Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Silently, I passed by the restaurant they were in and went home alone. James had told me he wanted fruit pie, so I went to the woods to pick the juiciest fruits just for him. Even if I'd decided to break the mate bond with Ethan Volkov, I was still the mother of our pups, James and Katrina Volkov. In a daze, I accidentally cut my hand while slicing fruit. As I tended to my wound, I suddenly remembered James never liked desserts. Why would he specifically ask me to make a fruit pie today? Just then, the pups' voices rang outside the villa. With a bouquet in her arms, Katrina dashed into the kitchen and exclaimed, "Mommy!" My heart melted. I quickly wiped the blood off my hand and held her. But as soon as I pecked her cheek, she pushed me away. "Mommy, you're squishing the flowers! I picked these myself for Zoe!" My smile froze. Before I could say anything, Katrina zoomed out of the kitchen and handed the flowers to Ethan. "Daddy, look at the flowers I picked! Do you think Zoe will like them?" Ethan only gave a mild response and turned to head upstairs to the bedroom. A dull ache bloomed in my chest. "Kat, sweetheart… didn't you pick any flowers for me?" I couldn't help but ask. All these years, she'd never picked even a single flower for me. "Huh? What did you say?" Katrina gave me a brief glance before hurrying toward the door. "Mommy, don't talk to me right now. I'm going to check on Zoe. Why aren't they coming in yet?" Not long after, Katrina and James came in, each holding one of Zoe Hathaway's hands. Katrina chattered away like a happy little bird, while James stayed quiet. But a bright smile lit up his face. I stood silently in the kitchen doorway, watching how close they were to Zoe. James glanced at me and frowned. "Mommy, is the fruit pie ready yet? Zoe's hungry." Clutching my still-bleeding finger, I suddenly felt utterly drained. "I'm sorry, James," I said. "I cut my finger. If you're starving, maybe you should head out to eat." His gaze landed on my finger. Sighing like an adult, he said, "An Omega's healing abilities are really terrible. You can't even heal such a tiny cut. Good thing we're not like you.""That's why I like Zoe best," Katrina chimed in innocently. "She never gets hurt whenever she plays with us. Unlike Mommy, who's always getting hurt." I froze. I remembered how I once fractured my arm playing with the kids, and it took ages to heal. After that, they'd stopped playing with me and only wanted to be with their father. Whenever I tried to join them, Katrina would say, "Mommy, stop bothering us. What if you get hurt again?" I'd always thought they were being considerate and worried about me getting injured. But today's conversation made me realize they were actually tired of having a mother like me. "What's going on? Isn't dinner ready yet?" Just then, Ethan came downstairs, looking puzzled as he glanced at me. "Ethan, Aria said she hurt her hand and told us to go eat out instead. Katrina and James are really upset," Zoe explained, then turned to me with a look of feigned sympathy. "Aria, don't listen to them. Kids don't know any better; that's why they say they prefer me. But it's fine if you don't want to cook for me. You can just say so. No need to go so far as hurting yourself!" She seemed to be comforting me, but the smug smile on her face said otherwise.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Ethan frowned, his eyes lingering on my injured finger. "If you're hurt, then let's just go out to eat," he finally said after a long pause. "Go get changed, and we'll go out together.""Yay!" Katrina cheered. "We get to eat out. We don't have to keep eating Mommy's cooking!" James' eyes lit up too. He turned to Ethan with a solemn expression and said, "I want steak. Let's go to that restaurant we went to with Zoe before." A jolt of pain shot through my chest. So all those nutritious meals I'd worked so hard to prepare were nothing but a burden to them. "I'll pass. You guys go ahead," I said calmly, though my eyes stung. The knot between Ethan's brows deepened. He looked confused, as if caught off guard by my attitude. After all, I'd never turned him down for anything before. But today, I had. He opened his mouth, as though wanting to ask why. But in the end, he fell silent and simply replied, "Alright." Then he turned and walked out first. Without even glancing my way, my pups skipped toward Zoe. I overheard Katrina whispering to James, "This is great. We get to eat out and don't have to deal with Mommy's moods. We can order whatever we want, and Zoe's keeping us company. If only it could be like this every day!" I stood alone in the villa. Not a single one came to comfort me. I probably meant nothing to Ethan. He couldn't even be bothered to argue with me. And our pups, whom I'd painstakingly raised, adored someone else as well—they barely had any affection for me. This feeling of being abandoned was excruciating. Staring at the empty house, I realized it was time for me to move. Since no one cared about me, what was the point of staying? I left the house and went to the