- 6 hours ago
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00:03Someone had spiked my fiancé's drink
00:05When he started tearing open Serena Blackwood's dress at the Blackwood Gala
00:08I did not rush in to stop him the way I had in my last life
00:11Back then, I had been terrified he would offend Marcus Blackwood
00:14A man famous for protecting his own at any cost
00:16I threw myself between them
00:19Evan!
00:20Drugged out of his mind
00:21Dragged me into a guest room and raped me
00:23From that night on, the entire pack's old money circle said I had climbed into his bed on purpose
00:28After I married him, the torment only got worse
00:31In five years, I got pregnant seven times
00:34Every baby was lost in another convenient accident
00:36They called me a slut, a used-up porn
00:39A woman who must have been passed around by half the men in town
00:42Before she ever wore Evan's ring
00:44My parents poured everything they had into making my life survivable in the Brooks household
00:48They helped push Evan onto the council
00:50And on the night I went into labor
00:51Evan and Serena held me down and forced drug-laced water down my throat
00:55I bled out on the birthing bag
00:56If you hadn't stuck your nose in that night, Serena and I would have completed our mate haunt years ago
01:00You ruined my fated mate
01:03This is what you owe us
01:05Then he smothered the baby I had nearly died delivering
01:08Right in front of me
01:09Blood and tears soaked my face
01:11When my last breath left me, there was nothing left in me but hatred
01:14Then I opened my eyes again
01:16I was back at the Blackwood Gala
01:17Back on the day someone spiked Evan's drink
01:20This time, I would let them finish the bond they had spent a lifetime blaming me for
01:24Evan, please don't
01:26Serena Blackwood's breathy, embarrassed moan slipped out of the Lakeview guest suite
01:30It sounded soft enough to pass for refusal
01:32And loud enough to be meant for everyone in the hall
01:34I stood outside the door and my stomach dropped
01:37Through the crack, Evan Brooks' eyes were bloodshot
01:40Evan Brooks' eyes were bloodshot
01:41His bow tie hung crooked at his throat as he pinned Serena against the floor-to-ceiling window
01:46And tore open her custom silver-green gown
01:48Clara, we have to go in and save her
01:51Her knuckles white
01:52Grace Miller grabbed my sleeve
01:53I looked at the two tangled shadows inside
01:56Then at Grace, who looked desperate to rush in on my behalf
01:59I almost laughed
02:00Save who?
02:01The woman who in my last life helped Evan drug me and leave me bleeding out on a birthing bed
02:05Or the monster who smothered my child with his own hands
02:08Evan comes from the minor pack branch
02:13If he really hurts Serena tonight, Marcus Blackwood will never let him walk away
02:17Clara, what are you waiting for?
02:18Did you forget what Mr. Ashford said?
02:20Evan's father had old ties with the Ashfords
02:22You were supposed to look out for him
02:24If Evan is ruined here, your father will blame you
02:26Grace kept her voice low
02:27But every word came faster than the last
02:30She had wanted Evan for years
02:31She could not wait for me to sign and make contract with him
02:34Just so she could follow us into the Brooks household and become his hidden mistress
02:38In my last life, when I crawled toward the door covered in blood and tried to call for help
02:42Grace was the one who pinned my hands and feet down
02:44She stepped on my bleeding stomach again and again, smiling as she said
02:48Every dose Evan told me to
02:49How are you still getting pregnant?
02:52Your body is disgusting
02:54I clenched my fingers and swallowed the urge to strangle her on the spot
02:57I'll go in and hold him off
02:59I lowered my eyes
03:00My voice shook
03:01I'll go in and hold him off
03:02You go to the front hall and get my mother in security
03:04Remember don't alarm the other guests
03:06Remember don't alarm the other guests
03:07The excitement in Grace's eyes almost broke through her act
03:10She agreed at once and hurried away
03:12She moved like someone who had just been handed an exclusive scandal
03:15It had been the same in my last life
03:17The whole thing could still have been buried by the Blackwoods
03:19But Grace had dragged over the council spouses, old money heiresses, and donors from the front hall
03:24They all saw me half-dressed, pinned under Evan on the bed
03:28My mother fainted on the spot
03:29My father spent half a lifetime building his reputation
03:32And that night, it was dragged through the mud
03:34Even the Ashford girls became cocktail hour gossip because of me
03:37Since Grace was so good at gathering an audience
03:40I would let her
03:41Let every important guest in that front hall come watch the live sex show already waiting for them
03:45And let my dear husband from my last life have exactly what he deserved
03:48A ladder straight into the Blackwood family
03:50I crouched outside the Lakeview guest suite
03:52And a savage kind of relief ran through my whole body
03:55Patricia Brooks had not yet forced my face toward the fireplace
03:58And burned a scar into me that no powder could hide
04:01I had not yet smelled infected flesh mixed with burned salve
04:04My knees had not yet been ruined from kneeling on the Brooks household stone floor until the tissue died
04:08The Brooks household stone floor until the tissue died
04:11Turning me into the crippled whore everyone whispered about
04:14My belly felt lighter too
04:15It was not aching every hour from baby after baby being taken from me
04:19My nails dug into my palm
04:20The sharp pain told me this was not a dream
04:23When footsteps sounded down the hall
04:25I lifted my hand and slapped myself hard across the face
04:28Again and again
04:29This face, still untouched by the ruin of my last life
04:32Swelled red almost at once
04:34I had been slapped so often in the Brooks household that even now
04:37When I split my own lip and felt blood drip down my chin
04:40It barely hurt
04:41Clara, why are you still here?
