Chapter 193
Ellie POV
"You're still thinking about that?"
My mother took a small step back.
The surprise on her face only made my frustration worse.
"Mom, you know what she's like."
My voice sharpened.
"She's been against me since the beginning. Yesterday was my wedding, and she was practically throwing herself at my husband like—"
I stopped.
The word caught in my throat.
Husband.
That was what Dominic was.
Technically.
But not in the way that mattered.
I wore his mark.
I carried his name.
I stood beside him as his Luna.
But none of that changed the truth.
He didn't love me.
Not the way I had once desperately hoped he would.
To him, I was still something useful.
A solution.
A responsibility.
Something he could control whenever he decided it was necessary.
And Vivian...
She knew that.
She had always known.
If I didn't find a way out of this, they would destroy me again.
Just like before.
My mother studied my face carefully.
Then her voice softened.
"Sweetheart, I know you're going through a lot right now..."
A pause.
"But Vivian is your sister."
"Half-sister."
The correction came automatically.
She sighed.
"Fine. Half-sister."
Her expression remained gentle.
"But she's still your sister."
I looked away.
"You two never used to fight like this."
Her voice became quieter.
"I think if you would just sit down and talk about whatever is bothering you, maybe none of what happened yesterday would have happened."
Right.
Of course.
Because talking solved everything.
Because that was exactly how my life had gone before.
A simple conversation would have stopped betrayal.
Stopped manipulation.
Stopped death.
Sure.
"Mom..."
I forced myself to stay calm.
"I love you, but this isn't your problem."
"It is my problem."
Her response was immediate.
"You're both my daughters. I love you both."
Then she looked at me sadly.
"And honestly, Ellie, I think you're being unfair to Vivian."
A laugh escaped me.
I couldn't stop it.
"Unfair?"
I stared at her.
"I'm the unfair one?"
My voice rose.
"Mom, either she has completely convinced you of her lies, or you're just refusing to see who she really is."
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
Because I saw her expression change.
The hurt.
The disappointment.
It cut deeper than I expected.
"Mom..."
I stepped forward.
"I didn't mean—"
"I don't like this side of you, Ellie."
She moved away from me before I could reach her.
The distance hurt more than I wanted to admit.
"Come talk to me when you're not feeling so cruel."
Then she turned.
And left.
I stood there.
Frozen.
Too shocked by my own words to follow.
When she disappeared, I let out a quiet breath.
She didn't deserve that.
None of this was her fault.
She wasn't the one who manipulated everyone.
She wasn't the one who caused all of this.
Vivian was just good at making people believe whatever she wanted.
And my mother was only another victim.
I spent the rest of the day in the library.
Or at least, I tried to study.
The words blurred together.
My thoughts kept circling back.
To Dominic.
To the contract.
To Vivian.
To my mother.
Nothing made more sense by the end of the day than it had that morning.
By the time I returned home, it was already dark.
Dinner had long since passed.
I stopped somewhere on the way and bought something simple to eat.
There was no way I was sitting across from Dominic at a table pretending we were a normal married couple.
Not after everything.
The house was quiet when I entered.
Except for one place.
The drawing room.
The lights were on.
And I could hear Dominic's deep voice from inside.
I immediately changed direction.
My plan was simple.
Avoid him.
Unfortunately...
The bond had other ideas.
"Ellie."
His voice entered my mind.
Quiet.
Controlled.
But firm.
"Come here."
I stopped.
For a moment, I considered ignoring him.
Then curiosity won.
I walked toward the drawing room.
Dominic was sitting inside with Marcus, both of them holding drinks.
The moment he saw me, his expression tightened.
"Where were you today?"
No greeting.
No asking if I was okay.
Just a question.
"You were supposed to attend a meeting with me."
"I had my own things to do."
His brows drew together.
"I understand your studies are important."
His tone remained calm.
"I'm not asking you to abandon them."
A pause.
"But you agreed to fulfill your Luna responsibilities."
I stared at him.
Then shrugged.
"Have someone else do it."
For a second, Dominic just blinked.
"Someone else?"
"Yes."
His expression became confused.
"Such as?"
I looked around the room.
Then my eyes landed on one of the nearby maids.
"You."
The poor girl froze.
Her face immediately turned red.
"Attend my meetings from now on."
Her mouth fell open.
Before she could respond, Dominic was already standing.
"Ellie—"
"I'm going to bed."
I turned away.
"Goodnight."
And without waiting for his reply, I walked toward the stairs.