The Gamma’s Regret Chapter 02

The Gamma’s Regret Chapter 02

An awkward silence filled the room.

Arthur hadn’t expected me to agree so easily. His voice brimmed with barely contained excitement.

“Elaine, are you serious?”

I didn’t answer. Just nudged the paper closer to him.

My calm threw all three of them off balance.

Arthur picked up the paper and smoothed it out with careful hands.

He was clearly satisfied with the asset split.

The house was my premarital property.

Aside from splitting our savings down the middle, I gave up all other marital property.

I had my pension. I wouldn’t be short on money.

Mostly, I just didn’t want to argue anymore.

Arthur’s pen hovered when he saw my name already signed.

He paused.

Then he scribbled his own name like he was terrified I’d change my mind.

Only then did my son stand and pour me my first drink of the night.

“There you go, Mom. That’s more like it. Let him go. Dad has a right to be happy too.”

My daughter clung to her father’s arm, asking when he’d bring that woman over for dinner.

“Mom, Clara loves lobster. Go buy some nice big ones later, okay?”

I cut her off cold. “It’s late. All of you. Get out.”

The word “all” landed like a slap.

Jack froze mid-bite of his steak. Mia’s smile vanished.

After they left, I pulled out the ’82 Lafite Arthur had stashed in the deepest corner of the wine cabinet.

I poured a glass. Took my time finishing it.

The mess on the table. The leftovers. The shattered dishes. I didn’t touch any of it. Let it rot.

I lay down on the master bed. No Arthur snoring like a freight train. No Arthur getting up five times a night and waking me up.

I slept deeper and better than I had in thirty years.

The next morning, I woke up naturally. Pulled on workout clothes. Exercised in the park.

Came home and took my time. Toasted bread. Fried an egg. Brewed coffee. Sat on the balcony in the sun.

My past life? I was up at five every morning. Feeding paralyzed Arthur. Wiping him down. Changing diapers.

Massaging. Injecting wolf suppressants.

Never had time for a proper breakfast before rushing to my son’s place to pick up my grandson, then

cleaning my daughter’s apartment and making her dinner.

Then repeat it all at night. Feeding. Wiping. Changing bandages. Tidying. Laundry. Day after day. Year after

year. I lived like a shadow without any self-identity.

It had been so damn long since I’d had a morning like this. Quiet. Free. Completely mine.

I walked into the closet and packed every single one of Arthur’s suits, shirts, coats, and shoes into over a

dozen giant boxes.

When I finished, the closet held nothing but a few of my own faded, outdated pieces.

In my past life, Arthur used to say:

“Elaine, I’m a Gamma commander of this pack. I have to set an example for the warriors. We live simple.

Low-profile.”

So I wore the same winter coat for fifteen years. The same jeans for eight. My skincare came from drugstore

clearance shelves.

But his engagement gift to Clara? A black card with an eight-hundred-eighty-eight-thousand-dollar limit.

Didn’t even blink.

After dropping the boxes at the shipping center, I went straight to the most exclusive mall downtown.

For the rest of this life-every single day I had left-I would never shortchange myself again.