---- Chapter 10 As I requested, Sheldon bought a villa with a large garden and plenty of sunlight on the outskirts of the pack's territory. I often sat on the terrace basking in the sun, watching Joy play on the lawn with her new friends. As my belly grew bigger by the day, so did Sophia's. Her social media remained filled with beautiful, curated moments. But I knew the truth. Even though Sheldon had arranged the best medical team for her, it couldn't spare her from the pain of being with pup. Her body was swollen. Her morning sickness was severe. Not only that, her system was rejecting the pregnancy so violently that it nearly took her life. After all, it's hard for an Omega to bear the bloodline of an Alpha. ---- Julianna mentioned all this in a phone call once, unintentionally revealing her frustration as she continued trying to convince me to reconcile with Ethan. I looked toward Joy, laughing in the distance, and pretended not to hear. As time went by, Julianna stopped bringing it up. My son was born eventually. He looked just like me, even his bright green eyes were a perfect match. Julianna couldn't stop smiling, and Ethan stood at my bedside, crying tears of joy. However, upon hearing the news, Sophia began hemorrhaging. By the time Julianna rushed back, the baby was no longer alive. Ethan, who had planned to stay with me in the villa during my postpartum recovery, immediately left for her side. I later heard Sophia had screamed hysterically, ---- wy accusing my newborn son of being the curse of the Silver family. She claimed he'd killed off the family bloodline the moment he was born. Julianna was enraged. Despite Sophia being bedridden, she gave her a sum of money and ordered her to leave the pack immediately. No one expected that Sophia would then go public with the whole story, turning it into a scandal ina desperate attempt to reclaim the title of Luna. The pack was humiliated, and even its economy was affected. They asked me to cooperate in staging a show of family unity. Instead, on the very last day of my postpartum confinement, I published the official mate bond breakage certificate on social media. I then boarded a plane. I saw Ethan when I handed the pup to Julianna. He was unshaven, with bloodshot eyes, and he looked sunken and exhausted. In just a few days, he was ---- nearly unrecognizable. I expected him to lash out in anger. But instead, he softly called out, "Vic." I froze. That was a nickname from such a long time ago that I'd almost forgotten it. I gave him a polite smile. "Yes?" "Vic, I did you wrong." It was rare to hear Ethan admit fault. If this had been in the past, I might've giggled and looped my arm through his, playfully complaining, Took you long enough." Now, I simply nodded. "It's all in the past," I replied. He stepped forward slowly and took my hand before admitting in a shaky voice, "But I can't move on. Vic, I know I did wrong. Let's form a mate bond again, please?" I pulled my hand back and replied calmly, "That's not possible, Ethan. You know that."