Chapter 2
Skylar woke up with the sun's rays making it hard for her to open her eyes. She squeezed them shut before forcing them open, only to see floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the most breathtaking scene. The middle of France stretched before her, the Eiffel Tower standing tall against the sky, birds flying and chirping in the crisp morning air.
She remembered when Ethan had said he wanted their wedding to be here.
For a moment, she almost forgot what had happened. Then, like a tidal wave, the memories rushed in. How her supposed husband—the man she had trusted—betrayed her with her own flesh and blood.
The spark in Skylar's eyes vanished, leaving only emptiness.
She remembered the day she first met him. It was a sunny December day. Her parents had introduced him to her when she was twenty. She hadn't loved him at first, but they told her it was the perfect thing an omega like her could do. And she accepted. She had been obedient. She had followed every expectation laid out for her.
And where had that gotten her?
Just as she sat there, dazed, the door opened. The sound of footsteps filled the silent space, dragging her back to reality. She looked up—only to see the people who had caused her so much pain.
Ethan.
Her father.
Her mother.
Phoebe.
The air in the room shifted, heavy with an unspoken finality.
"You're awake," Mrs LaRosa said, Skylar didn't see even the slightest trace of worry in her mother's eyes. Was this really the woman who had raised her? Had she ever been a mother at all?
"Let's not waste any time," Mr LaRosa said, holding Phoebe's hand and pulling her forward.
Skylar's lips parted slightly. "Am I a waste of time now, Dad?" Her voice was hollow, her throat dry as if she hadn't spoken in days. Even blinking felt like a struggle.
"The wedding was called off. You shouldn't worry about it anymore," He said dismissively. His words cut through her like a blade, as if she were the one who had done something wrong.
As if she were the one who had cheated.
As if she were the one who had betrayed her own blood.
Why was the world so unfair to her?
She needed support. She needed love. She needed them. But the people standing before her only watched as if nothing had happened.
Or… wait.
They already knew.
They had known about the affair.
And yet, they let her chatter happily about a man who had been sleeping with her sister. They let her twirl around in wedding dresses, dreaming of a future that had never been real. Hopelessly in love.
Why? Why hadn't they told her before she had fallen for him?
A lone tear slid down her pale skin. The pain was sharper than any bullet.
And Phoebe had the audacity to cry.
"I'm sorry, Skylar… it just happened," Phoebe said, her voice broken with sobs.
Happened. It just happened.
Skylar's eyes darkened. The spark in her doe-like eyes flickered, fading little by little. Until it was finally gone.
"We were drunk and clueless. We didn't know what we were doing," Phoebe said, bowing her head.
Ethan looked at her emotionlessly. There was no begging this time.
Her brother—when had he arrived?—stood nearby, watching from the corner. Mark's arms were crossed, amusement flickering in his sharp gaze, as if this was his entertainment for the day.
They all looked at her as if she were the biggest fool alive.
Her family hated her this much.
And after all of this… after all this pain… she managed to squeeze out one word.
"Why?"
Why did you do this to me? Just why me?
James LaRosa let out a tired sigh. "The wedding is called off." He opened his eyes slowly and looked at Skylar one last time. There was no pity. Not even a small trace of guilt.
"Phoebe's wedding is next week. Don't try to break it, please. I don't have time for another idiotic fight," he said before turning toward the door.
Skylar's breath hitched.
Before he could leave, her small voice broke through the silence.
"Phoebe's what…?" Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Her hands curled into the sheets, gripping them as if they were the only thing tethering her to this world. "How can she get married? Who would marry her after everyone saw what she did?"
She looked like an abandoned cat in the middle of the rain. Scared. Betrayed. Disappointed.
"She's getting married to me," Ethan said softly, his voice echoing in the quiet space.
And with those five words, Skylar felt her world ending.
Why? Why… and how?
"Why?" she let out a whimper. So fragile, it could make a child pity her. Someone who knew nothing of the world, someone who thought everything was sunshine and rainbows.
But the people in the room didn't pity her.
Some didn't even blink.
And that was how she knew—at this moment, she had lost.
The only people she had ever called home.
Her family and her lover were all lost to the hands of her own blood. The person she had loved the most had destroyed her future.
"Phoebe is pregnant," Ethan said, looking her straight in the eyes.
Did this man have no remorse at all?
The words clanged against her skull. A dull, hollow noise.
How? How could she be pregnant?
And suddenly, her world turned black.
Not because she was fainting.
No, it was because everything had lost its color.
Like a star that had lost its shine.
Like a rose that had lost its fragrance.
Like spring rain that had lost its meaning.
She had lost her light, too.
The silence in the room was suffocating.
She could feel her chest rising and falling, but there was no air. She could see their faces, but they were just blurs in a colorless void.
And Skylar's eyes finally turned ice black.
Had she sinned in a past life?
That was the only question that echoed in her mind.