04:43Grace came rushing over with a crowd of donor wives and council spouses in evening gowns
04:47The moment she saw me still guarding the door
04:50Panic flashed across her face
04:51I pinched the soft inside of my thigh as hard as I could
04:54My eyes went red at once
04:56Then I rushed forward with tears all over my face
04:58And threw my arms out in front of the sweet door
05:00The corridor's crystal light spilled over me
05:03The handprints on my face and the blood at the corner of my mouth
05:05Landed clearly in every pair of eyes
05:07The handprints on my face and the blood at the corner of my mouth
05:10Landed clearly in every pair of eyes
05:12One woman's champagne glass rose halfway to her lips
05:15Someone cursed under her breath
05:17The daughter of the Ashford family was an old blood heiress
05:19On any other day
05:21Even a scraped finger would have been enough to send the whole family office into a panic
05:25Now half my face was swollen
05:26And blood was still running from my mouth
05:28Catherine Blackwood was the first to frown
05:30Tonight was the Blackwood Gala
05:32If a guest was injured in her family's private wing
05:34It was the Blackwoods who lost face
05:36She had just started toward me when I pressed myself flat against the door
05:39Please all of you go somewhere else
05:40Don't go in
05:41Please don't go in
05:43The warmth Catherine had been wearing for the room went cold at once
05:47Clara, this is the private wing of the Blackwood estate
05:50It is not an Ashford doorway for you
05:52She lifted one hand
05:53And two house staff members immediately stepped forward to pull me away
05:56I acted as if the lightest touch might shatter me
05:59I was trembling hard
06:00But I clung to the doorframe and would not let go
06:03No, you can't go in
06:04House staff and security came together to pry my hands loose
06:07In the chaos
06:08Someone's stiletto came down hard on the back of my hand
06:11Something in the bone shifted one
06:13Something in the bone shifted one
06:15I screamed before I could stop myself
06:18Helena Ashford had stayed silent
06:19Because this was the Blackwoods' house
06:21But now pain and fear broke across her face
06:23She grabbed my arm
06:24Clara, what are you doing?
06:26Making a scene at someone else's gala like this
06:28What do you expect the Ashford family to do?
06:30I looked at my mother standing in front of me
06:32Alive and whole
06:33Her hair not yet turned white overnight because of my scandal
06:36Mom, don't make me
06:37Tears flooded my eyes
06:38I have a reason
06:40I really can't let them go in
06:42Helena's voice changed with panic
06:43What are you even saying?
06:45My knees gave out
06:46And I dropped directly in front of Catherine
06:48Catherine, please
06:49Don't
06:50The whispers in the crowd finally broke loose
06:52What is wrong with Clara Ashford?
06:54There isn't really something shameful behind that door
06:57Is there?
06:58I curled up at the threshold
06:59Holding up the hand that was already swelling
07:01My whole body shaking so hard I could not stop it
07:04Catherine's face went completely dark
07:06Very good
07:07A perfectly decent Blackwood gala
07:10And somehow Ashford's daughter is blocking my door
07:12Since she has made this much of a scene
07:15I will not be the only one deciding what happens next
07:18Go to the front hall
07:19Bring Marcus and Richard here
07:21Go to the front hall
07:23Bring Marcus and Richard here
07:25I pressed down the smile tugging at my mouth
07:27Those slaps had not been wasted
07:29Alas, the scene was big enough
07:31Tonight was the Blackwood Alliance gala
07:33Marcus Blackwood and my father, Richard Ashford
07:36Were not the only powerful men in the front hall
07:38Several Whitmore High Council candidates were here, too
07:41Evan and I had been husband and wife for an entire lifetime, after all
07:44This time, of course I had to make sure he and his beloved Serena had a full audience
07:48Within minutes, Marcus arrived with a crowd of councilmen and donors at his back
07:53Security following close behind
07:54Richard Ashford moved the fastest
07:56The moment he saw me covered in mud and blood
07:59Guarding the door as if my life depended on it
08:01His face changed
08:02The next second, he lifted his hand and slapped me hard across the face
08:06I've always known how to behave
08:07Have you lost your mind tonight?
