Beneath the Broken Vows

Andrew's words were like ice, delivered without a trace of emotion, and they hung in the air, slicing through the silence between them.

Cecilia remained motionless, gazing at the door while Andrew walked away down the hallway, his harsh final words lingering in her thoughts. I want a divorce. The quietness of the room closed in on her, suffocating and void. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she gripped her dress tightly, seeking stability amidst the turmoil within her.

The night was filled with painful silence. Each time she shut her eyes, visions of Andrew and Vivian crowded her thoughts. The kindness in his eyes that she had never felt, Of his touch that was always just beyond her grasp. It seemed like a cruel turn of events, serving as a reminder that she had always been an outsider, even within her marriage.

The following day, Cecilia woke up early, moving with sluggish and heavy steps. She headed towards the distant corner of the Blackwood property, arriving at a tiny, isolated cottage where Elara, an older member of the Blackwood family, lived. Elara had consistently provided comfort, being the only one in this cold, apathetic environment to offer Cecilia a sense of warmth and compassion.

As Cecilia approached, she noticed Elara watering her garden, her hands moving with practiced ease over the plants. The elder's eyes, sharp and wise, softened as she caught sight of Cecilia's weary expression.

"Child," Elara murmured, a hint of concern in her voice. "What brings you here so early?"

Cecilia stepped closer, feeling the weight of her sorrow ease as she sighted her. "Elara... I need to discuss something with you." She hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's about Vivian. Andrew, my husband requested a divorce and I am aware it is because of Vivian."

Elara stopped her hands and glanced up, her eyes narrowing a bit. "Did you say, Vivian?"

"Yes," Cecilia replied, a faint tremor in her voice. "I saw them together yesterday. Andrew... " She swallowed, fighting back the bitterness. "He wants a divorce. And now, I don't even know what to do anymore."

Elara's expression changed, and she gestured for Cecilia to sit. " I thought that by now, Andrew must have been over Vivian but it seems that I'm wrong about that. Vivian has been Andrew's first love but because of Vivian's ambitious life, she left Andrew to study abroad.

This sent a chill down Cecilia's spine. She had always been aware of Andrew's relationship with Vivian, but she had never fully grasped the extent of their bond or ties.

"Her connection to Andrew... seems to be really strong for them to be still having an affair, even though Andrew is already married to you." Elara's eyes were steady, and it made Cecilia's heart race with both fear and worry.

"But why? Why wouldn't he forget about her and focus on our marriage least it would have been better for me if ...?" Before Cecilia could complete her statement, Elara interrupted her, politely

"You don't need to make any excuses for anybody, my child. Just do whatever that pleases you."

Cecilia's heart tightened. At that specific instant, she was aware that the life she had created with Andrew was simply a mirage. The betrayal was painful, but her survival instincts prompted her to detach from the situation.

"Thank you, Elara," she said quietly, her gaze resolute. "I need to leave this place, now."

Elara nodded, her eyes sympathetic. "Do whatever that pleases you, child. And remember that you're a strong woman, and there is nothing you can't overcome."

As Cecilia left the cottage, a new determination burned in her chest. She came back to the mansion, determined to follow a surprising new journey. She hastily gathered her possessions, her hands moving in silence and anger as she packed what was left of her life into one suitcase.

Leaving behind this realization and all of the other memories of his house, Cecilia opens the front door ready to run and never look back.

Except, as soon as she opens the door, she can't go because Vivian stands right in front of her. Vivian lowers her hand which Cecilia assumed was just about ready to knock. She must be hallucinating. Only when Vivian pushes her aside and steps into their house.

"Well, don't seem so surprised to see me," Vivian says, stepping past Cecilia and coming into their house. While Cecilia leaves it sickens her.

"I was part of the pack after all." Cecilia closed her mouth when she realized that it was hanging open.

"What are you doing here?" Cecilia asked though she was not sure if she could stand whatever the answer might be. Vivia looked pleased that she asked, letting a sly smile spread across her face.

"I think it's only fair that you know,"

"Know what?" Cecilia asked the impatience chipping away at her tone. Vivian inspects her well-polished nails.

"That Andrew and I are in love and I am carrying his child. So I'm here to move in because now that I'm pregnant Andrew said he would take good care of me," she exclaimed much too happily.

"What?' Cecilia seethed.

"That's true," she continued, "so you should get out of our house."

"You are pregnant?" Those words suddenly leave a bad taste in Cecilia's mouth compared to how she was feeling earlier. It all makes sense now. The time Andrew spent away and seeing them together at the hospital, now make sense to her. As the moment passes, reality becomes solidified as her heart becomes like stone, harder and harder.

Just then the sound of the back door opening cuts through the air. "Andrew!" Vivian cries out as though she's relieved to see him, She clutches her stomach and paints on a pained look. "Cecilia just pushed me, she wants to hurt my baby."

A flash of anger flashes Andrew's face and he pushes Cecilia aside. " What is wrong with you, Cecilia?" Andrew yells. " I didn't know that you are so wicked." He believes Vivian automatically, not even asking Cecilia for her opinion. It's obvious to her that Andrew chose Vivian over her.

With Cecilia's wolf howling in pain and her heart freezing over. Cecilia laughed coldly. "Thank you for making everything clear," she says.

"I, Cecilia reject Andrew as my mate," Cecilia says the word shakily. She feels the bond snap within, causing a jolt of indescribable pain.

"What are you doing?" Andrew snaps.

Cecilia cast one final glance at Andrew, knowing it would be the last time she would ever see him, he stared back at her with wide eyes and his jaw slack. "We are done," Cecilia tells him and as the words leave her mouth, it becomes even more certain that something in her snaps as she can physically feel it.

Cecilia runs past Vivian, tears blurring her vision.

The weight of her luggage felt heavier as if tethered to memories she was finally ready to release.

The spiritual link between Andrew and Cecilia is broken and that is what causes her to howl out in pain.

In her daze, one thing is clear, that she must be dying.