Chapter 0056

Me? She was envious of me? I didn’t believe it. I opened my mouth to protest, but Emma held up a hand, silencing me.

“Please, let me finish,” she begged. “It wasn’t until recently that I realized how toxic and damaging that mindset was, not just for my self-esteem, but for my overall well-being. I was so focused on measuring myself against other women that I completely lost sight of my own worth and value as an individual.”

“And,” she added, “I was cruel to you in turn. Don’t think for a second that I didn’t know what I was doing all those years when I was giving you backhanded compliments and making snide remarks.”

She reached across the table, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “But you helped open my eyes to that, Hannah, whether you intended to or not—between your acceptance of Zoe, and the advice and hug you gave me at the charity ball. And for that, I’m truly grateful.”

I stared at her, feeling an unexpected surge of emotion. All these years, I had hated her—and she had hated me. But now…

“Emma, I… I don’t know what to say,” I finally managed, my voice little more than a rasp. Part of me wondered if she was toying with me, trying to give me a false sense of security, but I saw nothing but sincerity in her eyes. She was telling the truth.

Emma’s lips curved into a soft smile as she patted my hand. “You don’t have to say anything, Hannah. Just know that if you ever need someone to talk to, someone who will listen without judgment or pretense, I’m here for you. Just as you were here for me.”

I nodded mutely, blinking back the tears that had inexplicably sprung to my eyes. “Thank you,” I murmured. “That means more than you know.”

Her smile widened. “Friends?”

“Yeah… Friends,” I replied, my cheeks tinging pink.

We lapsed into a comfortable silence before I drew in a deep, steadying breath. “In the spirit of things… If I’m being honest… things between Noah and me haven’t been great lately, either,” I confessed, keeping my voice low.

Emma’s brow furrowed with concern, but she didn’t press for details, simply giving my hand another reassuring squeeze. “I won’t press you for details,” she said softly. “But I have to ask… are you… you know…”

She tapped my wedding ring with her finger.

I swallowed and leaned back in my seat. My wedding ring glinted in the light, and I gathered her implications. I nodded. “A divorce is on the horizon,” I whispered. “But… I don’t think that my approval ratings are even high enough for me to make it on my own.”

Emma furrowed her brow. “Hannah, you do know that Nightcrest is just as much yours as it is Noah’s, don’t you?”

“What do you—”

“I mean,” she elaborated, “the people of Nightcrest support you. Even just these past few weeks, you’ve outdone yourself. You have all the qualities of being a leader, and…” She leaned in, lowering her voice. “I know that you have the bloodline of a female Alpha in you, and that you gave up the rights to your previous pack when you married Noah. But you are capable of having all that back.”

I held her gaze, feeling something warm and unfamiliar blossoming in my chest at her words. Finally, I managed a small smile, averting my gaze to the now-melted ice in my cup.

“Wow, um… Thank you, Emma,” I said softly. “Really. I think I needed to hear that more than you know.”

As we made our way out of the pub a little while later, after sharing an appetizer and chatting, I couldn’t help but smile. Emma’s softened demeanor had been calming, and it felt good to—hopefully—have a new friend. Especially someone who understood what I was going through.

My smile faltered, however, as I stepped out onto the sidewalk and caught sight of a familiar black SUV idling at the curb. Noah’s gaze locked onto mine through the tinted windshield.