08:09The council spouses around us shook their heads
08:12In the East Coast Pack Circle, I had always been the Ashford family's most proper daughter
08:16Now I was crying and making a scene at the Blackwood Gala
08:19Blocking the private wing and refusing to let anyone through
08:21Half the obedient reputation I had built over the years was already gone
08:25Half the obedient reputation I had built over the years was already gone
08:29Marcus' expression darkened
08:31He gave me one cold glance
08:32Then he simply raised his hand
08:34The security men at his side stepped forward
08:36Lifted me away like they were removing an out-of-control guest
08:40And threw me down near the rain-soaked edge of the lawn
08:42It had rained two days ago
08:44The Blackwood Estate's stone path had been scrubbed spotless
08:47But the grass beside it was still full of mud
08:49The hem of my pale lavender gown sank into the muck
08:52Filthy enough to make me look as if I had crawled out of a service alley
08:55Everyone walked around me and headed straight for the sweet door
08:59Helena's tears fell in a rush
09:00How are you supposed to stand in fact society after this?
09:03I wiped the muddy water from my face and smiled at her
09:06The crowd had barely reached the door when every step stopped at once
09:09A woman's moan, soft and sticky, slid through the crack
09:13Tangled with a man's low, restrained panting
09:15The sound was so obscene it made heat crawl up people's faces
09:18Then came the dull thud of a headboard hitting the wall again and again
09:22No one needed to go in to know exactly how lively it was inside
09:25Several donor wives who had brought young daughters with them
09:28Immediately covered the girls ears and ordered house staff to take them away
09:31Then the woman inside let out another honey sweet sound
09:34Her voice stretched thin and breathless at the end
09:37The guests looked from one face to another
09:39Each expression uglier than the last
09:41The Blackwoods had humiliated themselves completely tonight
09:43In broad daylight, in a guest wing
09:45Doing something this lewd
09:47An outspoken council wife clutched her evening back
09:49Her voice was low, but every word landed clearly
09:53The way everyone looked at Marcus and Catherine now carried an unmistakable edge of mockery
09:57Marcus's face flushed dark purple
09:59Beneath his beard, his jaw clenched tight
10:01I pushed in from the edge of the crowd and caught his sleeve with trembling fingers
10:05I shouldn't go in
10:07At least think of the reputation of whoever is inside
10:11Marcus's gaze cut quickly across the guests
10:13The Whitmore heirs stood behind him in immaculate black formal wear
10:16He was not afraid of offending some irrelevant guest
10:18But whoever dared to do this at the Blackwood Alliance Gala
10:21Had dragged the Blackwood name through the mud on purpose
10:23There was no dignity left for him to protect
10:26Marcus ripped the brass master key from the house steward's heavy key ring
10:29The metal keys clattered hard against the doorframe
10:32Move
10:32His voice came out in a low growl
10:34He shoved me aside without mercy and jammed
10:36The brass key into the iron lock
10:38With a violent crash, the frame of the Lakeview guest suite split open
10:42Half the door hung crooked, then dropped hard onto the carpet
10:45The sky outside had not gone fully dark, but the suite blazed with light
10:48The white wall scouts lit up the mess on the floor
10:50A kicked-a-side gown, a shirt, and a piece of red lace lingerie
10:53The whole room reeked of sex and sweat
10:55Sharp and fishy like Bradford blossoms in spring
10:58Strong enough to tighten the back of the throat
10:59Some council spouses covered their mouths
11:01Others cried out
11:03Marcus was already past reason
11:05He overturned the frosted glass screen with one brutal shove
11:07On the king bed, Evan Brooks was completely naked
11:10With a woman's bare thighs hooked over his shoulders
11:12The red lace lingerie was still clenched in his hand
11:16The air went dead silent
11:18Even the sound of high heels sinking into the carpet seemed loud
11:23Mar-Marcus?
