Chapter 24
The question hung on the air for a few seconds.
Everything, nothing happened. All the years of suffering and being taken for granted came out in that one loud slap
My eyes snapped back to Alice. The moonstones gleamed brightly around
her neck
“What happened?” My voice was shaking with the anger that had made my hand hit her cheek. “She stole them. She stole my necklace, my bracelet, the whole set…” I pointed a shaky finger at the jewels.
I turned to look at him. “The one you gave me, Astor. She went through my things. She took them”
Alice’s eyes, still wet with fake tears, grew wide with pretend hurt.
“How dare you?! Faith, you’re just trying to change the subject from what you did. You can’t just hit people because you’re jealous. Mother, Father, tell her. Tell her they were your gift!” Her voice was a dramatic cry, just right for getting sympathy.
Before I could even speak, before the words could form in my mouth, my parents stepped forward. They stood together, showing they were on her
side.
“Faith, this is completely silly,” my mother, Luna, began. Her voice showed how annoyed she was, as if I were a spoiled child throwing a fit. “We already
told
you. These beautiful jewels were a late birthday present for Alice. We chose them specially because we know how much she loves unique, special
pieces.”
“Indeed. We thought it was time Alice had something truly special.” My father nodded. His face was set and serious, showing he fully supported his
1/5
favorite daughter. “You have no right to accuse her of stealing, Faith, especially after hitting her.”
The lie. The clear, sickening lie. It wasn’t just them taking her side; it was them actively helping her act like a victim.
They looked at me as if I were crazy, as if I were just making up these memories.
But I wasn’t.
There was someone else who knew the truth.
“Astor,” I said, my voice cutting through the air, sharper than I meant. His golden eyes, which had been looking around the room, trying to put back together locked onto mine.
“You recognize these, don’t you? The moonstone set. The one you had made for me, for my eighteenth birthday, after… after our engagement was announced.” My voice cracked on the last word, the painful memory of our quick, forced marriage suddenly burning. “They have a special design, a unique cut. They are unmistakable.”
The silence that followed was so thick it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Every eye in the room, even Chase’s hateful stare, turned to Astor. His face was blank for a moment, his jaw tight, his gaze fixed on Alice’s neck, then her wrist where a matching bracelet now shone.
Then, he spoke. His voice was deep, carrying a clear power that silenced even my mother’s coming protest. “She’s right.”
My heart gave a triumphant, painful jump.
“The moonstone set,” Astor continued, his eyes now cold and hard as he looked at Alice, then at my parents. “I ordered it directly from Oakhaven Jewelers. The design is one of a kind. The moonstones themselves were chosen personally. It was a gift for Faith, marking our engagement.”
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He paused, his gaze sweeping over my parents. “To say otherwise is a
serious insult.”
Alice’s careful act trembled, a flicker of fear in her eyes, quickly hidden by
new anger.
My parents, for once, looked truly shocked.
But Chase, always Alice’s loyal, misguided protector, wouldn’t give up. He stepped forward again, getting past Astor’s earlier block.
“Hold on a minute,” he cut in, his voice getting louder, desperate to change the story. “Jewelry designs are similar all the time. You can’t just claim something is yours because it looks like something you once had. This is just another one of Faith’s tricks. She’s always been jealous of Alice, always tried to make her life awful!”
He pointed a finger at me, his face twisted with anger. “And trying to frame Alice for stealing? After you already attacked her? This isn’t the first time you’ve hit her, is it, Faith? You’re a violent, crazy woman, and you did it again just now.”
The blood drained from my face. Hit her before? He was lying. This was the first time I’d ever physically hit her. He was twisting everything, making me out to be some kind of regular abuser because I slapped him before I left.
Before I could even understand the words, before I could defend myself against such a terrible accusation, Astor moved.
A wild growl tore from his throat, the sound of a powerful wolf’s anger let loose. One moment, Chase was sneering at me. The next, Astor’s fist hit his jaw with a sickening crunch.
Chase stumbled back, his head snapping to the side, his eyes wide with shock and pain as he crashed into a nearby small table, sending a vase tumbling to the floor.
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Astor didn’t stop. He lunged forward, his golden eyes blazing with wild fury,
his body giving off an aura of raw, terrifying power.
“How dare you speak to your Luna like that?” He roared, his voice shaking the entire room. He grabbed Chase by the collar, pulling him up, his other fist pulled back, ready to deliver a killing blow. “How dare you call her a b***h? You will die for those because I thought had you wrong the first time, but
this is unacceptable.”
The air crackled, and I could feel the power and aura radiating from Astor Chase’s face was a mask of terror, blood starting to trickle from his split lip.
Astor’s intentions were clear. He wasn’t just going to hurt him. He was going
to end him.
A cold fear washed over me, pushing aside my own burning anger. This wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted the truth, not murder. I wanted justice, not a bloodbath. Even for Chase, who deserved a serious beating, I couldn’t let him
die.
My body moved without thinking.
“Astor, no!” I screamed, lunging forward, my hand gripping his arm before he could unleash the fatal blow. His muscles were like steel under my fingers, shaking with barely held back power. “Stop! Don’t do this!”
He paused, his eyes still burning gold, and he looked at me for a moment. The distraction worked.
“The initials,” I gasped, pulling his attention back to the real issue, my voice strained. “Alice! Show them the initials!”
My gaze snapped to Alice, a desperate, final plea, a challenge.
“The Oakhaven jewelers engrave all their specially ordered pieces. They’re on the clasp of the necklace, aren’t they? And the underside of the bracelet. My initials.” My voice dropped, cutting through the heavy silence. “Show them,
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