Chapter 150: The Betrayal
Oliver’s POV
Hot, stinging water filled my eyes as the first tear escaped, splashing onto the cold glass of the phone screen. I felt as though I had been gutted. My chest was hollow—a deep hole of raw ache that made every breath feel like I was inhaling broken glass.
What was wrong with her? Why wouldn’t she just let Raymond die? I had given her everything as Oliver. I had given her my heart, my protection, my rank, and even a future in paradise. But there she was, in the back of my car staring at her screen, while she begged a monster for a tiny bit of his attention.
The phone shook in my hand, nearly jumping out of my grip. Another message.
Aurora: Please, Raymond. I really want to see you. Just for an hour.
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I just stared at the text, my jaw clamped so tight I thought my teeth would break. My wolf was pacing in small, restless circles, howling with a feeling of pure, total betrayal. She chose him. Again. Even after the gala. Even after we promised to start over.
A minute passed. Then another. The phone would not stop.
Aurora: I know you said it’s over. I know you said I’m nothing special. But please. I can’t breathe thinking I won’t see you again.
The desperation in her words made me feel sick. This was the woman I had just made breakfast for. This was the woman I had just held in my arms, promising to protect her from any harm. And here she was, admitting that the cold man who treated her like a toy was the only one who could make her feel alive.
Then, the message came that finally broke my spirit.
Aurora: I think... I think I’m in love with you, Raymond. I can’t stop thinking about you. Oliver is good, he’s kind, but he doesn’t make me feel the way you do. Please don’t do this to me.
I slumped against the wall of the closet, the darkness of the small space closing in on me. The pain was so strong it was physical. It felt like my heart was being squeezed by metal claws. She was in love with a shadow. She was in love with a lie I had created to test her, and the lie had won. She didn’t want the King; she wanted the Dom.
The phone began to ring. Her name flashed on the screen. My thumb hovered over the red button. I wanted to hear her voice, to hear if she sounded as desperate as she looked in her texts, but I knew if I answered, I might lose control and roar at her. I might tell her the whole truth.
I swiped the screen, rejecting the call.
I felt useless. I felt like a failure. I was the Alpha King, and I was losing a race against myself. I was the "other man" in my own relationship.
Another vibration.
Aurora: Oliver and I are going away for a few days tomorrow. He booked a trip. I have to see you before I go. We need to talk. Please, tell me where you are.
The mention of our trip—our "fresh start"—being used as a reason to squeeze in one last meeting with a Dom made my blood turn from ice to boiling oil. The sadness was suddenly overtaken by a white-hot, blinding anger. How could she? How could she be so shameless?
My fingers flew across the keyboard. I didn’t think. I just let the poison of Raymond take over.
Raymond: Have you no shame? I told you it was over. I told you that you were nothing special. Why are you acting like a pathetic dog begging for a bone?
I hit send, my chest heaving. I expected her to back off, to be insulted, to finally realize that Raymond was a dead end. But the reply came back almost instantly.
Aurora: Yes! I have no shame! Not when it comes to you. I don’t care what you call me. I want you. I’ll do anything. Just don’t throw me away.
I felt a sob rise in my throat, but I choked it back. I hated her in that moment. I hated her for not being the innocent girl I thought she was. I hated her for making me love her while she was busy dreaming of someone else’s cruelty.
Raymond: Well, I don’t want you. I’ve already moved on, Aurora. I met someone else. Someone exciting. Someone who actually knows how to please a man like me. You were a boring distraction, and honestly, you aren’t what I wanted.
I sat there, watching the typing bubbles appear and disappear. My eyes were leaking now, the tears hot and fast. I was lying to her, hurting her on purpose, but I wanted her to feel a bit of the agony I was feeling.
Aurora: Is it the sex? Is that why? I can do better. I promise I’ll do better. I’ll do anything you want, no limits. Just please don’t replace me. Please.
I let out a broken, choked laugh. She was offering herself up like a sacrifice. She was willing to throw away her pride, to lose every bit of her dignity, just to keep a man who had told her she was nothing. And the worst part? She was saying she’d do "better" for Raymond while she was supposed to be packing for a romantic trip with me.
The betrayal was complete. There was no coming back from this.
Raymond: Fuck off. I don’t want you. Have some shame and stay with your King. You’re lucky he’s too blind to see what a mess you are. Do not message me again or I’ll make sure everyone knows exactly what you’ve been doing.
I threw the phone onto the floor of the safe. I couldn’t look at it anymore. I leaned my head against my knees and finally let the tears fall. I felt like I was at a funeral. The Aurora I loved was gone. The woman out there in that car was a stranger—a woman who was so hooked on the darkness that she was willing to burn down her whole life for it.
I stayed there in the dark for a long time, trying to pull myself together. I had to be Oliver. I had to face her when she came back. I had to pretend I didn’t know that my woman was a liar.
The phone shook one last time on the floor. I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t stop myself. I reached out and picked it up.
Aurora: Fine. If you don’t want me as your sub, I’ll find someone else who does. I’m not going back to being innocent Aurora. If it’s not you, it’ll be the next man who knows how to satisfy me.
I stared at the screen, my heart turning to stone. She wasn’t coming back to me. Even if Raymond was gone, she was already looking for the next person to replace him. She would rather find a stranger in a dark club than be happy with my love.
I locked the safe and stood up, wiping my face. The Maldives trip was a joke now. Our fresh start was a lie. I walked out of the closet and looked at the empty bed, the breakfast tray still sitting there, cold and untouched.
I was the Alpha King, but as I stood in the center of my vast room, I had never felt weaker. I had tried to play with her heart, and all I had managed to do was prove that I never really had it in the first place.