Chapter 3
Lyla's POV
"Lyla, hold on."
Chloe leaned against the doorframe, all pretense gone. She blocked my path, smiling triumphantly.
I held the box, staring coldly. "Move."
"So cold?" Chloe looked me up and down. "Three years in his bed, and now you're slinking away? Don't you feel cheated?"
My fingers tightened.
"Think I don't know everything?" Her laugh grew bolder. "Being ignored sucks, doesn't it? You thought fucking him every night would make him love you? Lyla, how pathetically naive."
"You're in my way."
Annoyance flashed across her face. "Still got fight in you? Let's see—"
She lunged for my box. "What can you even take? This shop is Kaden's. Everything here is his. What makes you think you can take anything?"
The box fell. Everything scattered.
A crystal music box rolled out, spinning before stopping.
"What's this?" Chloe snatched it up, holding it high. "Crystal? Looks expensive—"
"PUT IT DOWN!" My voice cracked. "That was my MOTHER'S!"
Mom's only keepsake. A crystal swan that played her recorded lullaby.
"Your mother's?" Chloe's smile turned vicious. "Even better. Something this precious—"
"GIVE IT BACK!" I lunged forward.
Chloe stepped back, laughing. "The more you want it—"
Her fingers opened.
The music box smashed against the floor.
Crystal shattered with a sharp crack.
"Oops, my bad." Chloe covered her mouth, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "It slipped..."
I froze.
The swan lay in pieces. Shards everywhere. The mechanism rolled out beside a bloodstain.
Mom's lullaby, gone forever.
"You fucking BITCH—"
"KADEN! HELP!" Chloe screamed, falling backward. Her shin scraped glass. "She's trying to KILL me—"
The door slammed open.
Kaden burst in with a pharmacy bag. Seeing Chloe on the floor, his face went dark.
"Lyla! Have you lost your FUCKING MIND?!"
He shoved me hard.
I crashed into the workstation. Pain shot through my waist. Glass pierced my palm as I caught myself. Blood poured out.
"You fucking ATTACKED her?!" Kaden roared, eyes turning gold.
I pushed myself up, blood dripping from my hand.
His eyes stayed on Chloe. He didn't even glance at me.
"Apologize!" His voice was ice. "NOW. RIGHT NOW."
"Kaden... don't blame her..." Chloe sobbed, clutching her shin. "It's my fault... I wanted the shop... I shouldn't have touched her things..."
"What worthless piece of shit is worth attacking her over?" Kaden didn't look at the shattered swan, just glared at me. "When the hell are you going to GROW UP?!"
Worthless piece of shit.
That's what he called it.
I looked at the crystal fragments and laughed.
"She dropped it herself."
"Still LYING?!" Kaden exploded. "Look at her leg!"
"I SAID—"
"ENOUGH!" He cut me off. "I was wrong about you. I thought you were just spoiled. I didn't know you were this cruel."
He crouched down, examining Chloe's wound carefully. "Does it hurt?"
"A little..." She leaned into him weakly. "Don't be mad at Lyla... It's my fault..."
"Don't." Kaden lifted her into his arms. "I'm taking you to the hospital."
At the door, he stopped and looked back.
"You better think long and hard, Lyla." His eyes were ice-cold, like I was a stranger. "If I catch you bullying Chloe again, pack your shit and go back to Seth."
The door slammed.
I stood there, surrounded by shards and blood.
My phone buzzed. Seth's message—the car was here.
I knelt, gathering the broken pieces with my good hand. The swan's head snapped off. Wings shattered. I picked them up one by one, hands shaking.
Even broken, I was keeping it.
I grabbed the box and left without looking back.
In the car, I watched the streets fade through the window. Three years felt like an absurd dream. In it, I thought I was loved. Waking up, I realized it was all fake.
My phone buzzed.
Kaden's message.
[Lyla, I know you're upset, but you had NO right to attack Chloe. You crossed the line.]
[Watch yourself. She's more fragile than you think. I don't want this happening again.]
[When she heals, you WILL apologize to her face. Got it?]
I stared at the words for a long time.
He still thought I was wrong.
I deleted his contact.
Outside, Shadow Pack buildings grew smaller.
The next day, no reply from Lyla. No sign of her.
Kaden scoffed. "Acting like a child."
By evening, she still hadn't reached out. Unease grew heavier in his chest.
"How long is this going to last?" He ran his hand through his hair, irritated.
His phone buzzed.
[Mr. Kaden, we've received Miss Sterling's transfer documents. Guardianship transfer is complete. Anything to add?]
Kaden froze.
Transfer? Guardianship?
The papers. That day at the shop—Lyla had handed him papers...
FUCK.
He dialed her number.
"The number you have dialed is powered off..."
Panic hit. He tried again. Again. Powered off.
Just as he was about to track her down, his phone rang.
Seth.
"Kaden, what the FUCK have you been doing?!" Seth's voice exploded. "My sister's hands are torn up, she's got bruises on her waist! You just let people hurt her?!"
Kaden's heart sank.
"She's with you?" His voice dropped. "Put her on."
"FUCK THAT!" Seth's rage burned hotter. "You think she'd come crying? If I hadn't sent someone to get her and seen the state she was in, you would've kept me in the DARK!"
Kaden frowned. "Seth, let me explain. That day—"
"I don't want your EXCUSES!" Seth cut him off. "Three years, Kaden! I trusted you with my sister!"
He took a breath. His voice turned colder.
"Whatever. She's not your problem anymore. Show up to Lyla's wedding next week. Don't be late."