11:24He fumbled for the comforter, trying to drag it over the woman beneath him
11:28And hide her from view
11:29To Marcus, that looked less like shame than provocation
11:33Evan might have been a rising PAC attorney this year
11:36But in Marcus' eyes, he was still nothing more than a lower PAC legal associate
11:40With no real power and no real bloodline
11:44A scholarship-born climber like him would not even have been allowed near the Blackwood side door
11:48On an ordinary night
11:49And now he had dared to turn the Blackwood guest wing into this kind of debauchery
11:52It was uglier than spitting in Marcus Blackwood's face
11:56Low-born trash!
11:58Marcus' eyes went bloodshot
11:59He grabbed the iron poker from beside the fireplace
12:02And swung it down hard at the bedpost
12:04Evan clutched the woman against himself
12:06And scrambled naked across the bed, trying to dodge
12:08The sight of him stumbling bare in front of every important guest nearly drove Marcus and Catherine mad
12:13One council space after another looked away, stepping back on their heels
12:16Catherine's chest rose and fell with fury
12:19She had no polished hostess mask left to wear
12:22At this point, the Blackwoods had no dignity left to protect
12:25I want to see which little slit dare go into heat in my house!
12:30Catherine, for my sake, don't
12:33But Evan Brooks had no sake to speak of in the Blackwood house
12:37Catherine let out a cold laugh and pulled with both hands
12:40With one harsh rip, she tore the entire comforter away
12:43A completely naked woman was exposed in front of everyone
12:46She covered her face with both hands
12:48Her legs pressed tightly together, too afraid to lift her head
12:51Several bright red hickeys stood out on her pale shoulders
12:53Her hair was damp and tangled, as if she had just been dragged out of the sheets
12:58The Blackwood female aides beside Catherine reacted first
13:00They stepped forward, pinned the woman's wrists and ankles, and yanked her hair back
13:04Forcing her face up for everyone to see
13:06Little slut, still trying to hide?
13:08And that beautiful, sweat-damp, painfully familiar face was shown to every person in the suite
13:13A glass knocked against a serving tray with a bright, brittle sound
13:16The entire room seemed to explode
13:17Serena Blackwood was there, naked and exposed
13:19Helplessly displayed in front of every council witness
13:22Catherine Black froze on the spot
13:23She looked as if someone had struck her straight between the eyes
13:26One hand flew to her head as she staggered back
13:28The guests looked from the scandal pair on the bed to me
13:30My eyes reddened, and tears rolled down my face at exactly the right moment
13:35I did not need to say anything anymore
13:37Everyone had already put the story together for themselves
13:40I was an old-blood Ashvand heiress
13:42Who would dare put a hand on me so easily?
13:44The answer seemed obvious
13:46I must have stumbled onto Serena's filthy secret
13:49Serena must have slapped me
13:50And then she must have forced me to stand outside and guard the door for the two of them
13:55He tightened his grip on the fireplace poker and brought it down hard across Evan Brooks' back
14:00The iron edge scraped through flesh, and a long, ugly gash split open at once
14:04I lowered my head and used the back of my mudsteed hand to hide the corner of my mouth
14:09Evan Brooks, you deserve that one
14:12A raw scream tore out of Evan's throat
14:14He touched the torn skin on his back and tried desperately to explain
14:17Marcus, listen! I was drugged! Someone set me up!
14:21Marcus was beyond listening
14:23He raised the fireplace pinal again and swung it straight for Evan's neck
14:26Marcus, stand down! He's still a licensed council attorney, we investigate first
14:30I watched coldly, almost regretful
14:33What a shame, one cleaner hit and he might have died right there
14:36No matter how furious Marcus was, he could not ignore the Whitmerts in front of them
14:40Investigate! Tear the Blackwood estate apart if you have to!
14:43Bar logs, cameras, badge swipes, sweet access, I want everything!
14:48Evan let out a breath of relief, then swept one cold glance over me
14:52That single look told me everything
14:54He had come back too
14:55Those were not the eyes of a newly admitted PAC attorney
14:58They were Evan Brooks' eyes after years soaked in council politics in our last life
15:02Still on his knees, he planted both hands against his thighs and slowly straightened his spine
15:07However I was set up tonight, Serena's public standing is already ruined
15:10I'm willing to sign a responsibility statement, acknowledge this mate bond scandal and enter an alliance engagement with Serena
15:15He thought that sounded noble
15:17He thought Marcus and Catherine would be grateful that he was offering to clean up Blackwood's mess
15:21P! You think you're what exactly? A no-pittage Lopac Kerr thinks he can crawl into the Blackwood bloodline?
15:27Evan squeezed his eyes shut, his entire face flushed red
15:30In all his years, no one had ever humiliated him like this in public
15:34After all, in my last life, whenever he dealt with Marcus
15:38Marcus had always clapped him on the shoulder and called him promising
15:41Marcus had even said he admired a man who climbed by talent
15:44What a joke!
