“Did you know you were pregnant?”
When I woke up, the enforcer hurried over with a glass of water.
She hesitated for a long time before telling me the rest.
“But… you miscarried. I’m so sorry. Try to rest as much as you can.”
Then she added softly, “Don’t worry about the men who sexually assaulted you. We will do everything we can to track them down.”
My head was ringing.
I had no idea how long I lay there before I slowly rested my hand over my stomach.
I laughed and cried all at once.
There had been a tiny life inside me.
Cassian had lost his parents when he was young.
We weren’t married yet, but during our quiet moments together, he would often talk about what our lives would look like once we had kids.
But my phone stayed dead silent now.
Cassian hadn’t reached out to me even one single time.
I closed my eyes and let tears roll down my cheeks.
A little while later, I sent someone a text message:
[I don’t want to be invisible to them anymore. Can you come get me?]
His reply popped up: [I’m on my way.]
A small wave of relief washed over me.
Then I dragged myself back to the estate to pack my things and leave for good.
The second I pushed open the front door, Cassian was standing right there.
A flicker of relief crossed his face when he saw me.
“Why are you so pale? Did you really go to the Lycan Royal Enforcement and then to the hospital? Don’t tell me you actually…”
I stared straight at him.
He fell silent instantly, trying to reassure himself.
“No. That can’t be. Those rogues know exactly who they cannot cross. Nothing like that could’ve happened here.”
I walked right past him and started packing my luggage.
For the first time, I treated Cassian like he was the invisible one.
He apologized over and over, and I never responded.
Eventually, he lost his patience and set a hand on my suitcase to block me.
“Astrid Ashwood, how long are you going to keep this up? I already said I’m sorry.”
“I turned Chloe down right in front of you. Even that kiss happened where you could see it. I didn’t hide anything. Why are you being so dramatic?”
Dramatic.
That was what it came down to.
They could do whatever they wanted, and somehow, I was still the one at fault.
That single word unlocked twenty years worth of old pain.
“You call me dramatic because I can’t stand being ignored for a few minutes? Then what do you call the last twenty years of my life?”
“If the four of you are such good friends and I’m in your way, just tell me. Why keep shutting me out with this twisted game?”
Cassian stared at me, clearly not expecting this reaction.
Chloe rushed in to smooth things over.
“Alright, Astrid, there’s a limit to how angry you can be. We barely had any fun while you were gone.”
She shoved her phone in my face.
“Look at these photos Tristan and Jax took of Cassian and me while you were away. They’re absolutely terrible.”
“If it bothers you this much, I won’t borrow Cassian as my mate. Okay? We’ll call off this round of the Invisibility Game.”
I stared at the photos.
Bone-chilling cold crawled all over my body.
Something like this had happened before.
Once, on another trip, they started the Invisibility Game and changed our destination at the very last minute without telling me.
I waited out under the blazing sun for hours until I suffered heatstroke and was rushed to the hospital.
When I finally snapped at them, they only said, “It was an accident. We were playing the Invisibility Game, so obviously we couldn’t tell you where we were going.”
Now I looked at the pictures of Cassian and Chloe leaning close together.
My heart had gone completely numb.
I had been sexually assaulted.
I had lost my baby.
Meanwhile, the people closest to me kept taking cozy photos together.
Tristan scolded me too.
“She’s already backed down. Let it go. You’re being completely unreasonable. What’s going to happen once the Luna ceremony takes place?”
Jax appeared out of nowhere and jumped in.
“Chloe is being incredibly generous. Unlike certain people.”
Then he lowered his voice and threatened me.
“She’s giving you an out. People all over the pack are talking about the string of rapes happening nearby. Keep acting like this, and don’t expect any of us to look out for you.”
I bit hard down on my tongue.
I locked eyes directly with Jax.
He had been my rival since childhood, always picking fights for one reason or another.
Once Chloe came into our lives and his feelings for her deepened, he turned far more vicious toward me.
But he had no idea everything he was dismissing had really happened to me.
I looked at all four of them and spoke slowly, emphasizing every single word.
“I already told you. I don’t want any of you. Which part of that can’t you understand?”
“I’m done being your friend.”
They blocked the doorway.
I took a deep breath and laid every ugly truth out in the open.
“I was sexually assaulted. I lost my baby. And all of this happened because of your stupid game.”
“Cassian Thorne, I, Astrid Ashwood, reject you as my mate.”