Chapter 3

(Olivia''s POV)

But I didn''t stop. Instead, I slapped Ethan across the face, my palm stinging from the impact. His head snapped to the side, those amber eyes going wide with shock.

"Don''t you dare touch me," I hissed, backing away from him.

The hospital lobby went dead silent. Staff members froze mid-step, jaws dropping as they watched their Alpha King get smacked by his own mate.

Ethan''s face went dark with rage. "Have you completely lost your mind?"

"Yeah! I''m crazy—happy now?" I shot back, clutching Lily''s urn tighter. "We''re done, Ethan. This relationship is over."

Victoria gasped dramatically behind him. Emma''s wailing got even louder, like the perfect soundtrack to her mom''s little show.

"You can''t just decide that," Ethan growled, reaching for my arm.

I stepped back, keeping my voice steady even though I was falling apart inside. "I can and I did. For five years, I watched you ignore our daughter. Made excuses for you, lied to Lily about why Daddy never showed up."

"I was busy running the pack—"

"You were busy playing daddy to someone else''s kid!" My voice bounced off the walls. "You had time for Emma''s dance recitals, her birthday parties, her scraped knees. But you couldn''t spare one hour for your own daughter''s last birthday."

Ethan''s jaw clenched. "This isn''t the time or place—"

"When is the right time, Ethan? After you''ve completely forgotten Lily existed?" I held up the urn. "Our daughter is dead. She died waiting for you to love her."

"Stop lying about our daughter!" He snapped, still refusing to believe me.

"I''m leaving," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper. "Don''t follow me."

With one last glare, my green eyes flashing with determination, I turned and walked away, leaving Ethan standing there stunned in the hospital lobby.

(Ethan''s POV)

Three days had passed since Olivia''s meltdown at the hospital. I hadn''t been back to our house since then, camping out instead at my office in the Silvercrest Pack headquarters.

Victoria had been calling nonstop, demanding I punish Olivia for disrespecting me. Emma was having nightmares about "the scary lady," according to Victoria.

I pushed open our front door, expecting to find Olivia pouting inside. The house was dead quiet.

"Olivia?" I called out, my voice echoing through empty rooms.

I headed straight to our bedroom and found the closet door hanging open. Her clothes were gone.

Anger shot through me as I pulled out my phone and hit her number. Straight to voicemail. I tried again. Same thing.

I fired off a text: "Where are you?"

Message failed to deliver. I checked my contacts—Olivia''s name had vanished.

She''d blocked me.

My wolf Noah snarled inside me, pissed at this blatant disrespect. Nobody walked away from the Alpha King.

Especially not his mate.

(Olivia''s POV)

Maple Grove sat on the edge of Silvercrest territory—a small house surrounded by old maple trees. This used to be my foster mom''s place before she died.

She''d saved me when I was eight, taking me in after I escaped from that hellhole orphanage where rogue wolves experimented on kids. Even though she was just an Omega without a wolf, she had more guts than most Alphas I''d met.

I set Lily''s urn on the mantel, arranging fresh flowers around it. "We''re home, baby," I whispered.

Three days since I walked away from Ethan. Three days of silence, of finally grieving my daughter properly without having to hide my tears.

I grabbed the trash to take outside, pausing at the front door. A familiar scent hit me before I saw him—sandalwood and pine, the unmistakable smell of my mate.

Ethan stepped out from between the maple trees, those amber eyes locking onto mine.

I turned away, heading for the trash bins. Maybe if I ignored him, he''d leave.

"Olivia," his voice was way too calm. "Why did you block my calls?"

I didn''t answer, tossing the trash bag into the bin.

His hand clamped around my wrist, spinning me to face him. "I asked you a question."

"Let go of my wrist," I said, keeping my voice steady despite my racing heart.

"Not until you answer me." His grip tightened, threatening to crack the bones in my wrist with his Alpha strength.

Pain shot up my arm, but I wasn''t about to show it. Instead, I brought my foot down hard on his instep, putting all my weight behind it.

Ethan winced, his grip loosening just enough for me to yank free. I turned and hurried toward the house, my wrist throbbing.

I could hear Ethan''s footsteps behind me, getting closer. His hand reached for me again, but I dodged, spinning to face him at the top of the steps.

"We''re broken up, Ethan," I reminded him coldly.

His lips curled into this gross smile. "Broken up? After everything we''ve been through?"

The way his eyes traveled over my body made my skin crawl. He stepped closer, his voice dropping to this creepy whisper.

"You still belong to me, Olivia. Your body remembers mine, even if you''re trying to forget."

I kept my face blank, though his words sent chills down my spine. "We''re done, Ethan. Now leave."

Without waiting for his response, I turned and headed up the stairs.

(Ethan''s POV)

I followed Olivia into the apartment, annoyed by her attitude but determined to fix this mess. In my hand, I carried a gift box with a Crystal-Embroidered Ice Princess dress for Lily.

The apartment was small but clean. Photos of Lily covered the walls—Lily in her school play, Lily in the garden, Lily smiling despite the IV in her arm. My chest tightened looking at pictures of my daughter I barely recognized.

"Where''s my daughter?" I called out, softening my voice. Lily was probably napping in another room.

Olivia didn''t respond, standing stiff by the window.

I walked to the bedroom on the right, pushing open the door. Empty. I checked the other bedroom. Also empty.

Confusion hit me as I turned to Olivia. "Where''s Lily?"

Her response made my blood run cold, those green eyes filling with tears. "Lily? You''ll never see her again!"

I stared at her, trying to process what she''d said. Was she hiding our daughter? Had she sent Lily away?

"What did you do with her?" I demanded, moving toward Olivia.

She picked up the princess dress I''d brought, her hands shaking. "This is the dress she begged you for. The one you said was too expensive."

I frowned. "I brought it for her now."

"After Emma wore it?" Olivia''s voice cracked. "After you bought it for another kid while your daughter was dying?"

Her words confused me. Lily wasn''t dying. She was sick, yeah, but the doctors would help her.

Olivia threw the dress and box away with a cry of pain. "Ethan Stone, Lily doesn''t want it!"

The box landed near a wooden urn I hadn''t noticed before. The dress fell out, landing on a burning incense stick. A small hole started burning through the delicate fabric.

"Stop this drama," I growled, my patience running out. "These games need to stop."

"Get out," Olivia said, her voice suddenly calm. "Get out of my house."

My phone rang, Victoria''s name lighting up the screen. I answered, keeping my eyes on Olivia.

"Ethan? Where are you?" Victoria''s voice was sweet, worried.

"I''m handling something," I replied, my voice automatically getting softer.

"Is Lily there? Remember we planned to take the girls to Disney this weekend."

I watched Olivia''s face twist with pain at the mention of her daughter. "No, Lily isn''t here. We''ll have to cancel that."

"Oh," Victoria sounded disappointed. "Emma was so excited about it."

"I''ll come over and hang out with you and Emma," I promised her. "I''ll be there soon."