Chapter 81

Chapter 81
Violet's POV:

The highway lights blurred past as I drove home, my knuckles white against the steering wheel. My phone buzzed insistently in the cup holder, Evan's name flashing across the screen. I'd already seen his text about Zane trying to reach me, but I wasn't ready to deal with that conversation through messages alone.

I pulled over into a rest stop and answered. "Evan."

"Finally." His voice came through sharp with irritation. "Zane's been trying to call you all day. Says all his attempts are going straight to voicemail. What's going on, Violet?"

The silence stretched between us until I finally admitted, "I blocked all his contacts."

"You blocked him?" Evan's tone shifted, something darker creeping in. "Let me guess, this is because your conscience finally kicked in? Because you didn't want to keep using him?"

The accusation stung because it was partially true. I'd manipulated Zane, used his feelings to create distance between him and Celeste, all while knowing I could never return what he felt for me. "Yes," I said quietly, my voice barely audible over the ambient noise of the highway. "I realized what I was doing was wrong."

Evan let out a harsh breath.

"Can you help keep an eye on him?" The words came out rushed, almost desperate. "Make sure he's okay? I'll owe you one."

"What kind of favor are we talking about?" There was an edge to his question, something that made my stomach tighten with unease.

I tried to lighten the mood, forcing a weak laugh. "How about I help you chase Celeste? I could give you insider tips on—" I stopped myself, reality crashing back. "Actually, forget it. Celeste isn't worth it. Leave her for Daemon."

The silence that followed was heavy, weighted with something I couldn't quite identify. When Evan spoke again, his voice was measured, almost careful. "Violet, I've been curious about something for a while now. Who exactly told you I liked Celeste? And why have you always been so convinced that I'd eventually fall in love with her?"

My heart stuttered. In my previous life, Evan had been devoted to Celeste, had stood by her side even when it meant betraying friendships. But this Evan, the one on the other end of this call, sounded nothing like that version. "You don't like her?" I asked, my voice small.

"No," he said flatly. "I don't."

"But you told me before that you had feelings for someone," I pressed, trying to make sense of the divergence from what I remembered. "Someone whose position made it inappropriate for you to pursue her. If it's not Celeste, then who—"

"Why does it have to be Celeste?" Evan's voice dropped, taking on an intensity that made my pulse quicken. "Why can't it be you?"

The phone nearly slipped from my trembling fingers. I remembered what Sienna had said weeks ago, how she'd noticed Evan treating me differently, looking at me in ways that went beyond friendship. I'd dismissed it then, too wrapped up in my own pain to see what was right in front of me.

"Evan, I—" My voice cracked, panic rising in my chest. I was pregnant with another man's child, there was no room in my life for this complication, no space for someone else's feelings when I was barely holding my own together.

"I'm just making a point, Violet," he cut in quickly, his tone shifting back to something more controlled. "Not everything has to revolve around Celeste."

I exhaled slowly, relief mixing with confusion. But before I could respond, he continued, his voice firm in a way I'd rarely heard from him. "Stop trying to pair me up with her every chance you get. I have no interest in Celeste Morrison. None. So do me a favor and stop binding us together like we're some inevitable package deal."

The line went dead. I sat there in my parked car, staring at the darkened screen, my mind racing. The God's-eye view I'd been relying on, the knowledge of how things had played out in my previous life, it wasn't as reliable as I'd thought. Details were changing, people were making different choices, and I was navigating blind through a future I'd thought I understood.

The next morning, my phone's insistent buzzing dragged me from sleep. I fumbled for it, squinting against the bright screen. A notification from my pregnancy tracking app filled the display, reminding me that it had been a month since my last checkup. Below that, a message informed me that the results from my genetic screening were finally available.

My heart pounded as I opened the full report. Most of it was medical jargon I'd need to research later, but one line stood out with crystal clarity: Fetal Sex: Female.

A girl. I was having a daughter.

