Victoria's POV Maybe… maybe he only gave in to his desire because he could not act that way with Raquel right now, not while she was carrying his child, I thought. And just like that, it felt as if a bucket of ice had been poured over me. The cold sank deep into my bones, tearing me out of the fragile belief I had been holding onto and forcing me to face something I had been avoiding for too long. I felt empty, drained. I had told myself I had already moved on, that I had let go, but now I could see that it was not true. Letting go was not as simple as I wanted it to be. Hearing Beta Marcus say that my mate had ordered him to take all the core projects away from me felt like a sharp blow to my chest. Was that not enough proof? Was that not him showing me I was being pushed aside and

