Chapter 44 Chapter forty-four
"Do you want me dead?" Juliana's question caught me by surprise.
Stammering, I replied, "W-what?" struggling to maintain my balance on the swing.
"Because the way you have been looking at me... You want to kill me, right?" she inquired, her expression dead serious.
My eyes widened, and my mouth dropped open.
Is she reading my thoughts?
I know I’ve wished death upon her, but I never considered it seriously. Even if I had the ability to kill, it would be a waste to use it on her.
"Look at that look..." she erupted into laughter. "I was just joking... Don't tell me you took it seriously... You wouldn’t kill your sister-in-law, would you?" She smiled smugly.
That was when I exhaled in relief; my heart was pounding in my chest. Her antics nearly gave me a heart attack. I was exhausted from her relentless teasing tonight, and I needed to make it stop.
I turned to her, my brows furrowing, "Juliana, what..."
"I think it’s time for me to leave," she interrupted, getting up from the swing. "My love will be looking for me," she grinned.
"My love, my foot," I muttered silently as I watched her walk out of the garden.
Jealousy surged within me. Why did she refer to Sylvia as my love? I knew she said that to provoke my jealousy.
I don’t dislike her because she’s Sylvia's mate, but because she’s so arrogant, believing she’s superior to everyone.
That’s a total lie.
We both dislike her. Mali and I detest her for constantly stealing Sylvia away from us.
"Right, Mali?" I called out to my wolf. I heard her howl in agreement.
Sylvia’s gentle smile flashed in my mind. The way he smiled when we first met made me blush as I reminisced about that moment.
But now, he doesn’t share that sweet smile with me anymore. I’m unsure of what I did to make him treat me this way. He now disregards me as if I don’t exist.
He’s upset that I chose his brother over him, and that’s why he’s doing this to hurt me. Perhaps that’s the reason he brought Juliana to the pack mansion to torment me.
At this moment, I don’t know whom to blame. Maybe it’s karma coming back around to me.
I’m tired of lingering in the garden; Juliana has disturbed the peaceful atmosphere. She has spoiled my mood. Now, I just want to go to my chamber and rest.
I stood up from the swing; I had been sitting on it for far too long, and now my legs felt numb. I took a step, and suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain pierced through my lower abdomen.
"Ahhhhhhh," I groaned while rubbing my lower abdomen.
"Ellie, are you alright?" I heard a familiar voice filled with concern.
I lifted my head and saw that it was Sylvia. His worried expression was more than I had seen him show me lately, which warmed my heart and made me blush inwardly.
He rushed over, practically running the distance. When he reached me, he held my shoulders and pulled me up.
"Are you okay? Is the baby alright? Do you want to see the healer?" he asked.
The tone of his voice suggested he was on the verge of tears. When I looked at him, his eyes were glistening, as if he wanted to cry.
This was the Sylvia I recognized, the caring Sylvia, rather than the cold Sylvia he had been lately.
My mouth opened to speak, but Juliana's words echoed in my mind, overpowering my positive thoughts.
My brows furrowed. "I'm fine, I don’t need your pity," I pushed his hands off my shoulders. "And don't ever touch me like that again."
"Ellie, what’s wrong?" He was clearly taken aback by my reaction.
What’s wrong? Is he seriously asking me that right now? Has he already forgotten how he's been treating me lately—ignoring me like I didn’t exist? Not to mention how rude and disrespectful his mate has been to me this evening.
"You want to know what’s wrong? Go ask your mate, Juliana. Also, stop worrying about my child and me; we are no longer your concern." I hissed loudly.
I brushed past him, shoving him to the side just like he had done to me this morning.
"Ellie," he called, but I was already walking away from the garden. I didn’t want to stay another moment with him.
As I reached the door, Claus appeared out of nowhere, blocking my way. My jaw dropped in shock, and I stumbled back.
"C-Claus," my voice shook, "what are you doing?"
I was trembling visibly. He didn’t see anything, did he?
It wasn’t as if I was doing something wrong, but at the same time, I felt caught doing something improper, sinful, and sneaky—all words that fit this situation perfectly.
"Claus, you're here..." I heard Sylvia’s voice behind me.
Claus's eyebrows raised as he saw Sylvia behind me. That look, I recognized it. The same one he had given when I announced my pregnancy.
Claus stepped into the room and turned to Sylvia. "I was looking for you," he said, then shifted his attention to me. "Love, is everything okay?" he asked.
Nodding my head like a lizard, I said, "Yes, love, everything is okay." I forced a smile to reassure him.
"Hmmm....…" He smiled back at me.
He placed his hands on my shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. His gaze returned to Sylvia.
"If everything is okay, then why did you hit Sylvia?" he asked, raising his brows while staring intensely at Sylvia.
His question shook the very core of me. He witnessed everything; he heard every word.
My mouth opened, but no words came out. My heart raced, making it hard to breathe—my legs felt like jelly.