hapter 50

I pped her. Once. Twice. A third time. Sharp, precise, and real.

Ethan stepped in, grabbing my wrist. “Olivia, stop! What the hell

are you doing?!”

I yanked my arm back. “This is for lying. For sneaking around.

For throwing yourself into a marriage that was never yours to

begin with.”

“She’s already on bail!” Ethan snapped. “What more do you

want?”

“To be treated like I’m not disposable!” I yelled. “You think I’ll just

sit and watch you two y victim while I take the fall for your

damn choices?!”

“She’s not well,” he muttered.

And like right on cue, Chole slumped to the side, unconscious

from the stress and the p. Ethan caught her, arms trembling

with rage.

“Yes. Be her savior. Maybe I should faint next so you’ll

remember I’m your wife.”

He looked at me like I was the monster now.

He didn’t say a word. Just picked her up and stormed off toward the crowd of people already parting like waves for his drama.

I stood there in the wheelchair, surrounded by strangers,

everyone whispering and staring.

Alexander’s POV

From the backseat of the car, I watched the chaos unfold at the

airport entrance.

Olivia stood alone in her wheelchair, surrounded by whispers,

clicks of phone cameras, and that insufferable tension that only public drama could stir. Ethan had already disappeared into the

crowd with Chole in his arms like some tragic hero in a bad

stage y.

I expected Olivia to look shaken, maybe even humiliated after

causing such a scene.

But she didn’t.

She brushed her hair off her face, adjusted her posture in the

wheelchair, and nced around like a queen surveying her

kingdom. Her chin was slightly lifted. Her eyes calm. Composed.

There wasn’t a single trace of panic in her bodynguage. In

fact… there was a faint trace of satisfaction on her lips.

My brows furrowed.

“What is she… smiling about?” I muttered under my breath.

Gai sat beside me, equally stunned. “She’s not upset.”

“She should be,” Mike said from the passenger seat. “That was

brutal.”

“She looks like she knew exactly how this would go down,” Gai

added, pulling out his phone. “Also… you should see hertest

post. Here–look.”

He angled the screen toward me. Olivia’s most recent upload was still fresh. A photo with Ethan’s silhouette in the background and a cheeky caption that said:“Trying to enjoy my

post–trauma vacation… but some people just won’t take a hint.

Anyone know how to remove emotional parasites? Asking for a

friend. #NotSoEx #StillObsessed #DramaFreePlease”

My jaw tightened. So it wasn’t just a coincidence. The timing, the setup, the performance in front of the crowd–she had

baited Ethan and Chole perfectly. And made it public.

“She posted this on the ne?” I asked.

Gai nodded. “Right after Ethan followed her onboard like a lost

mutt.”

I sat back, connecting the dots. Her behavior, her restraint, her

outburst at the airport… Even Chole showing up now felt too

convenient. I was beginning to understand what Olivia was

really up to.

“Should we go help her?” Mike asked. “She’s still sitting there

alone.”

Gai agreed. “We can’t leave her like that. You should go.”

I was about to open the door when someone else beat me to it.

A woman in a tailored red dress–heels clicking, stride confident

-appeared at the curb and made her way straight to Olivia. She

looked like she belonged in a boardroom, not an airport pickup

zone. Her long hair was tied in a tight braid, and her expression

screamedpetence and authority.

“I think that’s Olivia’s friend she talked about,” Mike pointed

out.

“I think so too,” Gai murmured, narrowing his eyes. “Olivia

seems to know her quite well.”

The woman bent down, said something quietly to Olivia, and

Olivia chuckled before letting the woman help her into the back

of a waiting car. No tension. No confusion. It was smooth.

Effortless.

nned.

I turned my werewolf hearing toward the car as the engine started. Their conversation slipped into range just enough to

catch it.

“-Chole will definitely go crazy now. Once she finds out Ethan

was on the ne and you were the one posting, she’ll lose it

again.”

“That’s the point,” Olivia replied, unbothered. “They want

drama. I’ll give them one they can’t swallow.”

“You are a genius, Liv.”

“I don’t know about being a genius. But I will make sure to

return the favor.”

My jaw clenched as realization dawned.

This wasn’t Olivia acting out of emotion. She wasn’tshing out

like some wronged, impulsive ex–wife.

She was Strategic. Deliberate.

And it turns out… she was using Chole, on purpose.

Olivia’s POV

“Ava, would you stop turning your head like we’re being

hunted by a rogue pack?” I said dryly as she checked the

rearview mirror for the fifth time in two minutes.