My hand moved to my abdomen, pressing gently against the slight curve that was becoming harder to hide. "Baby," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "You need to be strong for me, okay? And please, try to look more like your mom. Not like—" I couldn't finish the sentence, couldn't speak Daemon's name while thinking about the tiny life growing inside me.

The app continued scrolling, displaying warnings about my nutritional deficiencies and weakened physical condition. I'd known I was running myself ragged, but seeing it quantified in medical terms made it harder to ignore. This baby, this daughter, she needed me to be better, to be stronger than I'd been managing.

That evening, my phone lit up with an incoming video call from the group chat. I answered to find all three of my friends crowded onto Sienna's screen, Sienna herself noticeably more pregnant than the last time I'd seen her.

"There she is!" Jade's voice rang out, followed by Lily waving enthusiastically in the background.

"We miss you," Sienna said, her expression softening. "How are you holding up in Silver Ridge?"

Before I could answer, she launched into a tirade about Daemon. "That bastard is doing some massive project there, did you know? He's throwing money around like it's going out of style, and everyone knows it's all for that little Celeste."

I kept my expression neutral, forcing my voice to remain light. "It doesn't matter. We dissolved the bond, remember? What he does is none of my business anymore. Actually, I saw him earlier today."

"What?" All three of them leaned closer to the screen. "What happened?"

"Let me send you something in the group chat," I said, already typing. "It'll be easier to show you."

I hung up and spent the next several minutes crafting a detailed message about Linda and Aurora, about the confrontation at the villa, about everything that had unfolded. Within seconds of sending it, my phone exploded with responses.

Lily's message came first: "Violet, you were absolutely right to reject him. Daemon is beyond terrible. You didn't even know Aurora existed, and he punishes you for it? How is that fair?"

Jade's reply followed: "Wait, Linda actually defended Celeste? After what happened to her own sister Aurora?"

Sienna's voice note was pure outrage: "This doesn't make any sense. Linda hates everything connected to Daemon. Why would she protect the woman who's literally taking her dead sister's place?"

"Maybe Celeste manipulated her somehow," Lily suggested in another message. "That girl knows how to play the victim better than anyone."

I stared at my phone, reading their messages of support and indignation.

If Daemon stays in Silver Ridge much longer, my belly is going to get too obvious to hide. What am I going to do?"

The next day at work passed in a blur of meetings and emails. By the time five o'clock rolled around, I was exhausted and ready to go home. I gathered my things and headed for the parking garage, my mind already on the leftovers waiting in my fridge.

"Violet."

I froze at the sound of Linda's voice. She stood near my car, her posture rigid, her expression a complicated mix of anger and something that might have been plea.

"We need to talk," she said.

Every muscle in my body tensed. "Linda, if this is about yesterday's argument—"

"Stop targeting Celeste." She cut me off, taking a step closer. "I know you and Daemon have history, but she's innocent in all this."

The laugh that escaped me was harsh and disbelieving. "Innocent? She knowingly got involved with a mated man. How is that innocent?"

Linda's jaw clenched, her eyes flashing with defensive fire. "She reminds me of my sister. Aurora was also young and naive, and she got hurt by the cruel politics of wolf packs. Celeste doesn't deserve to be punished for falling in love."

The comparison made my stomach turn. "So because she resembles your dead sister, you're willing to let this substitute stand beside Daemon? You're willing to overlook everything she's done, all the damage she's caused?"

"Aurora never got her chance at happiness," Linda said, her voice breaking slightly. "Maybe Celeste deserves hers."

I stared at her, genuinely disturbed by the logic. "That's the most twisted reasoning I've ever heard. You're projecting your sister onto a manipulative stranger, and you can't even see it."

Before Linda could respond, rapid footsteps echoed through the parking garage. Celeste burst into view, her eyes red and swollen, her entire demeanor radiating distress.

"Violet," she said, her voice trembling. "I've decided to resign."