courthouse alone to draft a Bond Breaking Agreement. After putting the papers in an envelope and leaving them on the nightstand, I heard noises downstairs. I went down and found the living room piled high with luggage. Katrina was busy directing the housekeepers, telling them to carry the suitcases into the empty room next to their bedroom. Then James emerged from the kitchen with a glass of water. He was a bit clumsy, and a few drops of water spilled. Just as I was about to go help him, he handed the glass to Zoe instead. Zoe was shouting at the housekeepers to be careful with her precious furs as she casually took the glass from James, drank it, then shoved it back into his hands. Something stirred within me. Since when did James start taking care of others? Just like Ethan, he was always cool and detached about everything. I'd thought that was just his personality, but it turned out he did know how to care for others. He just didn't want to show it to me. Finally, Katrina noticed me and waved excitedly. "Mommy, I'm setting up Zoe's room! Go get the rabbit-fur rug and the moonstone lampstand from the collection room. I want to put them in her room!" So Zoe was moving in. But it didn't matter. I'd already decided to leave, so it'd just be easier for her to take my place. Seeing me stand there unmoving, Katrina pouted and darted off to the basement on her own. Before long, she returned, wobbling under the weight of the rug. Behind her, the housekeepers carefully carried a large lampstand. The lampstand was made entirely of moonstone, and together with the rug, they were Katrina's favorite treasure. She'd always cherished and guarded them carefully. But now, she was giving them all to Zoe without hesitation. I smiled wryly, wondering when my pup had become so close to Zoe.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

After settling down, Zoe sauntered over with a smug smile. "I'm terribly sorry, Aria," she said. "They insisted that I move in. You're not upset, are you?" I looked at her calmly. "Of course not. Welcome to our family." Zoe seemed a bit surprised, as if displeased by my composure. She tried to provoke me again. "Katrina and James keep telling me they want me to be their mom. I'm really torn, you know. I mean, I do love pups, but after all, they're yours…""It's fine." I cut her off, forcing myself to swallow the bitterness in my chest. "If they like you, then spend more time with them." Zoe still wanted to throw in another jab, but her eyes suddenly lit up. She rushed past me and squealed, "Ethan, come look at my room? Isn't it pretty? Katrina and James were enthusiastically helping me out, but Aria seemed a bit upset. "Maybe she doesn't like me. Should I find somewhere else to stay instead?" At some point, Ethan had entered the living room. Undoing the buttons on his sleeves, he gave me an indifferent look and said, "No need. She won't." He sounded certain, convinced I wouldn't cause a fuss over this. To him, I'd always been considerate and sensible—the mate who would never upset him. Zoe shot me a triumphant look, then tugged on Ethan's sleeve. "Katrina and James want to go to the amusement park, and I promised them we'd go as a reward for helping me with my room. You'll come with us, right?" He gazed at her, the two of them looking as if they were a real couple. I was just an outsider. Then Ethan stared at me, as though waiting for me to say something. But I pretended not to hear, remaining silent until Zoe urged him again. Finally, he nodded. "Sure. I'll go change my clothes." As he passed me, he faltered and said in a low voice, "You're hurt. Just stay home and rest." Just like that, he excluded me from their plans completely. I glanced at the fully healed wound on my finger. A wave of aggrievement washed over me, and my eyes stung. He just didn't want me to go and used my injury as an excuse to leave me behind. How could I still expect anything from this mate bond? "Ethan, there's an envelope on the nightstand," I called after him. "I need you to sign the agreement inside." But he'd already disappeared around the corner on the second floor. Never mind. Before I left, I'd make sure the butler, Bill Jennings, reminded him. I went into the kitchen, pretending to ignore them. After changing, Ethan came downstairs with four matching hats. Katrina cheered and put the hats on herself and James. Then she grabbed another and stood on her tiptoes, carefully placing it on Zoe's head. "It fits perfectly!" she exclaimed. "That must be Zoe's size, right? Daddy, you're so thoughtful!" Clapping excitedly, she urged, "Daddy, let's go! I can't wait to go to the amusement park. I want to take lots of pictures and put them in the frame next to my bed!" A jolt of pain shot through my chest. I'd carried these pups for months and nearly died during labor, but as they left, the last bit of attachment I had toward them vanished. Later, I cleared out all my belongings in the villa, then dragged my suitcase downstairs. "Luna Aria, are you heading out?" Bill asked. I nodded. "I'm leaving. Remind Ethan to sign the agreement. And also, stop calling me 'Luna Aria'."

