Chapter 4

Kylie stood across from Richard, her fingers wrapped tightly around the necklace he had once designed for her. Cassandra remained beside him, holding the thin scratch on her neck while wearing the most pretentious pitiful expression Kylie had ever seen.

Richard's eyes stayed fixed on Cassandra before finally turning toward Kylie. "Kylie, look what you've done. You went after her again, and this time you actually hurt her."

Kylie laughed bitterly as she looked at the red mark on Cassandra's neck. "She provoked me, Richard. She wore the necklace you designed for your mate and then stood there pretending she had no idea what she was doing."

Cassandra quickly lowered her eyes and spoke in a trembling voice. "Richard, please don't argue with Kylie because of me. I know she doesn't like me, and maybe I should have returned the necklace."

Richard immediately looked at her with concern. "You don't have to apologize, Cassandra. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Kylie's fingers tightened around the necklace as anger rushed through her again. She looked at Richard and then at Cassandra, feeling like she was the only person in the room who could see through the act.

"Like I even want it," Kylie said bitterly as she tossed the necklace straight at Richard's face. The gemstone struck his cheek and left a thin scratch across his skin.

Richard didn't say a word at first, just stared at Kylie with those heavy, brooding eyes. His hand slowly touched the cut on his cheek while the air around him filled with the dangerous pressure of an enraged Alpha.

Kylie stared straight back at him. "You can keep it. Give it back to your precious Cassandra or throw it away, because I don't want anything from you anymore."

Richard's jaw clenched. "You're acting irrationally again."

"Irrational?" Kylie repeated, her voice rising. "You threw your six month pregnant mate out of your home, froze her accounts, and now you're defending the woman who keeps taking things that belong to me."

Cassandra quickly shook her head. "Kylie, I never wanted to take anything from you. Richard gave me the necklace, and I thought it no longer mattered to you."

Kylie laughed without humor. "You thought it no longer mattered? Then why did you wear it where you knew I would see it?"

Richard stepped between them, his Alpha scent becoming stronger as he tried to calm the situation. "That's enough. Cassandra didn't do anything wrong."

Kylie stared at him in disbelief. "Of course she didn't. In your eyes, she never does."

Richard's expression darkened. "Don't start another fight."

Kylie pushed out her belly and took a few steps toward him. "Oh, what, feeling sorry for her now? Come on, take your revenge for your precious childhood sweetheart right here, hit me."

Richard's eyes widened as Kylie took another step forward.

"Go ahead," Kylie challenged him, her voice shaking with anger. "You already chose her over me when you threw me out. Why stop now?"

Richard instinctively stepped back, shielding Cassandra behind him.

The veins on his forehead were starting to pop.

Kylie knew he was really pissed off, but she refused to retreat. She stood there with her pregnant belly between them, daring him to remember exactly who she was.

"If she dares to take what's mine, I'll make sure she regrets it," Kylie said coldly. "So if you don't want me to go after her, tell her to keep her claws to herself and keep her hands off things that aren't hers."

Richard's eyes flashed crimson. "Cassandra is my friend, Kylie. You don't get to threaten her because you're jealous."

"Jealous?" Kylie asked with a bitter laugh. "Maybe you should ask yourself why your mate has been pushed this far."

Richard opened his mouth, but Kylie turned away before he could answer. She refused to stand there and watch him defend Cassandra for another second.

She walked several blocks before stopping outside a small office building where she had attended an interview earlier that week. Her phone vibrated as she checked her messages, and the rejection email waiting on the screen made her heart sink.

She read it twice before lowering the phone.

Another job was gone.

Another door had closed.

Then a new message appeared.

Kylie opened it and immediately felt her stomach twist.

It was from Cassandra.

Kylie, do you really think any company would actually risk hiring the mate of the Alpha of Crest Moon Pack?

Kylie's face slowly turned pale.

Another message followed almost immediately.

Instead of stubbornly dragging yourself through all this mess, maybe you should just swallow your pride and seriously consider asking Richard to forgive you.

Kylie stared at the screen, her fingers trembling with anger.

So that was the truth.

Cassandra wasn't simply trying to steal Richard's attention.

She was using his influence to make sure Kylie had nowhere else to go.

Aira growled inside her, sensing the rage building in Kylie's chest.

She wants you helpless.

Kylie looked at Cassandra's messages one last time before blocking her number.

"No more," she whispered, wiping away the tears gathering in her eyes.

Then she opened Richard's contact.

For a moment, she stared at his name.

She remembered the man who once promised that she would never have to worry about anything as long as she was his mate.

Now that same man was the reason every door was closing.

Kylie blocked Richard too.

By the time she returned to Sabrina's apartment, the small amount of money her best friend had given her was almost gone. She emptied her purse onto the table and counted what remained, her face tightening when she realized how little she had left.

Sabrina watched her carefully. "Kylie, I can give you more."

Kylie shook her head. "No, Sabrina. You've already done enough for me. I can't keep using your money while Richard keeps trying to prove that I can't survive without him."

Her eyes fell on the black credit cards inside her purse.

Richard had left those cards behind.

Kylie had refused to use them because she didn't want anything from him.

But she looked down at her belly and remembered that she wasn't making decisions for herself anymore.

She slowly picked up one of the cards and stared at Richard Miller's name printed across it.

Sabrina noticed and asked softly, "Are you really going to use his cards?"

Kylie closed her fingers around the card. "I don't want his money, Sabrina. But I won't let my baby go without food or medicine just because Richard wants to play this cruel game."

She took a slow breath before putting the card back into her purse.

"For now, I'll use what he left behind," Kylie said firmly. "But I'm still going to find a way to stand on my own."