But she changed too

Three days later, Selene returned to the mansion, her head held high. Despite the pain still lingering from that terrible day, she had gathered every ounce of her strength to come back one last time — only to collect her things and leave him for good.

After meeting with Marco, her best friend since high school, she had finally found the courage to stand on her own two feet and move forward.

The moment her car pulled up in front of the grand estate, the maids were stunned to see her again. Everyone in the household already knew their marriage was over. Just the night before, another woman had arrived at the mansion. When the staff had asked who she was, Ace had told them plainly that she was the new lady of the house — Rica Salvador, from the Silver Lotus Pack.

Rosa and Susanna hurried toward Selene, reaching out to take her bag as they always did, but this time, Selene held onto it firmly and refused to let go. Instead, she smiled warmly at them.

“Hi there, how are you two doing?” she asked softly.

Rosa’s smile grew brighter, and Susanna nodded happily, though their eyes held a hint of sadness.

“We’re fine, ma’am. We’ve actually been waiting for you to come back — we knew you’d want your things,” Susanna replied as they began walking toward the magnificent staircase that dominated the entrance hall.

“Oh, right. That’s exactly why I’m here,” Selene said. “Are all my belongings ready?”

Rosa nodded gently, but her smile faded. “Yes, ma’am. Sir Ace ordered us to pack everything up immediately after… well, after he told us.”

A sharp ache pierced Selene’s heart. She knew Ace well enough — once he made a decision, he never looked back or regretted it. But it still hurt to realize he had packed her things away before she even had the chance to come get them. It was proof of how serious he was about ending their marriage, and about marrying the woman who was originally supposed to be nothing more than a surrogate mother for their child.

They reached her room on the second floor. When she pushed the door open, she saw all her luggage stacked neatly on the bed, ready to be taken away. The room felt dimmer, colder, and completely stripped of the warmth she had tried to bring into it over the years.

Susanna, Rosa, and Selene began carrying the bags out. Rosa called for one of the male staff members to come and help with the heavier items.

“Ma’am… are you really leaving us for good?” Susanna asked, her voice trembling as she watched Selene prepare to step out the door.

Selene turned back and nodded slowly, keeping a brave smile on her face. Rosa stood nearby, tears already welling up in her eyes as she watched the woman they had grown to love.

“Ma’am, please take care of yourself! We’re going to miss you so much!” Susanna cried, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

Of all the women who had ever lived in this mansion, Selene was by far the kindest and best mistress they had ever served. Unlike others, she had treated them like friends — eating at the same table alongside them, allowing them to use anything in the house freely, even letting them enjoy expensive food and drinks from the fridge whenever they wished. While Ace was always away, Selene had taken charge of the household, ensuring everyone had fair rights and clear duties. When the news spread that she was being replaced, every maid’s heart had broken.

As Selene walked toward her car, a sleek black luxury vehicle pulled up and stopped right beside hers. The door opened, and when she saw who stepped out, she rolled her eyes in pure frustration. Her pulse quickened the moment Ace’s eyes locked onto hers.

“Good to see you’ve already started clearing out my things,” Ace said with biting sarcasm, adjusting his necktie as he walked slowly toward her.

Susanna, Rosa, and the other staff immediately stepped back and quietly left the area — they knew from the look in his eyes that he wanted them gone.

Selene turned to face him, a sharp, confident smile on her face, though inside she was trembling. It had taken hours of pep talks and deep breaths to prepare herself to stand before him without showing a single trace of fear or weakness. She looked at him with empty, emotionless eyes, exactly as she had practiced. Matching his cold gaze, his detached gestures, and his icy tone was the only way she thought she could hurt him back — and she had perfected it.

Ace was visibly surprised by her demeanor. She looked completely unbothered, as if she had never spent nights crying over their broken marriage or his betrayal with Rica. Still, he kept his composure and spoke in his usual flat tone.

“The divorce papers are ready inside. Come in one last time before you leave, so I can finalize everything today.”

“Sure thing!” Selene replied brightly, almost cheerfully, and walked straight past him into the house — leaving him standing there, stunned and confused.

The atmosphere in the living room felt heavy and different now. Selene sat calmly on the sofa while Ace returned holding a thick stack of documents. He smirked as he placed them on the table in front of her and handed her a pen.

To his utter surprise, she took it immediately. Without a single moment of hesitation, she began signing every page, one after another. It was nothing like what he had expected. She didn’t pause to read the terms, didn’t look upset, didn’t even glance at him — it was as if she didn’t care at all about how this divorce would change her life.

When she finished, she handed the pen back with a wide, bright smile. That was when Ace noticed — she was wearing a bold, deep red shade of lipstick. Before today, she had always refused dark colors, saying she didn’t like them.

Ace froze. For several long seconds, he just stared at her face, unable to form a single word.

“Here you go. Thanks for the last three years,” Selene said simply.

He took the pen back from her hand, still in shock. He could not believe what he was seeing. This was not the Selene he knew. She had changed — completely.

“You have signed away our marriage,” he stated, looking straight into her eyes, trying to find even a trace of the woman he remembered.

Outside, the weather shifted rapidly. The bright sunny sky turned grey and cloudy, and within twenty minutes, heavy rain began pouring down, soaking the ground completely.

Wind blew in through the open window, cooling the air and brushing against Ace’s skin. Selene’s long black hair swayed gently in the breeze. She closed her eyes for a brief second, a faint smirk playing on her lips.

“I know. I’m fully aware of what I signed,” she replied.

