Oliver’s POV

​Aurora’s face went white. She sat there for a second, her fork still clutched in her hand, looking as though I had just slapped her. "Canceled? Oliver, I have been planning this all day... It was supposed to be our fresh start! You can’t just take it away because I got a little annoyed at a maid!"

​"A fresh start requires a clear conscience, Aurora!" I finally stood up, the legs of my chair screeching against the marble floor. I leaned over the table, my shadow falling over her. "I don’t think we are ready for a fresh start. You can’t start something ’fresh’ when the air between us is already this foul!"

​"You’re being unfair!" she screamed, standing up to meet me. The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, trailing down her cheeks and disappearing under the bandage on her temple. "I’m trying! I’m right here! And you’re punishing me over a jealous comment? You’re a hypocrite, Oliver! You act like you’re so perfect, but you’re just a cold, controlling Alpha who doesn’t know how to trust his own girlfriend!"

​"Trust?" I roared, the word tearing out of my throat. My wolf was scratching at the surface, desperate to shift and howl in frustration. "You want to talk to me about trust? Look me in the eyes, Aurora, and tell me you’ve been honest with me today. Tell me you’ve been where you said you were!"

​She flinched, her eyes widening for a second. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out—only a choked sob.

​"I... I have been stressed," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I told you about my brother... why are you doing this to me? I needed this trip. I needed to be away from everything!"

​"No, you needed an escape," I spat, my heart breaking even as I pushed her away. "But you can’t escape yourself. You can’t escape the things you do in the dark. Enjoy your dinner, Aurora. Since you’re so worried about the staff being ’familiar’ with me, you’ll be happy to know I’ll be sleeping in the guest wing tonight."

​"Oliver, wait."

​I didn’t stop. I turned on my heel and walked out of the dining hall, the heavy oak doors thudding shut behind me. I could hear the sound of a plate shattering against the floor and her loud, heartbroken sob, but I didn’t turn back.

​I spent the night in the guest wing, though "slept" would be a generous word for it. I stared at the ceiling for hours, my wolf pacing the confines of my mind, growling at the cold, empty space beside me.

​The morning light felt like an intrusion. I moved mechanically, my body stiff and my heart feeling heavy in my chest. I needed my things from my room—and maybe, just maybe, I needed to see if she was okay.

​I opened the door to my private floor and found her sitting by the window. She wasn’t in bed. She looked as though she hadn’t moved since the sun went down. The bandage on her temple was slightly askew, and her face was pale, her eyes shadowed with a fatigue that mirrored my own.

​"Alpha Oliver," she said, her voice steady but devoid of the warmth that usually greeted me. "We need to talk."

​I stopped in my tracks, the formality of her words hitting me like a physical blow. I let out a bitter, hollow scoff, leaning against the doorframe.

​"Alpha Oliver?" I repeated, my frown deepening. "So now you add my title to my name? What happened to just ’Oliver’?"

​She didn’t respond to the jab. She didn’t flinch this time, either. She just stared at me with a hollowed-out expression that made me feel more like a stranger than her man.

​I walked over, my movements heavy, and sat in the chair across from her. I folded my arms tightly over my chest, shielding myself from the urge to reach out and touch her. "Fine. I’m all ears. Say what you have to say."

​The silence stretched between us, agonizing and thick. I watched her hands. They were trembling, but she was trying to hide it. Slowly, she reached into her pocket, pulled something out, and placed it on the table.

​I glared down at the table. It was the keys to the car I had bought her.

​I lifted my eyes to hers, my jaw clenching. "What is this, Aurora?"

​She hesitated, her throat working as she swallowed hard. She looked away for a second, then back at me with a terrifyingly calm gaze.

​"I think we should go on a break," she said, the words coming out in a whisper that felt like a scream. "A lot is going on with me... things I can’t explain right now. And until I deal with them, I can’t fully be in a relationship with you. I can’t be the person you need me to be."

​I sat there, frozen. For a moment, I couldn’t speak.

​"Really?" I finally gathered myself to speak. My grip on my own arms tightened until my claws threatened to pierce through my shirt. "A break? Just like that?"

​"Yes," she said, her voice trembling but her gaze fixed. "And please... don’t force me, Oliver. Don’t make this harder than it already is."

​"Are you seeing someone else?" I asked, the question coming out raw and guttural.

​Aurora swallowed hard, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment as if she were in physical pain. "No... you wouldn’t understand. It’s not like that."

​I stared at her, searching for a spark of the woman who had looked at me with pure love just days ago. I wanted to fight for her. I wanted to scream that we could make this work, that I could help her deal with whatever demons were chasing her. But as I looked at her, pale and resolute, I realized I was exhausted. The weight of the mask, the lies, the photos, and the violence of the previous night had finally drained me.

​I took a deep breath, the air feeling thin. "If that is what you want," I said, my voice sounding dead to my own ears, "then so be it."

​She nodded slowly, a single tear finally escaping and tracing a path down her cheek. "Can I... can I still be your assistant? I still need the work. I need the money."

​I looked at her, a bitter irony twisting in my gut.

​"Yes," I replied coldly. "I won’t interfere with our professional lives because of our personal ones. You’ll have your job."

​She nodded again, stood up without another word, and walked out of the room.

​I sat there for several minutes, feeling absolutely numb. My wolf was uncharacteristically quiet, retreating into the shadows of my mind as if he, too, couldn’t handle the rejection. I didn’t know what to do with my hands, my body, or the suffocating silence of the suite.

​Mechanically, I walked over to the hidden safe in the wall. I punched in the password with stiff fingers and reached inside. My hand brushed past the dark mask and landed on the burner phone—Raymond’s phone.

​I unlocked the screen, the blue light stinging my eyes in the dim room. My heart stopped.

​Two missed calls from Aurora. The timestamps were from two minutes ago.

​I stared at the screen, a dark, hysterical laugh bubbling in my throat. She had just broken my heart as Oliver, and before she had even reached her home, she was reaching out to the monster.

​Then, the notification for a new message popped up.

​Aurora: Can we see each other tonight?