Mabel quickly grabbed the sheets and pulled them over her naked body. Her scream made Lucille look up at the two of them on the bed.
Lucille froze when she saw the fear in Mabel's eyes. It was clear Mabel hadn't noticed her standing there during the whole moment of pleasure.
Mabel's eyes widened in shock, locked on Lucille, who just stared back coldly, then quietly went back to cleaning.
"She…" Mabel's voice trembled as she pointed at Lucille. Her hand shook, and she couldn't find more words.
Edward had a smug smile for a second, but it disappeared fast. He put on a calm face. "What is it?" he asked gently, pretending not to understand.
Mabel turned to him, stunned. Was he really asking that? "She's here," she whispered, still in disbelief.
Edward just shrugged and pulled her into his arms. "She only came in to clean," he said, his voice flat, uncaring.
Mabel stared at him, her mouth slightly open. Her heart pounded as she searched his face. He wasn't upset? He didn't care?
"She just came in?" Mabel asked, her voice sharp with doubt. Her eyes dropped to the wet floor. Clearly, Lucille had been there for a while.
"I think she did," Edward replied lazily, stretching out on the bed without bothering to cover himself.
Mabel narrowed her eyes at Lucille. "How long have you been here?" she asked, her voice edged with irritation.
Lucille didn't answer. She didn't even look at her. She just kept cleaning, quiet and cold.
"Lucille!" Mabel shouted.
This time, Lucille slowly turned. Her eyes burned with heat, but her voice was flat. "What?"
"How long have you been here?" Mabel repeated, louder, angrier.
Lucille stared at her with disgust. "Long enough to hear your cracked voice screaming while you lay stiff like a log under a man too lazy to move."
Edward's eyes flew open in shock. He glared at Lucille, rage flaring in his chest. Did she just insult him?
"You're disgusting!" Mabel shouted, her face red, hands shaking with fury.
"What did you just say?" Edward snapped. He sat up quickly, finally grabbing his shirt to cover himself.
Edward turned to Lucille with a sharp glare. "Even if you had to clean, couldn't you wait?" he shouted. The veins on his forehead stood out, his face red with anger.
Lucille flinched a little. He was unbelievable. One moment he didn't care, now he was pretending to be angry? The same man who let her clean while another woman was on top of him?
"With that big brain you think you have, don't you understand the meaning of privacy?" Mabel snapped, her voice rising with rage.
She couldn't believe it. Lucille had been in the room while she was with Edward? Watching their most private moment?
Lucille gave a cold smile. "Your bed partner clearly doesn't care about privacy. Or, does he?" Her eyes slowly moved to Edward. His face was tight, his jaw clenched, a storm brewing behind his eyes.
He had hoped Lucille would be hurt. Maybe cry. After all, she must have known, he was with Mabel, while they were still bonded. He wanted her to feel pained.
But Lucille showed no pain on her face. Just calm. Cold.
"He asked me to clean while you screamed like a dying cat," she said quietly. "And I wasn't about to turn down a free show."
She picked up the bucket and turned to leave, even though her heart was breaking, even though pain clawed deep inside her. Still, she walked out with her head high.
Mabel stared at Edward, stunned. "You asked her to clean?" she asked, her voice low, filled with disbelief. "You really wanted her to watch?"
She shook her head slowly, hurt and confusion in her eyes.
"What kind of stupid question is that?" Edward snapped. "You think I invited her to watch? She's just... just—" he slammed his hand hard on the mattress, too angry to finish his words.
Lucille didn't flinch. She didn't even look back. She was done cleaning, and she had no intention of staying a second longer in that room soaked in the scent of lust and betrayal.
As soon as she got to her room and shut the door behind her, her legs gave out. She fell onto the bed and let go of the tears she had been holding in.
She cried hard.
Every part of her chest ached as she poured out the pain. The sound of their moans echoed in her mind. Mabel's scream of pleasure. Edward's breathy, passionate words.
"Ride it as always."
Those words kept playing over and over in her head like a cruel song.
He had been with another woman, while they were still bonded. But she was the one being punished.
She wasn't crying because Edward slept with Mabel. She was crying because she had been a fool. A victim.
Back in university, she'd heard rumors about Edward and Mabel. People whispered they were dating. But she never believed it. She never saw them together like that, so she ignored the gossip.
Now, it all made sense.
Edward had always known the rules. He knew their mate bond made cheating a crime, if her wolf saw it. So he hid it well. Lied well. And also maltreated her.
Then when she finally broke the bond, giving him the freedom he wanted, he turned around and reported her to the Tribunal Council.
So he could walk free, while she was punished.
Lucille's heart throbbed with pain, so sharp it felt like her chest would split open. Her eyes burned, as if they could bleed from holding back too many tears. She was sure now, Edward wanted her to see what happened. That had to be why he made her clean the room while he was with Mabel. He wanted her to hurt.
"Goddess!" she cried out, her voice shaking with grief.
"Why do you let the innocent suffer?" she sobbed, her body trembling.
All her life, they were taught never to question Selene, their creator. But now, she had to ask. How could the Moon Goddess watch in silence while she was punished like this? How could she allow five years of servitude, in the home of the man who cheated on her?
That wasn't justice. It was cruelty.
Back in Edward's room...
Edward sat on the edge of the bed, his shirt still undone, chest rising and falling with quiet rage. Mabel sat beside him, silent, but her face was stormy.
Who would want to be seen in such an intimate moment? It was humiliating.
Edward's eyes stayed glued to the door Lucille had just walked out of. He couldn't stop thinking about her face, how cold, how unbothered she looked.
She didn't cry. She didn't flinch. She didn't show even a crack in her expression.
And that made his blood boil.
He wanted her to feel something. To feel betrayed. To feel lower than him. To remember that no matter what, he had the upper hand. That he had always been above her.
But she didn't break.
His hands clenched and unclenched on his thighs, jaw tight with frustration.
"This is getting out of hand!" Mabel suddenly snapped, breaking the silence.
"First, she insults me. Now this?" Her eyes blazed with fury.
"She has no respect! No shame!" Mabel's voice rose with every word. "You need to do something about her!"
Her nose flared, her fists clenched. Why hadn't Edward dealt with Lucille yet? Why was it so hard for him to put her in her place?
Who did Lucille think she was?
"You let her leave the first time, and now you've let her leave again," Mabel snapped, her voice full of anger and disbelief.
Edward dragged his hand through his hair, the pressure inside him building fast. Without thinking, he grabbed the glass on the table and hurled it at the wall. It shattered loudly, glass flying in all directions.
Mabel jumped at the sound but didn't back down.
"The glass did nothing!" she shouted, pointing at the broken pieces. "Lucille did!"
Her eyes burned as she stepped closer. "You just broke something innocent, while the one who disrespected me got to walk out unharmed."
If anything was supposed to break into pieces, it should have been Lucille, not the damn glass.
Mabel stood up slowly, clutching the blanket around her bare body. Her steps were calm, but her heart was raging. She headed toward the bathroom, her voice cold as ice.
"If you won't deal with her, then I will."
She wasn't about to let Lucille humiliate her and walk away free, not again.