"I want to eat cake," Ivana responded, completely ignoring Caleb's rant. Her eyes were fixed on the take-away cake box that Caleb seemed to have purposely placed far from her. But he had put it on the dining table outside the room, clearly visible from Ivana's current position if the door was open.
Ivana was lying. In a situation like this, there was no way she would have an appetite. She glanced at Caleb, wanting to see his reaction to her request, and his eyebrows furrowed sharply. "If you want cake, ask the maid to make some. Don't even think about asking for the cake on the table because it's Daphne's birthday cake."
Caleb and his sharp attention. He seemed to notice where Ivana had been looking earlier. But Ivana wasn't about to give up. "This is a request from the baby in my belly."
A long sigh was heard again, this time it really sounded annoyed. "Do you know you demand too much? Have you forgotten you're a Luna? Act like a Luna. No Luna would selfishly think of taking a child's cake just because an unborn baby wants it. Don’t be ridiculous, Ivana! I'm tired; I'm going to take a shower."
He left Ivana alone with his phone lying on the bedside table. Ivana's chest felt tight hearing Caleb's refusal. Honestly, this wasn't the first time he rejected Ivana's small requests. But the pain felt magnified many times over because Ivana had just learned about her husband's affair.
Caleb's phone suddenly rang. Ivana had a feeling it was Chloe, and sure enough, a message from Chloe came in. Coincidentally, Caleb forgot to close the chat room, so Ivana could read their previous chats.
"I want chocolate cake from The Chocolatier. My baby is craving it right now."
Ivana sighed deeply. Was Caleb trying to kill Beta Alden’s daughter? She had a chocolate allergy. Furthermore, Ivana was close enough to Daphne, Beta Alden’s daughter, to know that Daphne's birthday was still two months away.
Ivana knew Caleb was lying, but she still bought into the lie, then comforted herself with false hope.
"I saw strawberries on my way home and bought them for you. I heard pregnant women love sour delicacies," Caleb replied.
Ivana pondered, remembering how often she had told Caleb that pregnant women liked sour foods and how often she had asked Caleb to buy her sour strawberries. But he never bought her strawberries, only other sour fruits, and even then, only occasionally.
"Are you going to share them with Luna Ivana?"
"Of course not. I don't give her anything; all the best is for you and the baby in your belly. I will even divorce her after she gives birth to the heir."
"Why didn't you divorce her earlier?"
"You know it wasn't the right time to divorce her when she had just miscarried because she was getting public sympathy. It would have been bad for my image in front of everyone."
"Alright, I'll be patient a little longer. You know this is for you."
Caleb had been planning to divorce Ivana for a long time. 'Is his reluctance towards me that strong? Then why did Caleb marry me even though he didn't really want me?' Ivana's heart ached.
And then, she realized. The heir. This was the reason Caleb kept Ivana. The Moon Goddess said that Ivana was his mate, and the children she bore would be the best heirs for the Summerstone Pack.
So all this time, in Caleb's eyes, Ivana was nothing more than a tool for producing offspring. And in the future, her baby would be treated the same way.
Ivana took photos of their chat as evidence, then returned Caleb's phone to its original place. Outside, dark clouds made the afternoon feel like night, and heavy rain poured down. Ivana still hoped Caleb would do something to dispel her assumptions.
"I’m going to Beta Alden’s house, then we’ll head to the neighboring pack to handle pack business. I’ll be back in two days," Caleb said after finishing his shower and getting dressed.
"Can’t you cancel it and ask Beta Alden to handle it himself? I think... I need you here," Ivana pleaded with a hopeful look.
Caleb's movements halted, his eyes gazing at Ivana with consideration. Ivana's heart pounded, waiting to see if Caleb would choose her this time. Her mate slowly walked towards Ivana, then sat beside her and gently stroked her swollen belly.
"Does your body feel strange? Like signs of contractions? Didn't you say the doctor said your condition was good?" Caleb asked flatly. It was a gesture Ivana noted every time he held back his anger, he would speak in a flat tone.
Ivana weakly shook her head. "I'm fine, I just want you to be with me," she replied softly.
Caleb's phone rang again, and all his attention returned to the phone, or more precisely, to Chloe the witch. A thin smirk appeared on Caleb's face, which quickly disappeared when he realized his wife was watching him.
"Sorry, Ivana. But I can't. Learn to put yourself after the pack's interests, okay? If you feel you need company, call your mother to come here. I'm off," Caleb firmly refused.
"But it's raining outside..." Ivana's last attempt to keep Caleb by her side failed. Caleb moved quickly like the wind, leaving Ivana alone in bitterness.
Of course, for Chloe whom he loved, even the worst storm would be braved by Caleb. Ivana sighed deeply, holding her tears and strengthening herself.
"Mommy will gather more evidence, my child. Let's hope that your father can still be saved," Ivana said to the baby in her womb. With determination, she got up and grabbed her coat, camera, and wallet, then hurried downstairs to find a taxi.
Sometimes coincidences come at frightening timings. The drizzle would make it difficult to find a taxi, let alone conduct surveillance. But fate hadn't abandoned her, a taxi was seen driving towards her and stopped after she waved.
"Please take me to White Villa," Ivana said after sitting in the taxi. The old driver nodded, and they immediately headed towards the house Ivana had given to Chloe.
Sure enough, Caleb's black sedan was already parked there. He got out of the car carrying the cake he brought for Chloe. Ivana asked the driver to stop a bit far from them and took out her camera to record all the evidence.
Ivana’s tears fell as she witnessed how warm Caleb was towards Chloe. He even knelt to kiss Chloe's belly, greeted by Chloe’s feminine laughter.
"Letting go of a man who betrays you will be better for you and your child, Madam. Rather than letting your child grow up seeing his mother hurt by a cheating father."
The old driver gave Ivana wise advice while handing her a box of tissues. Ivana nodded, wiped her tears, and resolved to watch their further affection.
Caleb opened the door for Chloe, fastened her seatbelt while stealing a small kiss on her cheek. All those gestures were gracefully accepted by Chloe. They then left, and Ivana asked the driver to follow them.
