บททั้งหมดของ The Alpha's Scorned Bride: บทที่ 161 - บทที่ 170

Ava's POVIt was Emma who had just spoken.She had been silent this whole time, but now, as she stepped forward, everyone watched her carefully.Emma smiled, but there was no warmth in it.“I had no idea my husband, Mr. Oliver Hale, ever took Ms. Stone as his apprentice,” she said lightly. “His favored disciple? His most beloved student?”Her eyes flicked toward Laura, sharp as claws.“What a joke.”A few wolves shifted uncomfortably.“She’s never even stepped foot inside the Hale family home.”The words landed like a slap.“You’re talking nonsense! Our Laura…”“I didn’t know my dad took Laura as a student either.” Dylan’s voice cut in, laced with mockery.I glanced at him. Warmth spread through my heart at how every one of them stood by me, defending me.“I still remember when your entire family showed up at our house,” he continued, “with money in hand, trying to force my dad to accept Laura.”A few gasps broke out.“What a scene that was,” Dylan went on. “Really unforgettable.”His

Ava's POVI woke to the low, steady rhythm of machines. For a moment, I didn’t move. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless and disoriented.I swallowed, my throat dry. I was in the hospital.Memories came back in fragments. Juliet’s memorial…the crowd…the accusations. The way my chest had tightened until I couldn’t breathe, until the world had gone black.Nora and Richard filled in the rest later. They said I collapsed at the height of it all. They said Juliet’s parents had dismissed every accusation against Laura, calling them baseless without proof.I stayed in the hospital for a week. By the time Nora came to take me home, I felt like a ghost wearing my own skin.The moment we were alone, Nora’s anger flared, sharp and hot like a wolf ready to lunge.“This ends now, Ava,” she snapped. “You’re leaving that marriage. I won’t stand by while Laura keeps tearing you apart, all because of Victor.”I had thought about all that too and made my decision.“I’m done, Nora,” I said, my mind

Ava's POVA chill ran down my spine as I turned.And there he was. Standing a few steps away, dressed in black, his presence filling the room like a shadow that swallowed everything else.The dim light caught the sharp lines of his face, but his eyes… his eyes were darker and colder than I remembered.He’d heard everything, every word. Panic surged through me, fast and overwhelming.This is bad, my wolf said, pacing frantically now. He won’t let this go.I knew him. Knew the way he protected Laura without question. Knew what this meant.He would lash out at Nora. He would make sure he buried her career and that of everyone she loved. He had the power to do that.My mind raced, searching for something…anything…to stop what was coming.But before I could speak, Nora stepped forward, fearless and reckless.“Perfect timing, Victor,” she said, her voice dripping with challenge. “Why don’t you explain it yourself?”The air between them turned sharp, charged, like the moment before claws mee

Ava's POVVictor’s gaze snapped toward her, sharp with disbelief. He hadn’t expected this. None of us had.Clara had always been the one constant. The one who insisted I stay. Five years ago, when that reckless night that got me knocked up tied our fates together, she hadn’t hesitated. She made him marry me, binding us before the elders of the pack.Even when everyone whispered that I had killed Juliet… she stood in front of me like a shield. She never believed any of that. She tried all she could to ensure I didn’t go to jail, but it was futile.And now… she was letting me go. I felt a pang of pain in my chest because I knew it was not an easy thing for her to do.Victor still hadn’t spoken, but I felt it then, through the faint bond that had never fully settled between us. That sudden spike of emotion he couldn’t hide.Now he feels it? my wolf snarled bitterly. After everything?“You heard her,” Nora said coldly, her grip on me tightening as she turned her gaze on him. There was no

Ava's POVMy heart twisted painfully, like something had sunk its claws deep into it and pulled.And then… a strange cold spread through me, numbing everything in its path. Because in that moment, I understood something with terrifying clarity.He knew.All along… he knew how much I loved him.My wolf let out a low, wounded sound, and he still chose this.A soft laugh slipped past my lips, but there was no warmth in it, no sadness either. Just hollowness.My gaze met his again, but this time, it had hardened.“Victor,” I said, my voice calm, almost gentle, “my love for you was never an excuse for you to hurt me, to ignore me, and to grind my feelings into dust.”The words hung between us.I paused, then let a faint, resolute smile curve my lips. “And anyway…” I said softly, “I don’t love you anymore.”The words felt strange, because I couldn’t pinpoint when they had become true. Maybe it was the day I walked out and saw the world without chains for the first time.Maybe it started lon