Chapter 2

My thoughts stuttered then I watched Carter stand up and straighten his clothes, turning to Jack.

"Where’s that necklace?"

I saw Jack bring in the gift box containing the necklace and couldn't help screaming, "That's mine."

Carter took it, touched the patterns on the gift box, my heart kept tightening.

He suddenly spoke up: "Rory once designed a watch for me, too. She went out of her way to find someone to make it exactly the way she drew it. But we moved so many times... it disappeared."

Yes, I unexpectedly had an extraordinary talent for painting. Every time I drew a painting, I got lost in my own world.

Jack joked with a grin, "I heard Rory has a real talent for design. Why didn’t you have her design some other styles for you?"

Carter let out a breath. "You wouldn’t understand."

That night, Carter came to my room like he always did to sleep.

Nora sat on the bed and deliberately wore nothing but a lace lingerie set, posing in a way that screamed seduction.

I pressed my lips together, and looked at Carter with some concern. He took off his coat and put it on Nora. "Winter’s almost here. It’s getting colder and colder. Dress warm. Don’t catch a cold."

Nora’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger. Maybe she couldn’t understand why Carter was like a stiff piece of wood, completely unmoved.

Only I knew that he had no love for me, so he didn't notice the moment his mate was replaced.

She gathered her courage. "Carter, I... I want..."

Clearly, Carter didn’t understand what she meant. He simply pulled out the gift box and pressed it into her arms.

Ever since I’d been forbidden to draw, I’d developed a special obsession with anything designed.

Even if I couldn’t create something with my own hands, just looking at it, imagining it, was enough to make my heart satisfied.

Nora still wanted to try once more. She wracked her brain for a way to hint at what she wanted, her eyes darting around.

But she just remembered this: how could a fool like me take the initiative to ask for sex?

The words in her mouth got swallowed back down, just like that.

Carter studied her awkward, fidgety expression. "What’s with you today? You’re acting strange."

Nora panicked instantly, stammering, "I... I’m just not feeling well."

"Then I’ll call the Pack Doctor." Carter turned to leave as he spoke.

Nora, furious, threw the necklace to the floor and cursed,

"That idiot Rory can’t even keep her own man under control!"

I looked at the necklace with regret. A crack had formed across it.

And hearing Nora’s words, I could only sigh.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried.

I’d never been able to get pregnant. Mia worried herself sick over it and even forced a few explicit videos into my hands, making my face burn while she told me to learn.

But Carter really seemed to treat me like a pet by his side. No matter what I did, he just looked at me coldly.

Though he would occasionally kiss me, every time, it ended the same way with one quiet sentence: "Sleep."

Not long after, Carter came back, the Pack Doctor following behind him.

I looked at Mia behind him in surprise and was so happy that I wanted to hug her, but my soul had passed through her body.

While the moment Mia stepped in, she threw herself into Nora’s arms, sobbing, "Rory! Why are you sick again?"

Nora instinctively wanted to step aside and dodge, but right now, she was me.

All she could do was stand there and let Mia smear snot and tears all over her clothes.

However, she hated Mia not only because she was my sister, but also because of that bond ceremony. She pointed at Nora and snapped, "Where did this fake come from? Clone livestock don’t live long."

Nora lightly pushed Mia away, forcing a bit of distance, then shot a disgusted glance at her own chest as if the stain offended her soul.

She forced a smile. "Mia, wait a second. Let the Pack Doctor check me first."