Chapter 2

The backyard suddenly fell dead silent.

Edward clearly didn't expect me to agree so easily. He couldn't hide the excitement in his voice.

"Claire, are you serious?"

I looked at him, letting my silence be his answer.

My calmness actually made the three of them look a bit flustered.

Edward opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he just nodded.

He could tell I didn't want a single thing from him.

This house was mine before we even got married.

I would renounce all of our marital assets except for half of the savings. I had my own nest egg anyway, so I wouldn't struggle to survive.

But mostly, I just didn't want to waste another second on him.

Edward took a deep breath. In front of the kids, he officially declared the rejection.

The moment the words left his mouth, I felt something snap violently in my chest.

A sharp, agonizing pain shot from my heart to my limbs, as if a part of my soul was being ripped out.

It was the excruciating pain of a breaking mate bond.

Edward’s face turned pale for a second. He had clearly felt it too.

But he quickly recovered, looking as if a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

William looked at us with curiosity, not fully understanding what was happening. "Dad, is Mom leaving?" he whispered.

Sophia tugged at Edward’s shirt. "I don't want Mom to leave. I want her to tuck me in and read me bedtime stories..."

Edward knelt down and spoke to her gently. "Rachel will read you stories from now on, okay?"

Sophia thought about it for a second, then nodded. "Okay, then."

I watched the scene, my face entirely expressionless.

"It’s getting dark. You all should leave."

I said "you all." Meaning all three of them.

William's hand, which was reaching for a piece of meat, froze in mid-air.

Sophia's smile instantly vanished.

After they left, I pulled out a bottle of premium whiskey that Edward had been hoarding.

I poured myself a glass and drank it down, ignoring the table full of leftovers.

I didn't feel like cleaning up, so I just left the mess.

I went to bed. Without the sound of someone tossing and turning beside me, and without anyone waking up in the middle of the night, I slept more peacefully than I had in years.

The next morning, I slept in until I woke up naturally. I changed into activewear and went for a run along the countryside road.

When I returned, I took my time tidying up. I toasted two slices of bread, fried two eggs, and brewed a cup of black coffee.

In my past life, after being rejected, I lost my status, got kicked out of the pack territory, and became a rogue.

I had to hide in the wilderness, unable to even get a hot meal.

Before I could even nurse my wounds, I had to run from other packs and dodge rogue hunters.

It was an endless, grueling nightmare.

I hadn't enjoyed a peaceful, carefree morning like this in a very long time.

I opened the closet and packed all of Edward’s things into boxes.

Once I finished, the closet held only a few worn-out, outdated clothes of my own.

In my past life, Edward had once told me:

"Claire, as the Alpha, I have to set an example for the pack. We must live a humble, simple life."

Because of that, I wore the same coat for eight years and the same pair of jeans for six.

Yet, when he got engaged to Rachel, he bought her a diamond necklace without even blinking.

After shipping out his boxes at the post office, I headed straight to the town's shopping mall.

For the rest of my life, I refused to neglect myself ever again.

I didn't expect to run into Rachel there, with William and Sophia tagging along beside her.

When they saw me, their smiles stiffened, and they looked incredibly awkward.

It was Rachel who spoke first.

"Claire, long time no see! Are you out shopping too?"

"Oh, look at these two kids. I told them they didn't have to come, but they insisted on tagging along."

"Will spent quite a bit of money on me today."

I looked at the bags in William's hands. They were all from Rachel's favorite high-end brands.

Thinking about the cold barbecue from last night, I felt nothing but pure irony.

Rachel walked over and snatched the dress I was looking at right out of my hands.

"Oh, this color would look so good on me! How much is it? I’ll take it!"

"I saw it first," I said, holding back my anger.

"Mom, Rachel looks way better in that dress anyway!" William chimed in immediately.

"Yeah, Mom. Don't try to steal it from Rachel," Sophia echoed.

Rachel pretended to play peacemaker.

"Don't be like that, kids. Everyone has their own style. But Claire, honestly, I just don't think this dress suits you. Clerk, can you wrap this up for me?"

"Wait," I called out.

I could let her have my mate. I could even abandon my children.

But this dress represented my rebirth and transformation. For some reason, I refused to back down.

But just as I was about to pay, Sophia suddenly ran over and shoved me hard.

I lost my balance and crashed right into a clothing rack behind me.

An old back injury flared up, sending a wave of agonizing pain through my spine.

William took the opportunity to quickly pay for the dress.

He turned around and saw me lying on the floor. A brief flash of hesitation crossed his eyes, but he still said coldly:

"Mom, why do you have to pick a fight with her? It's just a dress."

With that, the three of them turned and walked away, shielding Rachel.

Eventually, the sales clerk helped me up and asked with concern if I needed to go to the hospital.

I shook my head, bracing my lower back as I slowly stood up. My werewolf healing factor was already kicking in, and I could feel the injury beginning to mend, though it would take some time and a high-protein meal. "I'm fine. I just need to go home and rest."

The clerk still looked worried, but I insisted and walked out of the store.