CHAPTER 113: NOT GOOD AT LYING...

"Who does she think she is?" Emerald muttered as she paced her room.

The door shut with a solid thud behind her, but it didn’t silence the storm roaring in her head. She kicked off her shoes and let her hair down, tossing the tie onto a chair without thinking. Her thoughts kept spinning in circles, repeating the same words over and over.

"You’ll never be what Adrien needs."

"You’re a whore."

The gall. The absolute delusional confidence Seraphina had when she said it, like she truly believed it. Like she knew... knew that Adrien still loved her.

Emerald’s blood boiled. She clenched her fists and exhaled harshly.

Just then, there was a loud knock at the door.

Adrien.

She didn’t have to ask.

The door opened a second later, and Adrien stepped inside. His brows were drawn, and his expression was unreadable. Emerald straightened, every nerve in her body still wired from earlier.

"I was just about to come find you," she said. "We need to talk..."

"What happened?" he cut her off. "In the council room."

Her mouth closed.

"What do you mean, ’what happened’?" she asked slowly.

"With Seraphina," he clarified. "I heard you struck her."

Emerald stared at him. "Are you seriously asking me that right now?"

Adrien exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Em... it doesn’t look good. You hit her in front of half the council. That kind of thing spreads fast. People are going to take sides."

She blinked at him. "You think I care about ’sides’? She called me a whore. You think I was just supposed to smile and sip tea while she publicly disrespected me like that?"

"I’m not saying she was right," Adrien said. "But you hitting her first gives her more power. It gives the council something to hold onto. A reason to view her more favourably."

Emerald’s jaw clenched. "Right. Because it’s all about appearances, isn’t it?"

"Em..."

"No," she said firmly. "You don’t get to lecture me about what’s appropriate when she’s the one starting fires everywhere. You didn’t hear the way she spoke to me. She was practically gloating. She knew exactly what she was doing."

Adrien looked frustrated. "I’m not defending her."

"It sure sounds like you are," she snapped. "You always get like this when she’s around."

"That’s not fair."

"No? Because to me, it sounds exactly like the kind of thing someone says when they haven’t gotten over their ex."

Adrien’s expression hardened. "That’s not what this is about."

She gave a cold laugh. "You’re right. It’s about the way she looks at you like you still belong to her. And the worst part? You don’t stop her."

Adrien’s eyes narrowed. "You think I want her back?"

"I think you haven’t let her go."

He took a step toward her. "Em. Don’t do this."

"Why not?" she challenged. "Because it’s true?"

"I told you before, I have a mate, and that’s you."

"But she was your first bond," Emerald said bitterly. "Your first love. Your first everything, wasn’t she?"

Adrien didn’t answer right away.

That was her answer.

Emerald stared at him, something heavy sinking in her chest. "You still love her."

"No," he said immediately. "No, I don’t."

She shook her head. "You’re not good at lying to me, Adrien. You never were."

"I don’t love her, Em. She hurt me. She left."

"But you still have space for her, don’t you? Even after everything?"

Adrien stared down, not saying a word, but his expression said it all.

"Why is she even still here?" Emerald demanded. "Why are you letting her stay?"

"She hasn’t done anything to warrant exile."

"She rejected you, humiliated you, ran away, and now she’s back, trying to claw her way into power. What more do you need?"

Adrien clenched his jaw. "You think I don’t see that?"

"Then act like it!" Emerald said sharply. "Because right now it looks like you’re letting her walk all over everything just because you can’t bring yourself to cut her off."

Adrien’s fists tightened at his sides. "I’m trying to be fair. I have a responsibility to the pack. I can’t act on impulse."

"But it’s fine when the impulse is about me, right?" she snapped. "You can scold me for defending myself, but you’ll let her spread poison right under your nose?"

"This isn’t about fairness or logic, Adrien. This is about you still being tangled in her."

He looked at her, his mouth opening and closing like he wanted to argue, but couldn’t find the words.

"Say it," Emerald said. "Say she means nothing to you. Say you don’t still think about her."

"I don’t..."

"Don’t lie to me."

Adrien exhaled harshly. "I’m not lying. I’m just..."

"Confused?" Emerald cut in. "Torn? Still holding onto something that should’ve died years ago?"

His silence said everything.

"I should’ve known," she whispered almost to herself. "It’s always the same, isn’t it? The girl who stays loyal is the one who gets betrayed. First Rick, now you."

Adrien blinked. "This isn’t the same as what happened with Rick."

"Isn’t it?" she asked. "Because I remember how he looked at Alia. The same way you still look at her. Like there’s unfinished business. Like a piece of you never moved on."

Adrien stepped closer. "Don’t compare me to him."

"Then stop acting like him."

They stared at each other in silence, and for a brief second, Emerald’s entire chest ached.

"I should go," she said finally.

"Em... please..."

"No. Don’t."

"You’re overthinking..."

"I’m not overthinking anything," she said, her voice shaking. "I see it clearly now. I always saw it, I just didn’t want to admit it. So I’ll just leave, and you can have her as she wanted."

Adrien stepped closer to her, speaking gently. "Please. Don’t do this. Don’t walk out."

Emerald’s hand balled into a fist at her side. For a second, she considered telling him everything. The rogue meetings, the council collusion, the possibility that Seraphina was involved in his brother’s death.

She wanted to scream it. She wanted to throw it in his face and say, "This is what you’re protecting. This is what you’re still drawn to."

But she didn’t.

Instead, she shook her head. "Get out of my room."

Adrien blinked. "Em..."

"Now."

"You’re being unreasonable."

"No," she said, walking past him toward the door. "I’m being someone who’s done being second-best."

"Don’t be like this."

Her voice lowered. "Don’t make me become something worse."

Adrien felt like a statue, frozen in place. His shoulders were tight with tension.

But Emerald didn’t give him a chance to say anything more. Instead, she opened the door and stormed off, leaving Adrien alone in the room.