He Gambled Away Our Bonding Ceremony and Now He’s Begging for It Back Chapter 06

He Gambled Away Our Bonding Ceremony and Now He’s Begging for It Back Chapter 06

Her eyes were red.

“But you’re the one who transferred the money. You said even if Iris found out, nothing would happen. That’s

the only reason I agreed.”

The two of them. Once so in sync they could gamble my entire life between them. Now scrambling to throw

each other under the bus.

It was almost poetic.

Mr. Whitmore eventually returned the 680,000 on the spot. But restitution only affected what came next. It

couldn’t erase what had already happened.

After giving my statement, I declined the settlement Aldric’s family offered.

On my way out, Aldric called through the glass of the interrogation room.

“Iris.”

“I just thought you wouldn’t mind.”

I looked at him.

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t mind. You knew I’d mind. You just knew I’d never leave you for it.”

This time, he had no rebuttal.

It was past midnight when I walked out. My mother draped her jacket over my shoulders. My father hailed a

cab.

That night, I deleted everything about Aldric from my phone. When I got to six years of photos, my hand

didn’t shake.

The next day, I went back to the apartment we’d shared for four years.

Bianca’s art on the walls. Her candles in the entryway. Even the curtains in the master bedroom were the

color she’d won in a bet.

I’d lived there four years. Everything that was actually mine fit into two suitcases.

In the study, buried in a drawer, I found a dust-covered letter of intent.

A studio I’d found six months ago. Five years as an interior designer. I’d finally saved enough to launch my

own firm.

Aldric said the ceremony couldn’t look cheap. Said we had to pool funds. Said it was a test from his parents. Said pack guests would be watching. A future Luna couldn’t be embarrassed.

So I gave up the studio and transferred all 680,000 into the ceremony account.

He held me and said, “After we’re bonded, I’ll pay you back double.”

In the end, he didn’t give me a studio. He took everything I had and made Bianca’s bride dreams come true.

I folded the letter carefully and put it in my bag. Before I left, I set my key on the dining table.

By the time Aldric got out, there was nothing of mine left in that apartment.

A mutual friend told me later he sat in the empty living room all night.

First time he noticed the fridge wasn’t stocked with prepped meals. No shirts ready in the closet. Stomach

meds not in their usual drawer.

He’d assumed those things just existed. When I left, they disappeared with me.

He called dozens of times. I blocked every number.

On the third day, my attorney sent Bianca a formal demand to return the ring.

She called me. Furious. Calling me petty.

“Aldric gave me that ring. In front of everyone. You said the ceremony was mine.”

I asked one question. “You want to say that in court?”

She went silent.

The ring was delivered to my attorney’s office. Custom design. Blessed by pack elders.

Inside the band, our initials had been engraved. Bianca had them ground off so she could wear it without guilt. Left ugly scratches on the metal.

I sold it. Bought my parents two plane tickets. They’d ridden a bus for over ten hours for my ceremony. Got called rural trash for it. This time, they were going home in comfort.