Chapter 239

Chapter 239
Elsa



To each question, I calmly replied, "No," though my fingers were now tightly twisted in my napkin beneath the table.

Emma's face contorted with confusion, a vein pulsing visibly in her forehead. "Did he ever give you jewelry? Designer clothes? A car?"

"No," I said again, though the silver moon necklace he'd given me years ago felt suddenly heavy against my collarbone. I'd stopped wearing it in public long ago. My hand instinctively moved to my throat before I caught myself and lowered it.

I was certain Drake had never done any of these things with Emma either. I recognized the fantasy she'd constructed—the successful businessman lavishing gifts on his lover. It was a story she desperately wanted to be true.

"Why aren't you getting upset?" Emma demanded, her voice rising, spittle flying from her lips. "I'm telling you about all the places he took me, all the things he did for me!"

I took a sip of my water, then dabbed my lips deliberately with my napkin. "The salmon really is excellent," I commented, taking another bite and chewing slowly. I could feel a perverse pleasure in her growing frustration.

Emma slammed her hand on the table, making the silverware jump. I barely suppressed a flinch. "What is wrong with you? Don't you have any fucking feelings at all?"

Other diners turned to look at us. Olivia shifted uncomfortably beside me, her hand moving to my arm in warning, but I remained calm, though my heart was racing.

"Emma," I said gently, leaning forward slightly, "I think we both know you're not telling the truth."

Something in Emma snapped. Her eyes went wild, pupils dilating. She knocked her water glass to the floor with a crash, then grabbed her plate and hurled it against the wall. The security guards tensed but didn't intervene. I jumped in my seat, breath catching.

"You think you're so much better than me?" she shrieked, her voice cracking like thin ice. "You think he actually cares about you?"

"Ma'am, please—" the manager began, approaching cautiously.

"We were never really together," Emma blurted out, tears streaming down her face, mascara creating black rivers on her cheeks. "Okay? Is that what you want to hear? I lied! I made it all up!"

The restaurant had gone silent, every patron watching the unfolding drama. I sat frozen, unable to move, barely breathing.

"I pretended to be his girlfriend," she continued, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper that somehow carried through the silent room. "I told everyone we were dating. But he never wanted me. It was always you. It's ALWAYS been you." She punctuated each word by jabbing a finger toward me.

I froze, fork suspended halfway to my mouth, my hand trembling visibly now. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Emma laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that sent chills down my spine. "Don't act innocent. He's been obsessed with you since senior high school. "

I shook my head, genuinely confused, my chest tightening painfully. "I didn't even know Drake. We never crossed paths until I started working at Stone Enterprises."

"Liar!" Emma's face contorted with rage, veins standing out on her neck. "Why does everyone want you? What makes you so special? You're just an omega—you're nothing!"

Her words echoed in my mind as Olivia firmly suggested we leave, pulling at my arm. I felt dazed, disconnected from reality as we paid the bill and exited, Emma's security team keeping her from following us. My legs felt like rubber beneath me.

"Let's go to Sophia's," Olivia said, guiding me toward her car, her arm around my shoulders. "You look like you need coffee—or something stronger."

---

At Sophia's café, tucked safely in the neutral territory between pack lands, I stirred my latte absently while Olivia watched me. My hands still hadn't stopped shaking, and I'd already spilled coffee twice.

"She's delusional," Olivia finally said. "You know that, right?"

I looked up, running a hand through my hair, which was already disheveled from how many times I'd done this. "But what if she's not?" My voice came out smaller than intended. "What if Drake really has been... interested in me longer than I thought?"

Olivia shrugged, reaching across to squeeze my hand. "Does it matter? The man's been keeping you as his secret for ten years. If he wanted more, he could have done something about it a long damn time ago."

"That's true," I admitted, my shoulders slumping as I stared into my coffee.

"Some people just aren't meant to be together," Olivia said, her voice softening. "And I'm not going to tell you what to do about Drake. That's your decision."

Before we parted, I handed her a small box with hands that still trembled slightly. "A thank-you gift, for everything you've done."

Inside was a sterling silver pen with her name engraved on it. Olivia's eyes widened as she turned it over in her hands. "This is beautiful, Elsa."

"I couldn't have gotten through this without you," I said sincerely, blinking back unexpected tears.

I walked alongside Olivia through the quiet park near Sophia's café, Emma's words still echoing in my mind like an unwanted melody. He's been obsessed with you since senior high school. The claim was so absurd I'd initially dismissed it as the ramblings of a desperate woman, but now, with the evening breeze cooling my flushed cheeks, I couldn't shake it.

"You're awfully quiet," Olivia remarked, glancing at me as we followed the winding path. "Still thinking about the Emma situation?"

I kicked a stray pebble, watching it skitter across the pavement. "Keira said something similar at work the other day. Something about Drake getting jealous whenever Lucas was mentioned." I'd laughed it off then, but now...

"And you believe that?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"Fuck, I don't know what to believe anymore." I stopped walking, digging my fingernails into my palms until the pain gave me something else to focus on. "Is it possible? Could Drake have been... interested in me all this time?"