Several of our colleagues who'd been heading to their own cars stopped to watch, forming an audience I definitely didn't want. I kept my expression neutral, my voice flat. "That's your decision to make."

Celeste's voice grew thick with tears. "Everyone thinks I'm a homewrecker now. I can't bear the rumors anymore, the cold shoulders, the whispers. It's too much."

"You can't stand the gossip?" I asked, my tone dripping with mockery. "Or you can't stand that your innocent victim act isn't working the way you planned?"

Tears spilled down her cheeks, making her look even more pitiful and fragile. She was good at this, I had to give her that. The performance was flawless.

"Actually," I continued, my voice taking on a note of false brightness, "I should thank you. You and Daemon are perfect for each other, two manipulators who deserve exactly what they're giving each other. I sincerely wish you both a long and happy life together."

I turned toward my car, genuinely ready to leave this circus behind. But then I felt it, that familiar pressure in the air. Daemon's scent hit me a moment later, and I turned to find him standing near the garage entrance, his blood-red eyes fixed on me with an intensity that should have been frightening.

Celeste noticed him too, and something shifted in her expression.

She suddenly rushed toward me, her hand reaching out to grab mine. "Violet, is it because I'm too despicable? You can hit me if it makes you feel better! Please!"

She tried to force my hand toward her own face, as if I were the one attacking her. I instinctively tried to pull away, shocked by the audacity of the move. At the exact moment I yanked my hand back, Celeste let herself fall backward, her body hitting the concrete with a theatrical gasp of pain.

And then Linda, still standing beside me with fury blazing in her eyes, shoved hard against my shoulder. "You've gone too far, Violet!"

My pregnant body's shifted center of gravity betrayed me. I couldn't catch myself in time. My knees hit the ground first, then my hip, and finally my palms scraped against the rough concrete as I tried to break my fall.

Pain shot through my lower abdomen, sharp and terrifying.

I felt it immediately, the warm wetness spreading down my inner thighs. My breath caught in my throat as I looked down, seeing the dark stain beginning to form on my pants.

Blood.

"My ankle!" Celeste's cry cut through my panic. She sat on the ground a few feet away, cradling her foot, which was already visibly swelling.

I couldn't focus on her, couldn't think about anything except the baby. My hands moved to my stomach, pressing gently, desperately, as if I could somehow protect my daughter through sheer will alone.

Daemon was moving toward me, his expression unreadable. I looked up at him, my vision starting to blur at the edges, and forced the words out through the pain. "Daemon, I think I'm having my period. Heavy flow. Can you take me to the hospital?"

It was a lie, a desperate cover story, because admitting the truth here and now, in front of all these people, with Celeste watching, it felt too dangerous, too vulnerable.

Daemon's brow furrowed, and he took another step in my direction. But before he could reach me, Celeste let out another sharp cry. "It hurts so much!"

Linda immediately crouched beside her, examining her ankle with practiced efficiency. "Mr. Blackwood, Celeste needs immediate medical attention. Her hand still hasn't fully healed from the accident, and now her ankle—"

The murmurs from our watching colleagues grew louder. "Did you see how hard Miss Goldcrest pushed her?" "Poor Miss Morrison."

I wanted to scream at them, to tell them they'd been manipulated, that they hadn't seen what really happened. But the pain in my abdomen was intensifying, radiating outward in waves that made it hard to think, hard to breathe.

My vision swam. I tried to stand, to prove I didn't need anyone's help, that I could take care of myself. My legs shook violently as I pushed myself upright, and I had to bite down hard on my lip to keep from crying out.

"Forget it," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'll go to the hospital myself."

I took one step toward my car, then another. Each movement sent fresh spikes of agony through my body. Behind me, I could hear Celeste calling out to Daemon, her voice pitched perfectly to sound both hurt and forgiving.

My hand was on my car door when strong arms suddenly lifted me off my feet. Daemon's scent surrounded me as he pulled me against his chest, his voice low and rough as he said, "I'll take you to the hospital."