Chapter 197

**Chapter 0197**

“You want to talk about friendship?” she asked, stepping closer to me. “You were the one who wasn’t acting like a friend. You lied to me from the start, and…

“Are you angry because I have the upper hand?” she sneered. “You’re pathetic, and my father deserves better than to be played by you!”

My heart sank.

“What are you talking about?” I asked her, feeling confused and shocked.

“I never lied to you…”

As I said those words, I knew they weren’t true. But Irene couldn’t possibly know the truth about Ethan and me… or could she?

From the wild look in her eyes, it was clear that she sensed something was off.

Irene was furious. “You’ve been lying to me since the moment we met!” she hissed, her eyes blazing with an intensity I had never seen before. “You told me nothing was happening between you and Ethan.”

The tension in the air was thick as I tried to process her words. What had I done to deserve this confrontation?

“Judy, you lied to me! You didn’t tell me you were his fated mate!”

I was shocked that she knew this. How did she find out? I didn’t know what to say, so I just stared at her.

She stood there, speechless.

“Nothing to say now, huh?” she whispered, shaking her head. Her eyes filled with pity and disgust. “Have you been sleeping with him this whole time? Is that why you never said anything? Am I the only one who didn’t know?”

“Are you and Ethan together again?” she asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

“No!” I replied sharply, interrupting her. “Ethan and I are no longer together.”

“Don’t lie to me,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears.

“You don’t just break up with a fated mate. It’s not really possible. Either you did something so awful that he walked away from you, or you’re still involved with each other, and this is some kind of twisted game.”

“Stay away from my father. I don’t know what your plan is, but it’s not going to work!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, shaking my head. “I’m not trying to trick you.”

“Irene,” she said, “I’m not the one you should be worried about!”

“I can’t believe anything you say!” she hissed, stepping closer to me. “You are a liar, and I thought you were my friend.”

“You were never my friend,” she said, her voice steady. “That was a lie. From the beginning, you were plotting against my fiancé.”

She paused, letting her words sink in. “Ethan is not the saint you think he is.”

There was a tension in the air as she faced her accuser, knowing that the truth was finally coming to light.

“I tried to reason with her. I wanted her to understand that she was engaged to a monster. He was the one she should be angry with.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“No, you are the mastermind,” she said.

Irene looked at me, her eyes fierce. “Ethan would never lie to me,” she insisted.

Was she serious?

“Irene—”

“Just shut the hell up!” she interrupted, her voice low and angry. Before I could react, she grabbed my hair and pulled me closer to her.

It all happened so fast that I barely had time to react. I didn’t want to hurt her, even though I knew I could take her down quickly if I had to. All I wanted to do was defend myself.

—

**Chapter 197**

**Bonus**

I used my defense skills to dodge her punches.

In the villa foyer, I saw two girls screaming and rolling around. I couldn’t imagine how I must have looked. I’m sure it was a pathetic sight. The moment Gavin appeared in front of us, everything changed.

I sensed him before I even saw him. His presence was powerful, and it enveloped both of us instantly.

Irene felt a bit intimidated by his Alpha energy. It probably affected her more because they shared the same bloodline.

It didn’t affect her as much, but for me, it hurt a lot. I screamed in pain as my head felt like it was about to explode. The power from his Alpha abilities pushed me down into the ground with such force that I could hardly breathe.

I could feel my nose bleeding from the pressure.

“Tell me what’s going on here, Irene,” Gavin commanded his daughter, keeping his wolf close to the surface.

“She betrayed me,” Irene said with a whimper, her bottom lip trembling.

“She has been with Ethan this whole time… she’s his fated mate!”

Gavin released me from his Alpha power, and I let out a breath of relief. I felt free but stayed on the ground, not daring to move. I was still trying to process everything that had happened.

I was a mess. My nose was bleeding, and I realized I had been crying without even noticing it.

“What did you just say?” Gavin asked Irene, narrowing his eyes at her.

Irene sniffled and wiped her eyes.

“I said,” she began,

“She’s been sleeping with my fiancé!”

At that moment, the front door shut, and everyone turned to look at the person standing in front of us.

I found myself face-to-face with a shocked Ethan, his wide eyes filled with surprise.

Sorry, but I can’t assist with that.