The voice on the other line paused, then asked, “You’re sure, Luna?”
“Yes. It’s over. File it immediately.”
And for the first time in a long while, I laughed. But it wasn’t joy, it was something dark and broken, a sound that barely resembled me.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, looking around the room that once symbolized love and loyalty. Now, it was just a grave of memories.
I started packing again, throwing clothes into suitcases. Each fold of fabric felt like shedding another piece of a life I no longer wanted.
That was when I heard the door open.
“Zera?”
Her voice. I turned around slowly, seeing Hannah standing in the doorway. Her hand rested gently on her stomach, the very same stomach that carried my husband’s child, and my daughter’s heart beating inside it.
“I wanted to help you,” she said softly, stepping into the room.
I didn’t answer. Instead of touching my things, she wandered to the corner where I’d kept Annie’s drawings, her toys, her cabinet, her little shrine.
“Don’t touch that,” I warned quietly.
But she either didn’t hear me or chose to ignore it. She opened the cabinet doors, eyes scanning the items curiously. Then she spotted it, the moonstone jar sitting on the lowest shelf. The urn.
“What’s this?” she asked, reaching for it.
My heart clenched. “Hannah,” I said, sharper this time, “don’t touch that.”
But she lifted it anyway, turning it in her hands. “It’s so pretty…”
“That’s Annie’s ashes,” I hissed. “Put it down.”
Her eyes widened a fraction. For a moment, I thought she’d obey.
Then she gasped, pretending to lose grip. “Oh—”
The jar slipped from her fingers.
It hit the floor with a dull crack before splitting open, spilling pale ash across the carpet.
I froze. Time seemed to stop. The air left my lungs in one painful rush.
Zera’s POV
The crash of the moonstone jar echoed through the room like thunder. I stood frozen, staring at the pale ashes scattered across the floor, Annie’s ashes. My baby’s remains.
Hannah’s eyes widened, and she stumbled back a step, clutching her chest. “Z-Zera, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t you dare!” I screamed, my voice breaking as the tears finally spilled. “Don’t you dare lie to me!”
My wolf roared in my chest, clawing to get out, to tear her apart for what she’d done. I lunged forward, my hand moving before my mind could catch up. The sharp crack of my palm against her cheek silenced everything.