The ride back from the hospital was suffocating. Carson didn’t notice my silence—his mind was already elsewhere. He hummed faintly, fingers tapping the steering wheel, his phone lighting up again and again. Each time, he glanced at it, lips curving into a smile. Alice, no doubt.
I pressed my hand against my belly. The pup kicked lightly, as if reminding me I wasn’t alone. Yet in Carson’s world, I might as well not exist.
During the first trimester, I told myself his absence was temporary. He was busy leading Stormclaw pack, handling trade negotiations, attending councils. But when Alice returned, everything changed. She had broken off her engagement and run back here with nothing but tears and excuses. Carson welcomed her as if she were a wounded bird needing shelter.
From that day, Alice became the sun around which Carson’s world revolved. One text from her, and he dropped his duties. One call, and he left me alone at dinner, plates going cold. At first, I tried to understand—she had just come back, she was vulnerable. But soon his favoritism turned blatant.