Chapter two
1754 Words
"She's everything you'll never be."
I heard Isabel's voice from my bedroom. I had gone upstairs to clean my cut and change clothes for the ball. I thought I was alone.
I was wrong.
"I know you're worried," Isabel said. She must be on the phone. "But trust me. Declan is mine. He just needs a little more time to make it official."
I pressed myself against the wall outside my own bedroom door. I should not listen. But I couldn't help it.
"Rhea ?" Isabel laughed. "She's pathetic. She actually believed the marriage would work. Can you imagine? Who could love someone like her?" My chest felt hollow.
"Tonight's the perfect opportunity. The ball, all those important people watching. Once Declan sees me in my dress, standing beside him like a real Luna should... it's over for her."
I couldn't breathe.
"do not worry. I'll be Luna by the end of the month. We've already talked about it. He's just waiting for the right moment to announce the divorce." Something inside me went cold.
"Yes, yes, I know. Poor Rhea . But honestly, she brought this on herself. If she'd been stronger, smarter, prettier ...maybe things would be different. But she's not. She's just... plain."
The word hit harder than my father's slap.
Plain.
I had spent three years trying to be enough. Trying to be pretty enough, smart enough, strong enough. And all this time, everyone had been laughing at me behind my back.
"I have to go," Isabel said. "I need to finish getting ready. This is going to be the best night of my life."
I heard her moving toward the door. I ran down the hall and ducked into a guest room just as she stepped out.
Through the c***k in the door, I watched her walk past. She was humming. She looked happy.
Why should she not be? She was getting everything she wanted.
I waited until she was gone. Then I went into my bedroom and locked the door.
The room felt different now. This space where I had tried so hard to build a life with Declan. The bed where he barely touched me. The closet where my plain clothes hung next to his expensive suits. The desk where I planned pack events that he never thanked me for.
All of it was a lie.
I walked to the window and looked out at the pack grounds. People were already gathering for the ball. Beautiful dresses. Expensive suits. Laughter and music floating in the evening air.
I was supposed to be excited about this. The Summit Ball was the biggest event of the year. Every major pack leader would be there. It was an honor to host.
But all I felt was empty.
We need to leave, Luna said. Tonight. During the ball. Everyone will be distracted. We can slip away.
"And go where?" I whispered. "We have nowhere to go."
Anywhere is better than here.
She was right. But leaving meant giving up. It meant admitting that I had failed. That I was not strong enough to make my marriage work. That I was not good enough to be Luna.
"No," I said out loud. "I am not running. Not yet."
Luna growled. You're being stubborn.
"I am being practical. We need a plan. We need money. We need..."
A knock on the door interrupted me.
"Rhea ?" It was Dr. Sarah Chen. "Can I come in?"
I unlocked the door. Sarah slipped inside quickly and shut it behind her.
"I heard what happened in the kitchen," she said. "Are you okay?"
"I am fine."
She gave me a look. Sarah was the only person in this pack who'd ever been genuinely kind to me. She was smart, honest, and completely immune to Isabel's charm.
"You're not fine," Sarah said. "Let me see your hand."
I showed her the cut. She pulled supplies from her medical bag and cleaned it carefully.
"This needs stitches," she said.
"Just bandage it. I do not have time."
"Rhea ..."
"Please. Just bandage it."
Sarah sighed but did as I asked. As she worked, she spoke quietly.
"Isabel is lying about what happened in the kitchen."
"I know."
"She's been lying about a lot of things."
I looked up. "What do you mean?"
Sarah hesitated. "I probably should not say anything. But... I've seen her with Declan. Multiple times. In places they should not be. Doing things they definitely should not be doing."
My stomach turned. "Why did not you tell me?"
"I tried. Three months ago. You told me I was wrong. You said Declan would never do that to you."
I remembered that conversation. Sarah had hinted that Declan was seeing someone. I had gotten defensive. I had told her she was being paranoid.
"I am sorry," I said.
"do not apologize. You were trying to protect yourself. I understand." She finished the bandage and looked at me seriously. "But you need to wake up now. This situation is dangerous."
"Dangerous how?"
"Isabel wants your position. And she'll do anything to get it. Including hurting you."
"She already hurt me. In the kitchen. She cut her own arm to make it look like I attacked her."
Sarah's eyes widened. "She what?"
