Chapter 2

The moment I said I wanted to break the bond, the comments went wild, flashing across my vision like a digital storm.

[What's with this plot twist? Clara's talking about breaking the bond? No way! Dominic's head over heels for her—he'd lose it!]

[Come on, Dominic just doesn't know how to say it, but he's crazy about Clara. He hasn't done anything wrong!]

[Y'all are freaking out for nothing. Clara's just mad and trying to spook Dominic. She's been into him for years—she's not going anywhere.]

I caught the glint of mockery in my own reflection. Maybe Dominic thought the same thing, that he could keep pushing my limits because I'd never leave. But I'm not his shadow, and my love for him? It's been worn down to nothing by his endless cold shoulder.

An hour later, my lawyer showed up with the papers, all business. "Clara, once your mate signs these, there's a thirty-day cooling-off period. After that, you'll be unbound."

I nodded, tucking the papers into my bag.

Over the next few days in the hospital, Dominic didn't show his face. But every time I went for meds or a checkup, I'd see him hovering around Aurora, all warm smiles and soft words. The comments kept insisting it was just a ploy to make me jealous, a classic Dominic move. So I stayed calm, refusing to throw the tantrums I used to.

When I was discharged, I left without a word to him.

Back home, I started purging everything tied to Dominic. The suits and shirts I'd bought him? Never worn. Our photos together? He's stone-faced in every one. The matching mugs and slippers I got us? He'd always scoffed at them. I was ready to toss it all when the comments piped up again.

[Clara's throwing out all this stuff? Dominic's gonna lose it when he finds out!]

[Those clothes, those mugs—Dominic treasures them because Clara picked them out. He just acts like he doesn't care in front of her, but he's got them stashed away like sacred relics.]

[He looks like an ice block in those photos, but inside, he's grinning like a fool, fighting the urge to grab her hand. He's too good at playing the aloof wolf, and now Clara's totally misreading him.]

I didn't care anymore whether he was faking it or not. I hauled the boxes to the curb and dumped them in the trash. The heavy thud echoed as Dominic walked in, his face going pale as moonlight.

"What are you doing?" His voice was low, laced with barely-contained rage. "Who said you could touch my stuff?"

I didn't even look up, my tone flat as a frozen lake. "I bought it all. If you don't want it, what's the problem with me getting rid of it?"

His throat bobbed, like he wanted to say something, but Aurora burst in, holding up a flashy watch. "Dominic! You left your Patek Philippe at my place."

She froze, sensing the tension. "Oh, sorry, are you two fighting? I'll just go."

She turned to leave, but Dominic, in a move that wasn't like him, called her back. "No fight. Just clearing out some junk. You're a guest—come in."

He ushered her inside, brewing her coffee, showing her his study, wine cellar, music room—like some doting host. When Aurora saw his piano and asked to play a duet, he jumped right in, song after song. When she gushed over his art skills, he set up an easel and sketched her portrait. When she wanted to watch a movie, he sat beside her, hanging on her every word about the plot.

I watched it all, a sharp pain stabbing my chest. The comments kept rolling, swearing he was only doing this to make me jealous, that his heart was still mine while he played these games with Aurora. It felt like a cruel joke.

All these years, I'd begged him to play music with me, to paint, to watch a movie together. Every time, he'd shut me down with that icy stare. I used to believe the comments, thinking he was just scared of letting his guard down. But seeing him jump at the chance to do all those things with Aurora? It hit me hard: love that can't be spoken isn't love at all.

I swallowed the ache and retreated to my room, done caring what they were up to. That evening, Aurora knocked on my door. "Dominic's taking me to a Michelin-star restaurant. Wanna come?"

I said no, but she wouldn't let it go, waltzing into my room, picking up the necklace on my desk while trying to coax me. "He's got the table booked, Clara. Come on, we're all college buds. So many she-wolves chased Dominic, but you snagged the untouchable wolf. Why play hard to get? If I were his mate, I'd never treat him like this."