Olivia’s POV


    I sat curled up on the couch, staring at my phone. Still no address from Mike. Just those suit measurements, sent


    hours ago.


    What exactly was Alexander ying at? If he didn’t want the suit, he could’ve just ignored me. Was he testing me? Or trying to make a point?


    Maybe it was just his way of saying: “Don’te near me again.”


    Fine. That suit would be thest thing to ever cross between us anyways. I didn’t pay much heed to his weird nature.


    Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching. I tossed the phone aside after switching off the screen and straightened my back instinctively.


    Ethan stepped into the room and got straight to the point. “Where are your clothes?”


    I blinked. “What?”


    “Shoes. Bags. Jewelry. All your stuff. Where is it?”


    My heart skipped a beat. Did he find out?


    I kept my face neutral and forced a little frown. “Dry cleaning,” I said casually. “The clothes, and shoes.”


    He narrowed his eyes. “All of it?”


    I nodded. “Yeah. I got bored being stuck at home alone. Decided to organize the house. Honestly couldn’t remember what I worest week, so I just sent everything out to get cleaned.”


    “And the bags? The jewelry?”


    “Maintenance. The diamonds weren’t shining like they used to. And most of those bags were getting scuffed. Figured it was time.”


    My tone sounded t but reasonable. He stared at me for a few more seconds, like he was trying to read between the lines. Then he gave a small nod.


    “No need to rush,” he said. “There’s plenty of time in the future. You can take it slow.”


    “I’m traveling in a few days,” I replied smoothly. “Wanted to clear things before I left.”


    That seemed to settle it until his gaze shifted to the navy suit bag lying on the couch,


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    He moved toward it. “And this? Is this-”


    I jumped up instinctively and leaned forward, stopping him from opening it. My handnded on top of his. For a sec-


    ond, neither of us moved. His face turned cold.


    “It’s for my dad,” I said quickly, pulling the bag toward me.


    His eyes narrowed. “What about me?”


    “What about you?”


    “I’m your husband.”


    I gave a bitterugh. “Do you really need more suits? Or did you leave them all in Chole’s closet?”


    That shut him up. His lips parted like he wanted to respond, but nothing came.


    I didn’t wait. I grabbed the bag, slipped into my slippers, and walked upstairs without looking back.


    Only when I heard the front door close and the sound of his car pulling away did I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.


    It could have been a close call today. I didn’t think he would even notice the wardrobe-but today, he did. Well, it’s just a matter of days now before I’m gone from this ce. Forever.


    The next morning, the sky was clear and bright. It was the kind of weather that made everything look softer.


    It was Sunday.


    I got dressed, grabbed my keys, and drove to w High.


    That school held too many memories. Ethan and I had gone there together. Back then, everything felt simple. Honest.


    I parked near the back gate and walked in.


    The hallways were quiet – the school was closed for the weekend. I walked along the paths we used to take, slowly, like I was walking through a memory. The ssroom where we sat side by side in the back row. The path lined with old trees where Ethan would wait for me after ss. The field where we’d race until we fell over, breathless and


    It was strange how empty it felt now. Not just the campus. My chest too.


    Eventually, I made my way to the small grove behind the man-madeke. It was hidden enough that no one usually came here. Still quiet.


    I remembered the night we’de here. It was the night we realized we were fated mates.


    Ethan brought me here, saying he had something important to do.


    It had been dark then. We used our phones for light, sitting on the damp grass. He pulled out a small box, and two pieces of paper. We each wrote something – a secret wish, a promise, I don’t remember what exactly. Then he told


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    me, “In twenty years, we’lle back and open it. No matter what.”


    His eyes were serious, glowing even in the weak light.


    We buried it together, right under a crooked tree near the water’s edge.


    I found the tree casily. My hands were already dusty when the tip of the box appeared. I brushed the soil away care- fully and pulled it out.


    It was a little worn, but intact. I held it in myp, but I didn’t open it.


    –


    Some things are better left where they belong in the past.


    I stared at the box for a long minute, then gave a quiet smile.


    “Goodbye, Ethan,” I whispered.


    Not just to the man. But to the memories. To the girl I was back then. To the life I thought I’d have.


    Ethan’s POV


    I frowned as I flipped through the proposal in front of me. The formatting was off, the ideas scattered, and the tone felt like it was written by a high schooler. Eight days for this?


    Chole leaned over my shoulder, her perfume too strong for this early in the day. Her fingers brushed my arm. “Don’t be mad, baby. I was just getting started.”


    Her hand trailed lower, trying to distract me with her usual tricks. “We could try something else now… here?” she whispered, eyes yful.


    It wasn’t that Chole was prettier than Olivia, but she knew how to seduce better. She knew all the tricks. But right now, her blunder was too much to be distracted by her touch.


    I snapped the file shut and stood up. “Chole,” I said sharply, “is this the trash you’ve been working on for over a week?”


    She blinked, pout fading. “I—I was just waiting for the right inspiration—”


    “Use your brain this time,” I muttered and rubbed my forehead. I didn’t expect her to be Olivia. But I also didn’t ex- pect her to be this incapable. The project department was always in order when Olivia ran it. She knew what she was doing.


    I reached for my phone. Just then, a message from Fin popped up. “Luna went out again. First to a high school. Stayed there a long time. Then she went Duskhollow Pines.”


    I looked up. That ce was for elites. Gated, strict, ridiculously priced. “She knows someone there?”


    “Maybe. Only owners are let in.”


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    “Send me the full address,” I said. “Keep an eye on her.”


    I closed the phone and turned. Chole was still lingering near me, arms crossed.


    “You’re still thinking about her?” she said, voice sulky. “Do you even love me anymore?”


    I didn’t answer that. I just peeled her arms off me and handed her the proposal. “Do it again. Properly this time. This


    is a position of responsibility and I want you to start acting like it.”


    She opened her mouth to argue, but I was already out the door.


    Later, I parked just outside Duskhollow Pines. Olivia still wasn’t replying to my calls or messages.


    Fin sent over the list of registered owners at Duskhollow Pines.


    I scanned through it, not expecting anything-until her name jumped out.


    Olivia Whitemore.


    She hadn’t just visited. She owned an apartment there..


    But what hit harder was the name right above hers-Alpha Alexander Green. Top floor.


    Green Pack’s alpha. I’d heard he returned from abroad recently.


    She bought a ce right beneath him. Without telling me.


    She became his neighbor. Just like that.


    That’s a coincidence?


    My jaw tightened.


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    Olivia’s POV