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

The pups were having so much fun that even when evening came, they didn't want to go home. The moment Katrina and James thought of how I'd bombard them with questions, make them do homework, and insist on crafts, they dreaded going back. Zoe suggested going to the beach the next day, and they were thrilled. "Daddy, can we not go home tonight? We could rent a suite by the beach and watch the sunrise tomorrow?""If we don't go back, your mom will be sad," Zoe said gently. "Besides, your dad and I aren't mates. We can't stay in the same room together.""Why not?" James tilted his head in confusion. Grabbing Zoe's hand and placing it in Ethan's, he said, "Daddy, can't you be Zoe's mate? Then we could all stay in one room. Ethan frowned and glanced at Zoe, who was blushing furiously. He didn't pull his hand away. Yet, he lowered his head and looked at his son. "Your mom is my only mate. Don't say things like that," he said solemnly. "And if we're going to the beach tomorrow, we should invite your mom too—unless she says no. That's the polite thing to do. Got it?" Zoe froze, then plastered a smile on her face. "Yeah, James. Your mom is still your dad's mate. I can't share a room with your dad." Lowering his head, James thought for a moment and said seriously, "But Daddy, I don't want Mommy to come. She nags too much, and it'll ruin our fun. Can't you make her say no?" After a brief pause, Ethan agreed. "Sure." He'd always thought I was the accommodating one. As long as he asked me to do something, he believed I'd go along with it without question. If he didn't want me to go, he was sure I wouldn't insist. At 9:00 pm that night, the four of them finally came home. When Katrina and James realized I wasn't waiting for them in the living room, they were slightly disappointed. They thought even if I wasn't going to come with them tomorrow, it would've been nice if I'd at least stayed up to read them bedtime stories. Ethan was a bit surprised, too. Usually, no matter how late he took the pups out, I'd always be waiting in the living room when they got back. I'd check them for any scrapes or bruises and ask what they'd eaten and done that day. Then I'd personally help them bathe and read them stories. But tonight, I wasn't around. Still, Ethan didn't dwell on it too much. He simply instructed the nanny to help the pups with their baths. Zoe had wanted to chat with him, but seeing how tired he looked, she hurried off to her room instead. Ethan headed upstairs. He opened the bedroom door, then frowned at the sight before him. The room seemed much emptier than usual, and I was nowhere to be seen. Ever since giving birth, I'd rarely left the villa. Where could I possibly be at this hour? He asked Bill about my whereabouts, then Bill handed him the envelope on the nightstand. "Luna Aria left this afternoon with her suitcase. She asked me to remind you to sign this agreement." Unease gripped Ethan. He quickly tore open the envelope, and as soon as he saw what was inside, his eyes widened. Inside the envelope was a Bond-Breaking Agreement. He couldn't believe I was going to break our bond.