15:46In that life, Evan Brooks had been my husband
15:48My father, Richard Ashford was the PAC council's chief legal strategist
15:52The respect Marcus gave him had never belonged to Evan
15:54It had belonged to the Ashford family
15:56I would snap my own daughter's neck and dump her in the Hudson
15:59Before I let trash like you touch my bloodline
16:02In a fresh burst of age, he kicked Evan hard enough to send him crashing into the low table
16:09Evan coughed up a mouthful of blood on the spot
16:11You touched a Blackwood daughter, and now you dare use her as your ladder?
16:17Security! Drag him out! Beat him until he can't open his mouth again!
16:20Evan had not even managed to get up before Blackwood's security pressed his arms and legs
16:24They dragged him toward the door like a bag of rotting trash
16:27No! No! This isn't how it was supposed to happen! Marcus! Serena Rina, save me!
16:32Marcus grabbed a whiskey tumbler and smashed it against Evan's head
16:35Glass splattered, Evan's scalp slid open at once
16:37Blood ran down his brow and dripped all over the floor
16:39Gag him
16:41A cur like him doesn't deserve to say Serena's name
16:45Serena Blackwood was completely stunned
16:47She kept her head down and did not dare say a single word for Evan Brooks
16:52Marcus! You can't be this heartless! She is our daughter, she was harmed! How can you tell her to die?
16:58Of course Marcus had spoken in rage
17:01Serena was still his own blood
17:03He could not truly bring himself to kill her
17:05But after saying so much in front of everyone, he could not simply let it go either
17:08So he slammed one hand down on the coffee table
17:11Are my investigators dead? Who dared touch the drinks at a Blackwood Gala?
17:15Do I pay security to be useless? If you can't give me an answer, I will tear apart the entire
17:19staff chain
17:20A security supervisor came in with his shoulders hunched, his voice shaking
17:23Marcus, the badge log shows that Maya Ellis, Serena's personal aide, handled Evan's glass
17:27The room broke into low, crackling murmurs
17:29Every pair of eyes turned to Serena
17:30A personal aide usually acted on her employer's instructions
17:33No! It wasn't me! It was Maya! Maya wanted to hurt me!
17:38Maya Ellis looked less like a living person than a ghost
17:41Trembling all over, she collapsed onto the floor
17:45No! I didn't
17:48She had just started to defend herself when she looked up and met Serena's eyes
17:51The rest of the words died in her throat
17:54If Maya told the truth, the Black Hills had a hundred ways to strip her of her job and every
17:58clean reference she had left
18:00Serena threw herself at Maya, sobbing as she beat her
18:11The guests looked at one another, the same faint mockery appeared on every face
18:16That excuse was too weak to stand
18:18But what else could they do? Serena was Marcus and Catherine's daughter
18:21If they did not let Maya take the fall, were they supposed to admit Serena herself had gone into
18:26heat and dragged a man into bed? Marcus, who had been ready to beat someone to death a moment ago,
18:30suddenly looked as if a dirty rag had been shoved into his mouth
18:33Serena was still hitting Maya and crying
18:35Then, from the jacket draped over Serena's shoulders, a sealed clinic pouch slipped out
18:39Maya had already been beaten weak, her body tilted and she landed directly on top of the pouch
18:44A small blood vial shattered under her weight, fresh red spread instantly across the pale carpet
18:48What is that?
18:49A private pack clinic label was stuck to the clear bag
18:52Half a sheet of paper, already soaked at the edge with blood showed through
18:55An ordinary gala guest might not have a clue
18:57But among the council wives, healer donors and old money maidens here
19:01Who hasn't had to deal with a fertility scandal for the family?
19:03CG blood test results from a private clinic, a forged healer intake form and a fake bond status file
19:08All that stuff is enough to rip the mask off Serena as the innocent, wronged Luna candidate
19:12Most of the gogglers don't know the ins and outs, so they're craning their necks asking everyone around
19:16Every time someone asks, Serena's face goes even peeler
19:18Evan Brooks, beaten bloody and dragged back into the suite, saw the evidence explode at exactly the wrong moment
19:24He was still a licensed council attorney
19:26No matter how furious Marcus was, Blackwood security did not dare beat him to death
19:31If this had been Evan before the last life, he would have been nothing more than a newly risen pack
19:35lawyer
19:35A shattered blood vial and half a sheet of HCG paperwork might not have meant much to him
19:40But he had lived an entire life already
19:42In his last life, he had climbed high in council circles
19:45Paternity fraud, forged healer files, backroom scandal cleanup
19:49What had he not seen?
