Alexander, who had been silent until now, finally moved.


    “Ethan,” he said coolly, pulling out his phone, “if you don’t stand up this second, I’ll have building security drag you back to the


    floor you came from.”


    Ethan’s head whipped up. “Don’t you dare!” he snarled, then looked at me with betrayal, “You’re lettinghimdecide what


    happens to me now?”


    “I didn’tletanyone do anything,” I said icily. “You showed up,


    uninvited. And just so we’re clear–you’re not my responsibility


    anymore.”


    Right on cue, the property manager and two guards arrived.


    “Apologies, Alpha Alexander,” the manager said. “We’re


    investigating why Mr. Hawthorne’s ess card worked for


    your floor. Now we have found that he lives in the same


    building.”


    My head snapped toward the manager. “Wait. Ethan lives


    here?”


    The manager nodded politely. “He purchased an apartment on


    the twentieth floor just two days ago.”


    The blood drained from my face. “Two days ago? I wasn’t told


    anyone else bought into this building.”


    Ethan, still on his knees, looked up at me with a faint smile. “I


    just wanted to be closer to you.”


    I stared at him in disbelief. “You bought a ce under my nose


    and stalked me up here pretending it was an ident?”


    Alexander turned to the manager. “Whether it’s an ident or


    not, this man is creating a disturbance. Please escort him to his


    floor.”


    The guards moved forward, but Ethan lunged again–this time


    at me, grabbing the hem of my sweater. “I’m not going


    anywhere without my wife!”


    Before I could speak, Alexander yanked him back, forcefully


    but with precision. “She said leave.”


    Ethan staggered, then snarled, his canines slightly elongating-


    his wolf reacting. “You stay out of this, Alpha. This is between


    my mate and me!”


    “Mate?” I snapped. “That title was null the moment you crawled


    into another woman’s arms.”


    He looked at me, face streaked with tears, a drunken mess of a


    man who used to be powerful. “I’m still your husband… your


    luna…”


    ‘Don’t” I said coldly, cutting him off as I stepped forward, the


    pain in my knee momentarily forgotten. I looked straight into


    his eyes as everyone watched the guards, the manager.


    Alexander. “You’re nothing to me now, Ethan Hawthorne.


    Nothing but a liar, a cheater, and a fool who couldn’t hold on to


    what mattered”


    Gasps rippled through the hallway.


    “I want him removed,” I added, facing the manager. “Right now”


    After Ethan was finally dragged into the elevator–howling.


    wing, practically fuming through his teeth–I stood there.


    breathless. My knees trembled, not from pain, but from the


    sheer chaos that had just unfolded in my own home.


    The security guards looked shaken. One of them rubbed his arm


    where Ethan had probably scratched him with those half-


    shifted ws. The other kept muttering something about


    needing backup next time.


    Alexander, meanwhile, wasposed as ever. Not a single


    crease out of ce in his shirt. He simply turned to the building


    manager and gave a curt nod. “Make sure his ess to this floor


    is revoked. Immediately.”


    “Yes, Alpha,” the manager stammered and rushed off like a


    rabbit being chased.


    I finally exhaled, rubbing my temples. “He’s not going to stop, is


    he?”


    Alexander looked at me for a moment, then asked quietly,


    “Have you really made up your mind about the divorce?”


    I met his gaze. “Yes. I don’t care what tantrums he throws or how many times he cries. I’ve made up my mind.”


    There was a silence between us.


    Then he said, “You shouldn’t be staying here alone. Not while he’s lurking few floors above like a feral dog. You should move to the penthouse for now. It’s safer, and Mike can take care of


    your meals while you heal.”


    My first instinct was to say no. Pride, maybe. Or just the lingering habit of pushing everyone away. But then I looked at my bandaged leg, still throbbing fromst night’s knock, and remembered the way Ethan had lunged at Alexander without


    warning.


    “Alright,” I said, quieter than I intended.


    Alexander didn’t push the conversation further. He simply called Mike and said, “Prepare a guest room. She’ll be staying


    with us until further notice.”


    Then he helped me pack up a few essentials and even carried me upstairs again. I didn’t protest this time. I was too exhausted.


    That night, I slept better than I had in days. The penthouse was


    quiet, with thick walls and ckout curtains that made it feel


    like the outside world had been shut out. No ringing phone, no


    Ethan’s voice in my ears, no drama.


    But peace is always temporary in my life.


    Just as the first light slipped through the curtains and I was still


    curled under a warm nket, my phone buzzed angrily on the


    nightstand. I groaned, blindly reaching for it.


    Chaptea 56