Chapter 243 So I was going to take hers
Clara’s POV
Evening settled over the city like a shroud, and I moved through the house with methodical precision, throwing clothes into my suitcase without really seeing them.
My hands were steady now. No more tears. No more hysterics. I’d cried myself empty hours ago, and what remained was something cold and crystalline—a clarity I hadn’t felt in years.
I gave up everything for him. I I never imagined it would end like this.
Although Ethan and I began with a lie. Not his—mine.
Back in college, drowning in debt I was too ashamed to tell my parents about, I’d let a wealthy old man keep me for a while.
Then I met Ethan and fell for him anyway. It wasn’t until later I found out whose money I’d taken—Ethan’s grandfather.
He tried to pay me off a second time once Ethan and I got serious, offering me money to disappear and let him go. I said no.
And now,Ethan wanted to divorce. How considerate of him. How thoughtful.
But I wasn’t going to wait around for him to work up the courage to destroy what was left of my life.
I grabbed Marcus’s favorite stuffed wolf from his bed, tucking it into the smaller bag. He always needed it when he was upset or scared.
"Mama?" Marcus appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. "Where are we going?"
My heart clenched. He was only three—too young to understand why his world was falling apart.
"We’re going on a trip, baby," I said, forcing brightness into my voice. "Won’t that be fun?"
"Is Daddy coming?"
The question was innocent. Trusting. It made me want to scream.
"Not this time," I managed. "It’ll just be you and me for a while."
His lower lip trembled, but he nodded. Such a good boy. Such a sweet, perfect little boy who deserved so much better than this broken family I’d helped create.
I turned back to the dresser, yanking open drawers. My fingers brushed against something small and hard at the back of the jewelry drawer.
The flash drive.
Ethan had given it to me weeks ago—I’d plugged it into my laptop with shaking hands, copying every file I could before my nerve gave out.
Aria had my marriage, my reputation, my future. So I was going to take hers.
I left it sitting in that drawer. I had what I needed now. It could rot in there for all I cared.
Twenty minutes later, Marcus and I were in my car, pulling away from the estate. I didn’t look back. My phone buzzed in the cup holder—Ethan calling. I powered it off without answering.
Let him wonder. Let him worry. Let him feel even a fraction of the panic that had been consuming me for days.
---
The city lights blurred past the windows as I drove, my grip white-knuckled on the wheel. Marcus sat in his car seat, unusually quiet.
"Mama?" His small voice cut through the silence. "Are you and Daddy fighting?"
My throat tightened. "It’s... complicated, sweetheart."
"Is it because of the bad lady?"
I nearly swerved off the road.
"What bad lady?" I asked carefully, catching his reflection in the mirror.
Marcus’s face scrunched up. "The one Grandma Margaret doesn’t like. The one who makes Daddy smell different."
Smell different.
Of course. Even at three, Marcus’s wolf senses were already developing—picking up on the subtle shift in scent that came with strong emotion, with connection, with the mate bond.
"That’s not something you need to worry about," I said, my voice cracking. "Mama’s going to take care of everything."
"Promise?"
"I promise, baby."
It was a lie. But what else could I say?
At a red light, I finally checked my phone. Three missed calls from Ethan. And one new email: Julian Cross, the VP of Sentinel Energy.
I’d sent them Aria’s research data two days ago. If she could build a company with her precious research, so could I. If she could rise from nothing, so could I.
The subject line read: RE: Investment Opportunity - We’re Interested.
*Ms. Voss, thank you for sharing your preliminary research data. Our team is very impressed with the potential applications. We’d like to schedule a meeting to discuss partnership opportunities, including a division head position at our Capital branch...*
Capital. Far enough from Silver Creek to start over.
Close enough to my family that I’d have support. Real money. Real power. I could rebuild everything Ethan and his family had taken from me.
"Mama? I’m hungry."
Nearly midnight. I’d been so focused on escaping that I hadn’t even thought about feeding my own son.
"Okay, baby. We’ll stop and get you something."
---
I pulled into a 24-hour diner, grateful for the fluorescent lights and the handful of late-night customers who didn’t spare us a glance.
Marcus scrambled into the booth, immediately reaching for the crayons the waitress brought over.
"Chocolate milk for him. Coffee for me. Black."
"Mama, look!" Marcus held up his drawing—a stick figure family. "That’s you, and that’s me, and that’s—"
He stopped, his little face crumpling.
"That’s Daddy," he finished quietly. "But he’s far away."
Something in my chest cracked wide open.
"Oh, sweetheart. Come here." He scrambled into my lap, burying his face against my shoulder, his small body shaking with silent sobs. I held him tight, fighting back my own tears.
"It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. I promise."
Another lie. But what else was there?
I ordered mac and cheese for Marcus and a sandwich I knew I wouldn’t touch, coaxing him through dinner while mine went cold.
By the time the check came, he’d fallen asleep against my shoulder. I held him close, breathing in his familiar scent—pack and family and everything I was about to lose.
I paid, carried my sleeping son back to the car, and drove straight to the nearest hotel.
---
The room was generic and soulless—beige walls, scratchy sheets, the faint smell of industrial cleaning products. But it was ours, at least for tonight.
I tucked Marcus in, smoothing his golden hair back from his face. He looked so much like Ethan when he slept. Same stubborn jaw, same long lashes.
Would Ethan even fight for custody? Or would he be relieved to have us both gone, clearing the way for his precious True Mate?
The thought made me feel sick.
I opened my laptop and began composing a reply to Julian Cross, attaching a sample of the expanded portfolio and confirming I’d meet him in Capital the following week to discuss terms.
Then My finger clicked send.
I closed the laptop and crawled into bed beside Marcus, pulling him close.
"I’m sorry lie to you," I whispered into his hair. "I’m so sorry, baby. But Mama has to survive."
He didn’t answer. Didn’t even stir.
Outside, the city hummed with late-night traffic and distant sirens.
Inside, I lay awake in the darkness, wondering if falling in love with Ethan had been my first mistake.