Chapter 13

Damon watched helplessly as she turned to say something to Rhys, then disappeared into the fitting room to change.

Rhys stepped outside and looked Damon up and down. "So you're Vivi's former fiance?"

He deliberately stressed the word "former."

Damon's expression darkened. "What gives you the right to call her Vivi?"

That pet name had always been reserved for people closest to her.

And this guy—to Ivy, he was nothing more than an Arranged Bond she didn't even want. What gave him the nerve to call her that?

Rhys seemed to enjoy the reaction. He raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I? Vivi is my fiancee. We're having our Marking Ceremony soon. And she's never told me not to call her that."

CRACK—

Damon couldn't take it anymore. He swung his fist straight at Rhys's face.

The smile vanished from Rhys's face. He loosened his tie and was about to hit back, but then he caught sight of Ivy stepping out of the fitting room, already changed.

He stopped himself. Damon had no idea, and seeing Rhys not fighting back, he silently cursed him as a coward and swung again.

"Damon!" Ivy rushed out and shouted at him.

Damon instinctively straightened his clothes and put on a gentle smile.

She still cared enough to acknowledge him. He hadn't lost to this guy yet.

With that thought, he opened his arms, waiting for Ivy to run into them like she had countless times before. Then he'd apologize, and right in front of this guy, he'd ask her to be his mate again.

But the next second, Ivy's actions shattered that fantasy without mercy.

She didn't spare Damon a single glance. She carefully helped Rhys up, her face full of worry as she asked if he was hurt badly, if he was in pain. Only after he said he was fine did she turn coldly to Damon. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Damon felt a sharp sting in his chest. Ivy had never looked at him with such cold eyes before.

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his eyes reddened first. "Ivy, I finally found you. Do you have any idea how much I've missed you—"

Damon poured his heart out, but Ivy was busy checking Rhys's injuries. When she saw the split at the corner of his mouth, she looked at Damon like he was an enemy. "You miss me, so you come all the way to the Capital to beat up my fiance?"

Hearing that word, Rhys instinctively puffed out his chest, looking impossibly proud.

Damon pointed at him in disbelief. "You're calling him your fiance? Then what am I? Ivy, I'm your fiance. We grew up together. You said you'd never be with anyone but me. I—"

Ivy cut him off coldly. "That was before. The moment you started forcing me to step aside for Sienna, over and over again, our past stopped counting."

She didn't want to say another word to him. She steadied Rhys and started to leave.

But hearing what she'd said, Damon's eyes actually brightened.

She'd brought up Sienna. She still cared about Sienna. Everything she was doing now—including bonding with this guy—was just to spite him.

He suddenly felt lighter.

As long as Ivy still cared about him, he'd find a way to make her forgive him.

Once he'd confirmed that, he tried to say more to her, but she was already walking past him with Rhys, eyes straight ahead.

Even after they'd gone some distance, he could still hear Ivy scolding Rhys in a teasing tone. "Are you stupid? Just standing there letting him hit you?"

Rhys gazed at her gently, but his words carried a hint of grievance. "If I'd hit him back and you felt sorry for him, what then? He obviously came here to take you away from me. What if you decided to leave me over it? I'd have nowhere to cry."

Ivy shot him an exasperated look. "There's nothing between us anymore. Why would I feel sorry for him?"

Rhys's eyes lit up. "So the one you feel sorry for is me?"

Ivy was speechless.

Had Damon punched him in the head or something?

Why was he suddenly acting so goofy?

She ignored him, but Rhys refused to let it go, clinging to her, nuzzling against her, demanding an answer.

Damon stood rooted to the spot, staring at the scene, feeling as if something had been ripped wide open inside his chest.

Ivy said there was nothing between them anymore.

She didn't feel sorry for him anymore.

A sudden, sharp pain seized his heart. He doubled over and crouched on the ground, unable to stand for a long time.