Abby


    As | watch Karl leave, the door clicking softly shut behind him, I''m left reeling from his proposition.


    It''s insane; the very thought of the two of us entering into this ridiculous deal should never even cross my mind.


    And yet, why is it... tempting?


    With a huff, | turn around and throw myself back down onto the bed. | don’t want to return to the party tonight—not after the way


    Karl embarrassed me in front of anyone. It''s still too raw, too painful to face everyone. They''ll be expecting me to say something,


    to act in a certain way that somehow seems ‘appropriate’.


    But | don''t even know what | would say or what | would do.


    Karl''s proposition should make me furious, and it does. | hate what he did. | hate that he didn’t consult me before he announced


    it to everyone, and | especially hate that he has supposedly been researching ways to fix my dead ovary without even telling me


    first. How long has this been going on?


    And yet...


    | can''t help but think back to those tiny shoes | saw in the shop window, the ones | yearned to buy for a child | never thought |


    would have. | keep thinking about the night that | cried in my bed, back when I first discovered that my chances of having a baby


    were slim.


    I''ve suffered from years of depression and despair, thinking that my dream of motherhood would forever remain out of reach.


    But then there’s Karl, standing at the forefront of possibility.


    The idea is tempting—far more tempting than | ever imagined. I''ve always dreamed of having a little baby of my own, and the


    idea that there could be a way to heal my body so | can do it on my own is like a dreame true. Single motherhood was never


    part of my n, but it''s something | would consider.


    And yet, | still can’t help but wonder: is he being truthful about this experimental treatment to restore my dead ovary, or is he just


    spinning tales to ensnare me, to make mepliant with his n?


    I turn to my wolf, who has been a constant presence in the back of my mind throughout this ordeal. She hasn''t said anything so


    far since Karl left, but | know she’s there, waiting for me to open myself up to her.


    “Please tell me what | should do,” | murmur into the pillow, my voice muffled. “I''m so lost.”


    “I can''t tell you what to do exactly,” my wolf responds softly, “but Abby... You''ve wanted this forever, haven''t you?”


    I nod slowly into the pillow before I roll onto my back. My eyes trail along the canopy of the bed, tracing the patterns in the


    mahogany wood and the sheer fabric.


    “I have,” | whisper. “I''ve always wanted a baby. But... Not like this.”


    My wolf sighs. “I know,” she says softly. “It''s not what you expected. But you could be a mom, Abby. Even if it''s not perfect,


    doesn’t that mean more to you? The idea of finally getting to hold your little one in your arms?”


    Her words make me tear up again, just when | thought the tears were subsiding. | let out a soft, choked sob, my chest heaving


    with the motion.


    “Yeah. It does,” | manage through the lump in my throat. “I can’t deny how tempting it is. God, that bastard has won again, hasn''t


    he?”


    “Abby, look at it this way,” my wolf says. “It''s not a permanent arrangement, and maybe he’s right; maybe it could be hugely


    beneficial to both of you. And maybe it''s worth trying, not just for your restaurant''s sake, but for your future child.”


    | take a deep, shaky breath and wipe away my tears, sitting up.


    Maybe my wolf is right. Maybe | should at least explore this twisted arrangement. My staff, my restaurant back in the city, they all


    depend on me. | can''t let them down, not after everything we''ve been through.


    Even if | don''t get a baby out of this, maybe | can at least rest easy knowing that my restaurant could be saved. My staff


    deserves their jobs back, and | deserve justice. We can put this Alpha who possibly poisoned the Alpha party behind bars and


    clear my name.


    Then my restaurant will reopen, and my staff will have their livelihoods back.


    “I''ll hate him by the end of this,” | mutter with a wry chuckle.


    My wolf chuckles along with me. “I don’t think you can ever fully hate him, no matter what,” she says. “But | won''t me him if


    you do.”


    I finallye to a decision, fueled by a mix of desperation and determination. This n is crazy, and it''s stupid, and it drives me


    insane, but it’s too tempting to ignore.


    But the thing is, | can’t do this alone. | need my wolf by my side; no strings attached, no disappearing acts, no heartbreak.


    “Alright,” | whisper to her, my voice hoarse from crying so much. “I''ll give it a chance, but only if you promise not to go dormant


    again. | can''t go through this without you.”


    Her response is immediate and unwavering. “I swear on my existence, Abby. I''ll never leave you again, even if you don''t get


    back with Karl at the end of all of this.”


    “Promise?” | murmur.


    “I promise,” she says gently. “Whether you decide to stay with Karl or not, I''m staying by your side. Through thick and thin.”


    That''s all the reassurance | need.


    With newfound resolve, | slowly stand


    from the bed and make my way over


    to the mirror. | take another deci


    breath, this on steadiel Sharrt e a


    SERIA I the remaining tears.


    Then, | get to work removing my


    smudged makeup. It''s mostly been


    ruined, but | don''t care. | don''t need


    makeup tonight, and there''s no point


    in wearing my mask anymore, either.


    Please read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    As | make my way out of my room and toward the staircase to rejoin the party, Karl''s proposition keeps echoing in my mind.


    Maybe it''s crazy that I''m going to do this.


    Maybe it''s stupid.


    Maybe it''ll end in more disappointment and heartbreak.


    But it doesn’t matter now. | have to try—like my wolf said, not just for my restaurant and my staff, but also for my future child.


    Finally, taking onest deep breath to


    steel myself, | pull my shoulders back


    and descend the staircase. The y


    has continued, sof raiours ing


    the foo akdng with the sounds of


    the string quartet ying their music.


    Faces lift when they see me enter,


    and all | can make out is a sea of


    confusion, empathy, regret, and


    maybe even a little anger. Please


    read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    But | choose to ignore them, instead letting my eyes scan the crowd for one face in particr.


    For Karl''s face.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    And there he is, standing in the


    middle of the room, looking lia


    up at me. The digee tosds


    dea Ustore quickly than |


    expect, and before | know it, his tall


    form is standing in front of me, his


    hand extended. Please read the


    original content at NovelDrama.Org.


    “May | have this dance?”