It did, indeed, neutralise the toxin, but the dosage had to be adjusted depending on how severe the reaction was.
It didn’t matter anymore.
I was not going to do it for him ever again.
I smiled, calm on the outside but bleeding on the inside.
Ethan must have sensed a shift. He paused, and his expression faltered briefly before he suggested,
“Why don’t we head out now? Find somewhere to chill?”
I looked up and put on a bitter smile.
“Let’s go yachting. Night cruise. Catch the sunrise.”
He kept talking while driving as if nothing was wrong.
“I’ve got your Anniversary surprise all set. After this mess settles, let’s start trying for a pup, yeah?”
I didn’t say anything. Just stared out the window, watching the city lights fade away like a bad memory.
We arrived at the beach just as Ethan’s phone lit up.
He responded, his voice soft and glowing with quiet happiness.
But a few seconds later, his brow furrowed and his tone changed to something unsure.
I barely looked at him. My heart had been numb for a while.
“If you need to go, just go,” I said.
He wavered. “Lizzy, I-”
“Go,” I gently interrupted him. “I’ll wait on the yacht.”
I couldn’t see the caller ID, and I didn’t need to.
Only Riley could make him look that way.
Alone on the yacht, I took out my phone and clicked on Riley’s Instagram homepage.
A brand-new photo appeared, bright and smug.
The caption screamed at me!
Look, the person who loves me will always come to me first, no matter what. Tonight’s late-night snack: grilled venison he prepared specifically for me!
The comments were already blowing up.
[Your Alpha mate spoils you ridiculously! Midnight snacks? ]
[You two are literally the perfect couple in our pack.]
But my gaze was drawn to one particular detail in the photograph: the man’s wrist.
The bracelet.
The one that Ethan never took off. He was hiding everything he never said aloud.
I pressed the call button.
Riley responded instead.
“What is it, Lizzy? Looking for Ethan?”
She didn’t wait for an answer, just kept going with pure venom.
“Don’t bother. Ethan isn’t coming back. You’re nothing but a sad little stray. Even if I tossed him into your bed, you couldn’t keep him there.
“You couldn’t keep your boyfriend before. Now you can’t even keep your mate.
I didn’t say anything.
After hanging up, I approached the crew and asked for the yacht keys.
“Do you want me to steer?””The guy offered.
“No need,” I said quietly, “I’ll go alone.”
I steered the yacht directly into the open sea.
The cold wind whipped across my face, but it was nothing compared to the chill in my chest.
I sat alone on the deck, watching the moon slowly disappear behind the black waves.
He never showed.
Five years of memories slammed into me, like breakers.
