Wrong Bride, Real Goodbye Chapter 05

Wrong Bride, Real Goodbye Chapter 05

Ivy’s POV

It took Adrian a moment to process. His ears were ringing.

He turned slowly.

“Say that again.”

The guy shut his mouth.

Adrian grabbed the phone himself.

Right there in the photo, a mate bond certificate, with my name on it.

The color drained from his face.

Bella glanced at it and pressed her lips together to hide her smile.

“Some she–wolves just don’t know when they’re well off.”

“She’s the one who made a big deal out of everything, and now she turns around and registers with

someone else?”

“Forget her, Adrian.”

“She was always punching above her weight with you anyway.”

The rest jumped in immediately.

“Exactly. She was probably hooking up with Liam Reed the whole time.”

“Holding onto you with one hand, stringing along someone else with the other.”

“Let her go. She–wolves like that are everywhere in Silvercrest.”

“She probably did this to get back at you for the Mate Ceremony.”

“That’s so twisted.”

“Forget her, drinks! Come on!”

“Ah!”

Bella’s scream cut through the room as Adrian kicked the table over.

Glasses crashed to the floor. Alcohol splashed across the walls, the carpet, everywhere.

By the time anyone looked up, he was gone.

He drove hard through the dark, running every red light.

He kept calling me.

I never picked up.

By the time he reached Pack Hall, the entrance was empty.

I was long gone.

Adrian started flooding my messages.

“Ivy, are you out of your mind?”

“Why would you register a mate bond with Liam Reed?”

“You’re throwing yourself away just to get back at me!”

“You really think that’s why he came back for you?”

“He’s doing this to mess with me!”

“Ivy, pick up the damn phone!”

When I still didn’t respond, he started tracking down people who knew me, calling them one by

one.

Messages started rolling in from my friends.

“Ivy, Adrian has completely lost it. He’s been harassing everyone, begging them to talk you into something. I picked up and I was dying.”

“I’ve never seen an Alpha heir this stupid. After what he pulled at the Mate Ceremony, he didn’t even treat you like a person.”

“I thought you were just going to let it go. I had no idea you were playing the long game.”

“Ivy. That was legendary.”

The congratulations kept coming.

Some were already demanding I throw a real Mate Ceremony so they could come to the party.

I laughed and replied to each one.

Liam set a cut piece of steak on my plate.

“What’s so funny?”

“Watching Adrian embarrass himself.”

Liam leaned in, suddenly interested, and looked with me.

Shoulders pressed together, I thought about the past.

Back then, he was the only person who ever reached out a hand.

He couldn’t stand watching the Alpha family kids walk all over me, so he personally helped me

apply to another Pack school.

He pulled me out of that hell.

When my grades couldn’t keep up, he sat down with me without a second thought and tutored me

himself.

On the days I was too exhausted and wanted to quit, he’d knock on my head and scold me with

that impatient look he always had.

“Ivy, you need to invest in yourself.”

“Otherwise, why are you even out here?”

“You could’ve stayed in that small town and gotten the same result.”

Those words snapped me awake.

After that, I pushed myself like every day had to count for two.

Lucky for me, I’d always been quick. And I put in the work to match.

By graduation, I had the results I wanted.

That was the year he told me how he felt.

Those three months are still the most surreal stretch of time in my life.

So many firsts. All of them with Liam.

He promised we’d go to the same city for college.

But just before school started, I found out the Reed family had sent him overseas for heir training

without warning.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to explain. His family had simply cut off his ability to choose.

But I was too young and too raw to hear any of it.

I didn’t accept his explanation.

Didn’t accept his apology.

I drove him away in a rage.

Back then, in my world, he was no different from everyone else who’d ever messed with me.

I was too young, too naive.

Too wrapped up in my own grief to understand what it cost him to push back against the Reed

family.

After that, I cut off contact with Liam completely.

Focused on school. Competed. Interned.

Senior year was when I ran into Adrian again.

He acted like none of the past had happened.

He came at me hard.

Started with flowers and chocolates.

Escalated to necklaces, bags, and expensive gifts.

None of it moved me.

The only thought that crossed my mind was: if Liam saw this, he’d lose his mind.

So I let myself fall into it.

Three years of it.

I won’t pretend I didn’t get used to it. Didn’t get attached.

Sometimes I even convinced myself that a moment of weakness was love.

But Adrian always had a way of throwing a bucket of ice water over me and snapping me back to

reality.

Accepting Liam wasn’t me throwing my life away.

It was me finally getting what I deserved.

Being with Adrian. That was the revenge.

Now I was awake.

Time to get back on the right track.