Ace’s hands clenched into tight fists. For the first time in a long while, he felt insulted, angry, and unsettled. A powerful, confusing emotion swelled in his chest, driving his temper to the edge. He didn’t understand what had happened to her, but her personality was like a slap to his face. Her coldness took his breath away. Her indifference, her attitude — all the innocence and softness she once had seemed to vanish entirely in just three days!

His jaw tightened as he struggled to control his rising anger.

“You seem very sure of yourself,” he snapped. “Why? Did the millions I transferred to your account suddenly change your whole personality? What a gold-digger you turned out to be!”

Selene only smirked. She shook her head slowly and crossed her arms over her chest, looking him right in the eye.

“And so what if I am a gold-digger? Can’t believe I managed to squeeze millions out of you, did I? How sad for you,” she mocked softly.

She stepped forward, ready to walk past him and leave, but suddenly, Ace grabbed her arm — his grip was so tight it instantly turned her wrist red. She tried to pull away, but he was far too strong, holding her in place.

“Ace! Let go of me!” she yelled.

Instead of releasing her, he held on even tighter.

“I didn’t say you were allowed to leave yet,” he replied, his voice as cold as ice. He forced her to stand right in front of him, and she had no choice but to obey.

Selene’s face burned with rage as she glared at him. “What else do you want from me?! I signed the papers exactly like you wanted! Now let me go!”

He shoved her away roughly, and she nearly stumbled and fell — which only made her anger burn hotter. She rolled her eyes at him in pure disgust.

He was so furious he wanted to punch the wall just to release the pressure building inside him. He didn’t fully understand the kind of anger he felt, but it was powerful enough to make him want to hurt anyone standing in his way. Seeing Selene look at him with such stormy, unforgiving eyes was something new to him. She had never been like this before.

“Enough of this, Alpha Ace,” Selene said firmly, her voice sharp and clear. “You made your choice. You said it yourself — you want to marry Rica Salvador because I couldn’t give you a baby fast enough. Fine. Now you have what you wanted. You can do whatever you please. And don’t you ever dare mess with my life again. I am never coming back to you.”

Her eyes glistened, threatening to spill tears, but she held them back. She bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and spoke again, her voice steady and loud.

“I am officially rejecting you and breaking every bond between us. I, Selene Marey Brixton, reject you as my Alpha, Alpha Ace Drake Nightwell.” She swallowed hard, her heart pounding wildly. “Now you can do whatever you want. Marry whoever you want, or reject me back — I don’t care anymore. Just… leave me alone!”

She turned and rushed out of the living room before he could say another word.

Ace gasped, standing frozen in place, completely stunned. He couldn’t move, couldn’t react fast enough — the shock of her rejection paralyzed him. His hand remained raised in the air as his mind tried to process what had just happened.

“Shit…” he cursed under his breath as a sharp, painful ache shot through his heart.

In his twenty-five years of life, no one had ever dared to disrespect him or speak to him with such arrogance. Not even Selene. Before today, she had been soft, always crying, always lost if he wasn’t guiding her. That memory left him standing there, rooted to the spot, feeling a deep sense of shame and confusion.

He realized something then: he had never actually treated Selene with arrogance or cruelty in the beginning. He used to care. He used to worry about every little thing she did and how it would affect her. She had been the most childish woman he ever knew, simple, kind, and completely free of malice. She was like an angel — and perhaps that was exactly what he had disliked about her. She never seemed to take anything seriously, never fought back, never demanded anything for herself.

But it wasn’t just her infertility that had changed things, even though that was the official reason. Deep down, what truly broke him was his dream — a dream he’d had since he was a little boy — of seeing his own child grow inside his wife’s belly. It was something he had always wished for, something he craved more than anything. When he learned Selene could never give him that, his heart had shattered into pieces. He had become cold, distant, and acted as if he didn’t care about her at all.

Rica had originally been their surrogate. She was an old friend of his. When she volunteered to carry their child, Selene had been happy and grateful — but Ace had not been. He didn’t want a medical procedure or a stranger involved. Instead, he had crossed a forbidden line, and the result was Rica’s pregnancy.

He had convinced himself that his bond with his true destined Luna had never awakened, so he had gone out searching for other women, refusing to believe he might be mate-less.

“I shouldn’t be feeling this way,” he muttered to himself, biting his lip in frustration. He didn’t realize then that his heart was already caught in a bond only the Moon Goddess could see.

He was about to walk toward his room when a sudden scream echoed from the hallway, growing louder and closer. Ace rushed toward the noise and saw one of his bodyguards running toward him, breathless and terrified.

“Sir! Sir! Ma’am Selene just fainted outside!” Todo shouted, barely able to catch his breath.

Ace’s eyes widened in pure alarm. He didn’t even bother grabbing his coat — he sprinted straight out of the house.

“Fuck! What happened?! What’s wrong with her?!” he roared at the guards standing nearby, as if it were their fault.

He immediately took Selene’s unconscious body from the man who had caught her and carried her carefully to the car, ignoring the heavy rain soaking him completely.

“Drive faster! Damn it, drive faster!” he yelled at the driver, breathless and panicked.

Selene lay motionless on the seat beside him, her head resting against his arm. Looking at her pale face, Ace felt a terrifying wave of worry wash over him. He was terrified that whatever illness or pain she was suffering from might be serious. His mind raced with thoughts — maybe, just maybe, this was all because of the divorce? Maybe I pushed her too far?

“Shit… Selene… please, you have to wake up,” he whispered, gently brushing her hair away from her face, his heart pounding with fear and regret.