19:50One look at the blood on the carpet, the soaked clinic date, and he understood
19:54Evan was barely holding together from the beating
19:56Yet somehow he found strength
19:58He forced himself up and lunged toward the king bed
20:01With one hand, he ripped back the comforter
20:03The white fitted sheet was clean
20:04There was nothing there that could shove the pup in Serena's belly onto tonight
20:08The truly glaring proof was the blood-soaked paper
20:11Sample collected, four weeks before gala
20:13Gestational estimate, five weeks
20:16Sire pending
20:17Everyone had just seen Evan naked and pressed over Serena
20:20But the evidence told them Serena had already been pregnant before tonight
20:23She had even prepared a forged healer intake in advance
20:26Ready to frame herself as a Luna candidate ruined by this one night
20:29Please
20:30What a perfect little paternity trial
20:32Too bad it had not closed neatly around Evan's throat
20:35Even I had not expected the scene to turn this ugly this fast
20:38In my last life, after I married Evan, I went to a private PAC clinic during my first pregnancy
20:43There, I happened to see a woman in a hood quietly asking for abortion medication
20:47The clinic healer warned her that she was already close to 16 weeks
20:50If she forced determination at that stage, her body might not withstand it
20:54The woman had wrapped herself up carefully
20:56But when she passed near me, I still caught a faint trace of custom scent suppressor
21:01Across the entire East Coast PAC circle, only Serena Blackwood loved that scent
21:05At that point, three months had passed since the night at the Lakeview guest suite
21:09Which meant that when Evan was drugged tonight, Serena already had a pup more than a month along
21:13Who dared bring that filthy drug into the Blackwood Gala?
21:16The answer was suddenly obvious
21:18Serena had wanted to find a public sire for somebody else's pup
21:21And Evan Brooks was supposed to be the fall guy
21:23Once I pieced it together, I could only think how ugly this world really was
21:27In my last life, Evan and I had already been bound by the scandal
21:31Trying to reopen the Blackwood incident from three months earlier would have been a joke
21:35So I buried the truth and locked it away
21:37This time my plan had been simple
21:38Let Serena and Evan both get what they wanted
21:41One would find a father for the pup in her belly
21:43The other would climb the Blackwood old blood ladder at last
21:46I had not expected Serena's own clinic evidence to tear open first
21:50Evan's face looked as if someone had slapped him in front of the entire room
21:53He threw himself at Serena and seized her shoulders
21:56Serena Blackwood
21:57Shaking her heart
21:58You set me up
21:59You told me you had no registered bond
22:01You said you wanted me and no one else
22:03You told me you couldn't hold back your scent
22:05That you would break council protocol just to give yourself to me
22:08You used me as a public seer for another man's pup
22:10You pregnant little whore
22:12Serena shook in his grip like a silk silk scarf
22:15As if she might fall apart at any second
22:17Her mouth opened and closed
22:19But not a single word came out
22:20Marcus heard every word
22:22And his brows drew tight again
22:24But this time he had no ground to stand on
22:27Even if he hated that a low pack liability like Evan had overstepped
22:30He had no reason left to keep beating him
22:32Evan Brooks had been beaten too badly
22:34And the truth had struck him too hard
22:36Blood surged up his throat and sprayed across Serena Blackwood's face
22:39Then he fell backward and passed out cold
22:41The room erupted into chaos again
22:43No matter how unwilling Marcus was
22:45No matter how badly he still wanted to kill someone
22:48He had to call in the estate medic and the pack healer
22:50Several council wives looked at me with pity and tenderness
22:53How did she get dragged into something like this?
22:56Clara has suffered too much tonight
22:57One after another, they sighed for me
23:00They believed I was a young heiress with no registered mate bond
23:03Dragged for no reason into a sex scandal this filthy
23:06Even if I was innocent, it was still a stain
23:09My pack reputation and alliance prospects would take a hit
23:12After tonight, the main alliances open to me would probably drop by an entire tier
23:16The Whitmore heirs, especially, would never consider me now
23:19They had no idea
23:20Compared with my last life, when I married Evan and was slowly ground down inside the Brooks household
23:25This was already an escape from death
23:27Later, I heard that when Evan was carried back
23:29He looked as if he had been dragged out of a pool of blood
23:32Blackwood security knew Marcus was still furious
23:35So they had put their backs into it
23:36From the ER surgeon to the pack healer to the spinal specialist
23:39Every doctor who saw him only shook their head
23:44Difficult case
23:45The right leg is especially bad
23:47Even if it heals, he may need a cane
23:50If recovery goes poorly, he may never leave a wheelchair
23:53Some said Evan was pitiful
23:54A scholarship-born legal climber
23:56Ruined like this by the Blackwoods
23:58Others said Evan deserved it
24:00If he had not wanted to climb the Blackwood Old Blood Ladder himself
24:03He would never have suffered like this
24:05The person who reacted most violently inside Ashford House was Grace Miller
24:08Clara!
