Chapter 182
Ellie POV
You know, I expected this.
Even after everything Dominic had done these past few weeks—the contract, the quiet promises, the way he had started looking at me like this arrangement was something fragile and real instead of something written in ink and obligation—I never completely let go of the possibility that it would end
like this.
That somehow, I would wake up and remember the truth.
This was never supposed to be forever.
He had almost convinced me otherwise.
Almost.
So when I turned the corner and saw Vivian standing too close to him, her delicate fingers curled into the front of his jacket, her body pressed into his space, her lips brushing his like they had every right to be there...
I waited for something inside me to break.
For the pain.
For the betrayal.
For the anger I thought I would feel.
But nothing came.
The flowers slipped from my hands before I even realized my fingers had loosened.
Pale petals scattered across the marble floor between us.
Yet my expression remained calm.
There was no sharp ache in my chest.
No overwhelming heartbreak.
Only a strange emptiness.
A quiet numbness settling beneath my ribs.
For a moment, none of us moved.
Vivian froze when she saw me. Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn't immediately step away.
Not until Dominic reacted.
His hand moved instantly, pushing her back with a sharp, instinctive motion. His expression darkened as he turned toward me.
"Ellie."
My name came out low.
Urgent.
He was already moving toward me.
Already reaching for me.
Like he could somehow erase the image in front of me.
Like he could take back the moment I had walked in.
"It's not what you think."
I ignored him.
Slowly, I bent down and gathered the flowers from the floor.
One by one.
Carefully.
As if they still mattered.
As if they hadn't just fallen apart in front of me.
I brushed away invisible dust from the petals and adjusted the ribbon around the stems.
"You should get to the altar."
My voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
I refused to look at him.
"We're going to be late. The music is starting soon."
Dominic stopped in front of me.
Close enough that I could feel his warmth.
I could feel him watching me.
Searching.
Looking for something.
Anger.
Hurt.
Jealousy.
Anything.
But I gave him nothing.
"Ellie."
His voice softened.
There was uncertainty there.
Something I wasn't used to hearing from him.
"You're upset."
A small, humorless breath escaped me.
I lifted my chin and adjusted my veil, fixing the piece that had slipped loose from my hair.
"The contract says we're allowed other partners."
My voice sounded detached.
Even to me.
"This is a contract, Dominic. I have nothing to be upset about."
His expression changed.
Before I could step around him, his hand closed gently around my arm.
Warm fingers.
A careful touch.
And I hated that my body reacted before my mind did.
That even now, even after what I had seen, his touch still affected me.
"Don't."
His brows pulled together.
His voice turned rough.
"Don't do that."
I immediately pulled away.
Harder than I meant to.
My eyes finally met his.
"It is our wedding day."
The edge in my voice sharpened.
"And you're making us late."
I looked toward the doors behind him.
"So walk down that aisle and stand there like you're supposed to."
My grip tightened around the bouquet.
"We say yes. We finish this. And then it's done."
Something dark flashed across his face.
Pain.
Anger.
Something deeper.
Instead of stepping away, he moved closer.
"I don't give a damn if we're late."
His voice was quiet.
Controlled.
But there was something beneath it.
Something wounded.
"I care that this gets solved."
His gaze locked onto mine.
"That you are—"
"Happy?"
The word came out with a bitter laugh.
I hated how broken it sounded.
"Dominic, this isn't happiness."
My fingers tightened around the flowers.
"This is survival."
The words spilled out before I could stop them.
"My health. My mother. Your authority."
I swallowed.
"We both know what this is."
His expression hardened.
For a moment, he looked exactly like the Alpha everyone feared.
Powerful.
Commanding.
Untouchable.
But then I saw something else.
A crack.
A hurt he wasn't letting anyone else see.
"You're acting like I forced this on you."
His voice remained calm, but there was pain underneath it.
"You set the terms. You made it clear this was what you wanted."
"I didn't want this."
The words escaped before I could stop them.
My hands curled into fists.
"I didn't want the bond."
My voice shook.
"I didn't want the sickness."
A pause.
"I didn't want any of it."
Behind us, the music grew louder.
The sound of guests shifting.
The whispers.
The anticipation.
Everyone is waiting for the bride and groom to appear.
But here, in this hallway, everything felt frozen.
"This isn't even my wedding."
My voice trembled despite my attempt to control it.
"The only thing here that I chose was my damn dress."
Dominic stared at me.
And for the first time, I saw something raw break through his carefully controlled expression.
"That was your choice."
His voice was quieter now.
"You didn't want to plan anything. You refused to care."
His eyes searched mine.
"Now you're saying—"
"Because I don't want to marry you."
The words cut through the hallway.
Silence followed.
"I don't care about this stupid wedding because I don't want to marry you."
The moment the words left my mouth, I knew there was no taking them back.
Behind me, someone gasped.
Sarah.
Her hand flew to her mouth as her wide eyes moved between us.
Dominic didn't move.
Not even an inch.
He just stood there.
Silent.
Like my words had struck somewhere deeper than I intended.