"She told me about her affair with Declan. I slapped her. Then she... staged the whole thing. Made it look like I was violent. My parents and Declan believed her immediately."
"Of course they did," Sarah said bitterly. "Isabel has been playing the victim her whole life. She's good at it."
"Why does everyone love her so much?" The question came out broken. "What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing is wrong with you," Sarah said firmly. "Everything is wrong with them."
I wanted to believe her. But how could I? Everyone in my life chose Isabel over me.
My parents. My husband. The pack. Everyone.
"I asked Declan for a divorce," I said.
Sarah did not look surprised. "Good."
"He said no."
"He doesn't get to decide that."
"My parents said I have to stay. For the pack's image. For the alliance with Silverridge."
Sarah's jaw clenched. "Your parents do not care about you. They never have. Ever since you came back from..." She stopped.
We did not talk about my k********g. It was a rule in my family. Pretend it never happened. Move forward. Do not dwell on the past.
"I was gone for three years," I said. "When I came back, Isabel had already replaced me. She was the daughter they wanted. I was just... the reminder of what they lost."
"That's not your fault."
"It feels like it is."
"Rhea ." Sarah grabbed my shoulders. "Listen to me. You are not responsible for other people's cruelty. You are not responsible for their inability to see your worth. You are not broken. You are not weak. You are surviving an impossible situation, and that takes incredible strength."
Tears spilled down my cheeks. "I do not feel strong."
"Strength isn't about feeling powerful. It's about getting up every day even when everything hurts. And you've been doing that for years."
I hugged her. She hugged me back.
"What should I do?" I whispered.
"Get through tonight. Then we'll make a plan. Together."
I nodded against her shoulder.
A loud knock on the door made us both jump.
"Rhea !" My mother's voice was sharp. "It's time to get dressed. The ball starts in two hours."
Sarah pulled away and gave me a firm look. "Remember what I said."
She opened the door. My mother stood there, looking annoyed.
"Dr. Chen. You're needed downstairs. One of the guests arrived early and needed medical attention."
"Of course, Luna." Sarah squeezed my hand once, then left.
My mother stepped into the room. She looked me up and down with obvious disappointment.
"You're a mess," she said.
"I am fine."
"You're clearly not fine. Your face is blotchy. Your eyes are red. You look like you've been crying." "I have been crying."
"Well, stop it. You're embarrassing the family."
I almost laughed. Embarrassing the family.
That's what mattered. Not that my husband was having an affair with my sister. Not that I had been falsely accused of assault. Not that I was being forced to attend a ball while my life fell apart.
Just the family's image.
"I laid out your dress," my mother said, pointing to the bed. "It's appropriate for tonight."
I looked at the dress. It was beige. Shapeless. Boring. The kind of thing you wore when you wanted to disappear.
"I amnot wearing that," I said.
My mother's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
"I said I amnot wearing it. If I have to go to this ball, I amwearing something I actually like."
"You'll wear what you're told."
"No. I will not."
We stared at each other. My mother's face was turning red.
"You ungrateful child. After everything we've done for you..."
"What have you done for me?" I interrupted. "You've ignored me.
Dismissed me. Compared me to Isabel every single day. You've made me feel worthless my entire life. So no, Mother. I will not wear that ugly dress. I will not pretend to be something I amnot. Not anymore."
My mother raised her hand.
I did not flinch.
She lowered it slowly. Something flickered in her eyes. Surprise maybe. Or fear.
"You've changed," she said.
"Yes. I have."
"I do not like it."
"I do not care."
My mother's mouth opened and closed.
She looked like she wanted to say something else. But she just turned and left, slamming the door behind her.
I stood there, shaking. Not from fear. From adrenaline.
I had just stood up to my mother.
For the first time in my life, I had stood up to her.
Good, Luna said. Now let's pick a dress that actually makes us look alive.
I went to my closet. In the very back, hidden behind all the beige and gray and plain things, was a dress I had bought months ago. I had never worn it. Declan said it was too much. Too flashy. Not appropriate for a Luna.
It was deep burgundy. Form-fitting. Elegant. Beautiful.
I pulled it out and held it up to the light.
"Perfect," I whispered.
Wear it, Luna urged. Let them see you. Really see you.
I did not know if I was brave enough. But I was tired of being invisible.
So I decided: tonight, they would see me.
One last time before I disappeared forever.
- Writer
