There on the screen was an Instagram post. Derek and Tara, tagged at the exact Maldives resort where Derek and I were supposed to have our honeymoon.
Tara was wearing the exact black lace lingerie he'd told me "didn't suit my body type." They were laughing, drinking champagne from the bottle. The caption read: "Finally where we belong. #AlwaysWasMeant2Be."
Another post showed them in our pack's sacred bonding cave—the place where Alpha with their Lunas traditionally consummate their marriages. Derek was holding Tara possessively, his lips against her neck.
"Son of a bitch," I whispered.
"You're about twenty, right?" I asked the girl who'd saved my life.
She nodded, confused.
"You recorded what happened at the restaurant, didn't you?"
Her eyes widened. "I—yes."
Without asking permission, I forwarded the video to myself.
"What are you doing?" the woman asked as I opened my social media account and uploaded the raw footage.
"Getting justice," I replied, watching as the likes and shares started multiplying by the second. The video went viral within minutes.
My phone rang—the police department. They confirmed they'd received multiple reports about the video and were opening an investigation.
An hour later, my phone rang again.
"Ms. Hazel?" the officer's voice sounded strained. "I regret to inform you that the case against Tara has been... dismissed."
"What?" I sat up despite the searing pain. "How is that possible? There's literal video evidence!"
“The footage has been flagged as manipulated. And we've received testimony that you were the aggressor."
The line went dead. I checked social media—the video had vanished from every platform as if it never existed.
That's when the door slammed open.
Derek stood there, his perfectly tailored suit contrasting with the wild rage in his eyes. Tara lurked behind him, her face twisted into a triumphant smile.
"You really thought you could destroy us with that edited video? You must be joking."
"Edited?" I laughed bitterly. "We both know what happened."
"What I know," he snarled, "is that you're going to post an apology video immediately. You'll explain that you doctored the footage because you're unstable and jealous of my relationship with Tara."
"Go to hell."