

"Do you have any romantic interest in him at all?"

"No," I said immediately.

Skylar's eyes narrowed. "Really? Not even a little?"

I met her gaze steadily. Let a few seconds of silence pass. Then, "We're friends with shared passions. That's all. Besides, he has a fiancée. I would never develop feelings for someone already committed."

Skylar's lips curved into a knowing smile. "But he is exceptional, like you said. It'd be normal to feel attracted."

I didn't answer. Couldn't answer. Because the truth was complicated and messy and I didn't want to examine it too closely.

After a moment, I changed the subject. "I'm officially starting at Hunt Group this Monday. The divorce is finalized, I've moved, and I've reclaimed my mother's company. Everything's settled. It's time to get back on track professionally."