Chapter 189
Ellie POV
Neither of us spoke.
For what felt like forever, we simply stood there.
Looking at each other.
Two people who had hurt each other in ways neither of them knew how to undo.
The pain in his eyes matched the betrayal burning in mine.
Finally, I found my voice.
I was the one who broke the silence.
"You tricked me."
My voice was barely a whisper.
I lifted the contract in my hand.
Dominic's expression hardened.
He stepped further into the room and shut the door behind him.
"You stabbed me."
The words were quiet.
But they hit.
"It was an accident."
His brows lifted.
"An accident?"
His gaze dropped briefly to the contract.
"Bringing a knife to our wedding was an accident?"
I nodded quickly.
"Yes."
Dominic stared at me.
For a long moment.
His eyes searched my face like he was trying to find the truth hidden somewhere beneath my words.
But he was still looking at me like I had betrayed him.
Like I wasn't his wife.
Like I was someone sent here to kill him.
And I couldn't blame him.
Not completely.
But with the contract sitting between us...
With the proof of his betrayal in my hands...
I couldn't completely blame myself either.
Maybe my instincts had done what my heart refused to do.
Maybe, when he held that knife, some part of me remembered something my mind couldn't explain.
Some part of me knew I needed to escape.
"Why?"
The question came suddenly.
Quiet.
Simple.
And somehow, it surprised me.
He didn't ask it with anger.
Not really.
He sounded like he genuinely wanted to understand.
For the briefest moment, he looked like the man I had spent the past few months falling for.
The man I had started believing in.
But I wasn't that person anymore.
I had learned.
And I had learned the hard way.
So I forced those feelings down.
Buried them before they could weaken me.
"I can't say."
Dominic stared at me.
A short sound escaped him.
Almost a laugh.
But there was no humor in it.
"Unfortunately, my dear..."
His voice turned colder.
"You don't really have a choice right now."
My fingers tightened around the contract.
"I don't have much of a choice in anything, do I?"
His expression shifted.
"Ellie..."
"Fine."
I placed the contract back on the desk.
My fingertips pressed against the wood as I thought carefully.
I couldn't tell him the truth.
I couldn't tell him about my past life.
About what he and Vivian had done.
About the memories that haunted me.
He wouldn't believe me.
He would think I was insane.
Or lying.
Either way, it would solve nothing.
So I gave him the closest thing to the truth I could.
"I had a traumatic experience in my past."
His expression changed.
"One I don't want to talk about."
I swallowed.
"It made me afraid of knives."
A pause.
"Especially when they're held by men."
"What?"
The reaction was immediate.
"Ellie, we've known each other our entire lives."
His brows drew together.
"You've never mentioned anything like this."
His voice softened.
"What happened?"
"That's my business."
His jaw tightened.
"When you put a knife between my ribs, it became my business."
I pressed my lips together.
I refused to answer.
Dominic watched me.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Pain.
All crossed his face.
Finally, he exhaled.
His shoulders dropped slightly.
"My Beta thinks I should imprison you."
The words were quiet.
"In fact, everyone thinks that right now."
A pause.
"Maybe I should."
I lifted my chin.
Waiting.
Then his expression cracked.
"But I won't."
He ran a hand through his hair.
Messing it up further.
"Dammit, Ellie..."
His voice dropped.
"What have you done to me?"
A bitter laugh escaped me.
No humor.
No warmth.
"What have you done to me?"
I grabbed the contract again.
Held it up between us.
"You tricked me with a loophole."
My voice rose.
"You convinced me to sign a contract that says I can't initiate a divorce."
I shook the papers.
"And that if I leave, I get sick again."
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"You didn't read the contract completely?"
The words struck harder than they should have.
My chest tightened.
"So you admit it."
He didn't answer.
He just looked away.
And that was enough.
I threw the contract onto the desk.
"I trusted you."
My voice cracked.
"I thought we could..."
The words disappeared.
I shook my head.
"I thought you would be different."
Dominic looked at me.
"It's a contract, Ellie."
His voice was calm.
"I had to protect myself."
A pause.
"If you had read it properly, then—"
"Don't."
My voice cut through his.
"Don't you dare put this on me."
I stepped closer.
"You put that clause there intentionally because you didn't trust me."
His face hardened.
"You thought I would leave."
My eyes burned.
"So you found a way to make sure I couldn't."
Silence.
"Now?"
I laughed bitterly.
"Now I want to leave more than I ever did before."
Something painful crossed his expression.
"Yeah."
His voice was quiet.
"I guess neither of us trusts the other right now."
The words hit harder than I expected.
Because deep down...
I knew he was right.
That was the real problem.
There was too much between us.
Too much betrayal.
Too much history he didn't remember, and I couldn't forget.
This was never going to work.
I should never have agreed.
But now...
We were trapped.
Or rather...
I was trapped.
Until he decided to release me.
If he ever decided to.
For one moment, I wanted to tell him everything.
I wanted to throw the truth at him.
Tell him what he and Vivian had done.
Tell him why I was afraid.
Tell him why my body reacted before my mind could.
But I stopped.
Because it wouldn't change anything.
He wouldn't understand.
And right now, the only thing that mattered was finding a way out.
Finding a way to stop history from repeating itself.
So I stayed silent.
The quiet stretched between us.
Finally, Dominic inhaled deeply.
Like he was forcing himself to remain steady.
"It's still our wedding day."
His voice was softer.
"And despite everything, Ellie..."
He hesitated.
"I still care about you."
I didn't believe him.
Not anymore.
But I let him continue.
"I want to enjoy this day with you."
He extended his hand.
"Come to bed with me."
My body stiffened.
"Our wedding suite."
I immediately stepped back.
"You think I want to sleep with you after this?"
His expression tightened.
"We don't have to do anything."
His voice lowered.
"I just want to be with you."
A pause.
"To understand why you did this."
His hand moved slightly toward his bandaged side.
I stared at him.
And for one horrible second...
I almost wanted to say yes.
Almost.
But the larger part of me recoiled.
The idea of sharing a room with him felt impossible.
"No."
My voice was firm.
"I want to sleep in my own room tonight."
The look on his face hurt.
Like I had wounded him again.
But I refused to let it change my mind.
After several seconds, he finally accepted it.
He stepped aside.
"Alright."
"Alright."
I left the contract behind.
Walked around the desk.
As I passed him, my shoulder almost brushed his.
For a moment, his hand lifted.
Like he wanted to touch me.
Like instinct moved before thought.
I stepped away before he could.
His hand slowly lowered.
Then I opened the door.
The guards stared.
The guests stared.
Everyone watched Luna walk away from her Alpha on their wedding night.
I ignored them.
I walked upstairs.
Never looking back.
Not once.
I didn't cry.
I didn't hesitate.
I didn't let anyone see me break.
Not until I reached my room.
Not until the door was locked.
Only then did I finally collapse.
And the tears came.
Silent.
Painful.
Unstoppable.