24:10If you had gone in and stopped it, Evan would never have ended up like this!
24:14He was perfectly fine and now he's lying in a bed half broken!
24:18How can you still eat?
24:20I held a bowl of chilled almond porridge and took my time swallowing a spoonful
24:25What reaction should I have?
24:27Should I go mourn at Evan's bedside like he's already dead?
24:31Grace's face flushed with anger
24:32He is still alive, isn't he?
24:34How can you be so heartless?
24:37She realized she had crossed the line
24:39Her voice going soft at once
24:41I only think Evan is pitiful
24:43I didn't mean it that way
24:44I looked coldly at Grace, the girl who had grown up beside me
24:48If you pity Evan so much, then go take care of him
24:51You don't need to enter my suite again
24:52Grace snapped her head up as if she could not believe what she had heard
24:56Marion, pull Grace's staff file, NDA, access badge and housing agreement
25:01Suspend her Ashford access immediately
25:04The Brooks household needs a live-in aid, doesn't it?
25:07Send over her caregiving contract
25:09If she refuses to leave, have security escort her off the property
25:13Tell them the Ashford's and the Brooks go back years
25:16We arrange someone specially to help care for Evan
25:18After that, she does not come back
25:22Only then did Grace seem to wake up
25:24Clara, I was wrong, I shouldn't have said that
25:26She crawled toward me, sobbing and begging
25:28For the sake of all the years we grew up together, please forgive me this once
25:32I almost wanted to forgive her
25:34But when had Grace ever spared me for the sake of all the years we grew up together?
25:38It was not until the day I died in my last life, after hearing her words, that I finally understood
25:42Why? After I became pregnant, after I had been careful and then more careful
25:46I still lost one baby after another
25:49With Grace at my side, altering my medication and my care records for Evan again and again
25:53How could any child in my belly have survived?
25:56Of course she did not want to go to the Brooks household now
25:58Of course
25:59Evan and his mother, Patricia Brooks, lived in a worn down duplex outside town
26:03They were so poor that all they had left was one aging aid
26:06Now that Evan Brooks' leg was damaged, his council career was as good as over
26:10On paper, no one could throw him out simply because he might need a cane
26:14But after the sweet scandal at Blackwood Ridge, with a license review and ethics complaint
26:19And a DA inquiry pressing down layer after layer
26:21Who would dare put him anywhere near the public eye?
26:24Unless someone with real votes chose to protect him
26:26And now, who would protect Evan Brooks?
26:28Ashford would not
26:29Blackwood certainly would not
26:30He had no family strong enough to lift him
26:33He did have a handsome face, and at first, a few old money families had considered him as a potential
26:38son-in-law
26:38Now, those heiresses probably thought he carried bad luck
26:42Because the scandal touched the High Council's reputation, Eleanor Whitmore took a personal interest
26:46The High Council and the DA liaison turned Blackwood Ridge inside out
26:50As for the pup in Serena Blackwood's belly, no one could say for certain who had fathered it
26:54The personal aides around Serena had tried to protect her at first
26:57But once the perjury warnings and immunity deals came down, one after another, they cracked
27:02A stable hand
27:03Hate security
27:04A procurement runner
27:06A jewelry store sales guy
27:07Serena had never been picky
27:09As long as a man had a decent face, she dared drag him into her bed
27:13After a while, the number of men she had slept with was not just 10 or 12
27:17It was more
27:18If the pup in her belly had actually been born, only a DNA panel could have sorted out the father
27:22After a disgrace like that, how can Marcus allow her to give birth to another man's pup?
