Iris's POV
Several moments later, after Zara left, I stood in that hallway, trying to gather together the remnants of my composure.
How did it come to this? How had I been so blind, so trusting? Probably because he had been my fated mate, so I had nothing to suspect him of.
I had sacrificed everything for Jake—my time, my trust, my love. And what had he given me in return? Lies, betrayal, and humiliation.
I walked out of the bathroom feeling miserable. I felt like I was living in a nightmare that refused to end.
As I stepped out, I immediately noticed that Jake's arm was wrapped around Zara. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion when I saw that he was consoling her, her eyes were red, like someone who had been crying.
The moment Jake lifted his head and saw me, his expression darkened. I was confused, but I ignored it as I went to tell him to tell him that I was going home.
“Jake, I—”
Before I could even react, his fist slammed into my face. Pain exploded through my cheek as I fell to the ground, clearly not expecting it.
Instinctively, one of my hands rushed to protect my stomach, while the other clutched my cheek as I stared up at Jake in shock. My ears rang as I tried to process what had just happened. Jake, my fated mate, had just hit me.
I could hear the gasps of the nearby pack members as they watched in shock.
“Jake!” I cried out as I gave him a look of disbelief.
However, his eyes were filled with rage as he stepped toward me. Zara stood behind him, and when I caught her eyes, she smirked mischievously before she quickly changed her facial expression to an expression of pure innocence.
“How could you?” Jake growled venomously. “How could you do this, Iris?!” He bellowed.
Tears had already welled up in my eyes from the pain of his fist.
“What did I do?” I cried softly.
“How dare you lay your hands on Zara?” He snapped in anger, his eyes blazing with anger.
“What?” I whispered, my voice trembling as I wondered what he was talking about.
I glanced between Jason and Zara in total confusion with tears streaming down my face. Jake had never hit me before, so I was shocked.
“She told me everything,” Jake cut me off with an accusing tone. “You cornered her in the hallway, said horrible things, and hit her! She’s been nothing but kind to you, Iris, and this is how you treat her?”
My heart shattered at his words. He believed her. Without question, without even asking for my side of the story, he believed Zara’s lies.
“I didn’t touch her,” I said softly, willing him to believe me. “I swear, Jake, I would never—”
“Enough!” he roared with spittle flying out of his mouth, “You’ve humiliated me enough, Iris. You shouldn’t have come here.” He spat disdainfully.
Even though I tried to stop it, I couldn’t help but sob out in pain. The betrayal, the humiliation—it was just too much.
Zara stepped forward, and placed a gentle hand on Jake’s arm as if she was trying to calm him, but her eyes shone with glee and delight. “Jake, please,” she said softly, her voice shaking. “I don’t want to cause trouble between the two of you, just let it go.”
Her voice was filled with concern, but clearly she was enjoying every second of this.
Jake shook his head with cold eyes, clenching his jaw tightly. “No. She’s crossed the line. There’s nothing to explain. Go home!”
I felt the eyes of the entire room on me, and I felt so humiliated. However, the humiliation didn’t hurt as much as the betrayal. I stared at Jake, my mate, the man I had trusted and loved for five years, who had just turned on me.
