Chapter 30 The Goodbye
Zoe's POV
Ryan stared at us. Waiting.
His eyes went from me to Scarlett. Back to me.
"Well?" His voice was cold. "I'm waiting."
I opened my mouth. But nothing came out.
Scarlett looked down at the floor.
The silence stretched. Long. Heavy.
"Fine." Ryan's jaw tightened. "Don't tell me."
He turned. Walked to the door.
"Ryan, wait..." I started.
But he didn't stop.
The door slammed behind him.
I flinched.
Scarlett let out a long breath. "That... didn't go well."
"No." I sat down on the couch. My legs felt weak. "It didn't."
We sat in silence for a moment.
Then Scarlett touched my shoulder. "Come. Let's go to my room. We need to talk."
...
In my room, Scarlett closed the door carefully.
"There's someone I want you to meet." She said.
"Who?"
"Someone who can help you. For when you go back to Lakewood."
My heart beat faster. "What kind of help?"
"You need a new identity, Zoe. A new face." She sat beside me. "Jeremy can't recognize you. No one from your old pack can."
"But... how?"
"I know someone. The best person for this." She smiled a little. "Her name is Rain."
"Rain?"
"She's our pack disguise artist. She helps our warriors go undercover. She can make them look completely different. With makeup. With masks. With special techniques."
I blinked. "Really?"
"Yes. And she can teach you. So you can disguise yourself whenever you need to."
"I don't know..." I touched my face. "That sounds... weird."
"I know it does." Scarlett took my hand. "But trust me. Learn from her. See for yourself. Then decide."
I thought about it.
About going back to Lakewood.
About facing Jeremy.
I needed this. I needed to hide who I really was.
"Okay." I nodded. "I'll meet her."
"Good. I'll bring her tomorrow."
...
The next day, Rain came to Scarlett room, to meet up with me.
She was young. Maybe in her twenties. With bright eyes and quick hands.
"Luna Olivia." She bowed. "It's an honor...Elder Scarlett told me what you need."
"Can you really... make me look like someone else?"
"Watch."
She opened her bag. Inside were brushes. Colors. Strange tools. Prosthetics.
"Please sit here." She pointed to a single chair in the room.
I sat.
She studied my face. Touching my cheeks. My nose. My forehead.
"Good bone structure. This will be easy."
Then she started working.
She first wore me a mask that felt like my own skin. I couldn’t feel anything on my face, but the mirror said otherwise...I looked like someone else entirely.
Then the brushes came. Soft strokes. Hard strokes. Colours blending into shapes that weren’t mine.
Strange pieces being glued to my skin…
Cheekbones I didn’t have. Shadows I never carried.
Bit by bit, she rebuilt me into another person.
An hour passed.
"Done." Rain stepped back. "Look."
She held up the mini mirror again.
I stared.
The woman in the mirror... wasn't me.
Different nose. Different cheekbones. Different eyebrows.
"Oh my goddess..." I whispered.
"You see?" Rain smiled. "Total transformation."
"But if you don’t want to go this far," she said, voice low. "You can always use the mask without painting your face.It works perfectly well...just that your face shape will remain the same, but you won’t be the same person"
"This is... amazing."
"Now..." She sat down. "I'm going to teach you how to do this yourself."
...
Every day for a week, Rain came to Scarlett room to meet me.
She taught me everything.
How to change my face shape. How to make my nose look different. How to change my eye shape.
How to use shadows. Colors. Highlights.
How to apply prosthetics. How to blend them perfectly.
How to change my voice slightly. My walk. My mannerisms.
At first, it was hard. Confusing.
But slowly... I got better.
"You're a natural." Rain said on the fifth day. "I'm impressed."
By the end of the week, I could transform myself completely.
Different face. Different person.
"You're perfect now Luna." Rain packed up her bag. "You can do this now. Anytime you need to."
"Thank you, Rain. For everything."
"It's an honour, Luna." She bowed. "
After she left, I sat there.
Looking at myself in the mirror.
At the new face I'd created.
I was ready now.
Ready to go back.
...
That evening, Scarlett came to my room.
"So?" She asked. "How do you feel?"
"Ready." I said. "I'm ready to go."
"When?"
"Soon. Maybe tomorrow."
She nodded slowly. "And Ryan?"
My heart sank. "He's been gone all week. Alliance meeting at another pack...He won't be back for a few more days."
I touched my stomach gently. The baby was still there. Still keeping me safe.
"I need to leave before he comes back." I said quietly.
"Why?"
"Because if he sees me... if he tries to stop me..." I looked at her. "I might not go. And I need to do this, Scarlett. I need to face Jeremy. To get my revenge."
"I understand."
I walked to the desk. Pulled out paper and a pen.
"What are you doing?" Scarlett asked.
"Writing him a letter."
I sat down. Thought about what to say.
How to explain without explaining everything.
Then... I started writing.
Ryan,
I know you're angry with me. I know you don't trust me anymore.
But I need you to know something.
I have to go away for a little while. Just one month. Maybe less.
There's something I need to do. Something important. Something I should have done a long time ago.
I can't tell you everything right now. But I promise... when I come back, I'll tell you the truth.
The truth about your new Olivia.
And maybe... maybe I can be the Olivia you once knew again.
The one you loved.
Please wait for me.
Please don't hate me.
I'll come back. I promise.
Zoe
I stared at the letter.
At my real name at the bottom.
Scarlett read over my shoulder.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked softly.
"Yes." I folded the paper.
I stood up. Walked to Ryan's office.
The room was dark. Empty.
I placed the letter on his desk. Right in the center where he couldn't miss it.
My hand lingered on the paper.
This was it.
No going back now.