27:27I heard he found some dirty private clinic and forced Serena through a termination
27:30At first, Marcus even wanted them to prepare an overdose of sedatives
27:34Only after Catherine cried, begged, and nearly threw herself over a balcony was Serena's life spared
27:40Her life was spared, the rest of her did not
27:43After that forced termination, Serena's bleeding would not stop
27:46Her periods never settled
27:48She grew thin very quickly
27:50Her face pale, her legs too weak to hold her steady
27:53Marcus lost the old lift of his chin in council rooms
27:56He had been proud his whole life, and now one daughter had dragged the Blackwood name through filth
28:00People said he spent his days drinking himself senseless
28:03When he finished drinking, he would go to Serena's room
28:05Smash whatever he could reach, and curse her until security came in
28:09Every day, Blackwood Ridge was full of screaming, breaking glass, and the sound of guards' footsteps
28:15Less than three months later, Serena, driven past the edge
28:18Grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed her own father to death
28:21A room full of aides and guards watched it happen
28:23She could not run from that
28:25Once the murder charge landed, it was enough to seal her fate
28:28That same day, the High Council stripped her of every inheritance right
28:32When the criminal court sentenced her, she was sent to a women's prison for life without parole
28:37On the day Serena was sentenced, I was having tea at the newly opened Laurel Room in the city
28:41Mrs. Ashfield, this is from a gentleman downstairs
28:44He said he would like to see you and say a few words
28:47A server brought over a hibiscus chestnut tea cake I had not ordered
28:50I looked at the small pastry and suddenly found it funny
28:53During my marriage to Evan, he had bought the same thing for me a few times
28:56After I lost our first child
28:58After Patricia Brooks forced me to kneel every few steps in the name of pack discipline
29:02Until I passed out, until my knees split open and festered
29:05Evan probably always believed that as long as he handed me this one sweet little cake
29:09I should calm down
29:11I should forgive him
29:12I should make peace with him
29:13But to me, it had never recorded comfort
29:16It recorded every injury Evan and the Brooks household had dealt me again and again
29:20Please return it to the gentleman downstairs
29:22Tell him I don't dare eat it
29:25I'm afraid there might be something in it
29:26The server quickly carried the tea cake back
29:28But Evan did not leave
29:30When I stepped out of the Laurel Room, he was waiting at the entrance
29:33Clara
29:34His voice broke and he reached for the edge of my coat
29:37Mr. Brooks, step back, don't touch her
29:40Harper Lane, the new aide at my side, immediately stepped between Evan and me
29:44Evan's face twisted with misery
29:45Clara, I treated you terribly before
29:49I let people lie to me, I misunderstood you
29:52I thought that scandal was something you set up so you could marry me
29:55I never meant to hurt you
29:57Evan, were you lied to or did you choose to lie to yourself?
30:00I am an old blood Ashford heiress
30:03You?
30:03If I had wanted it, even the Whitmore line would have been within reach
30:07Why would I need to scheme my way into marrying you?
30:10The color drained from Evan's already ruined face
30:12He had once been handsome in a clean, refined way
30:15After all these days of pain, he had wasted down until he was almost nothing but bone
30:19Whatever dignity he once had was gone
30:22He was lucky, really, at least both legs had not been ruined
30:25Only his right leg would never be steady again
30:27From now on, he could not walk without a cane
30:30My gaze swept once over his right leg
30:32Evan immediately pulled it back
30:34Maybe he remembered my last life, when he and Patricia Brooks had ruined my leg
30:38Maybe he remembered how many times he had sneered at me, and called me a crippled little liability
30:43One of the Ashford House staff hurried toward me
30:45Mrs. Ashford, we've been looking everywhere for you
30:48Please return at once
30:49The High Council just sent word
30:51Sebastian Whitmore has been confirmed as High Alpha Elect
30:54The Whitmore line has also filed a Maid Alliance statement
30:57Once you personally confirm it, the Council will publicly recognize you as Luna Elect
31:01Evan's mouth fell open
31:02He looked as if he could not believe what he had just heard
31:05In my last life, Sebastian had become High Alpha too
31:08Only then, he had never publicly recognized a Luna
31:11Even after he took full power, he never brought anyone to stand beside him
31:15So that was why
31:18Sebastian likes her, doesn't he?
31:20Evan muttered the questions to Grace Miller beside him
31:22They were together already, weren't they?
31:25Bracing him like a cane, and Patricia had worn her down until she barely looked human
31:29No secret dates, no private gifts, nothing improper, only
31:35Only what?
31:37Only that every time Sebastian saw her, he smiled
31:41For the decades that followed, Sebastian proved Grace right
31:44He was a good husband, a very good one
31:46As for Evan, I never saw him again for the rest of my life
31:50The last time I heard news of him was before I moved into the Whitmore Council residence
31:53I heard there was no path left for him back to the Council
31:56He could not stay in the East Coast Pack Circle either
31:59So he took Grace and Patricia back to that low-pack hometown of his
32:02Maybe Blackwood Ridge had damaged more than his leg
32:05Later, Patricia arranged engagements for him
32:07And pushed a few dependent girlfriends into his life
32:10But in this life, no one ever carried his pup
32:12is probablynt fun But in
32:13A
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