I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 114

**TITLE: I Left Before He Learned My Worth**
**Chapter 114**

**ARIA**

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“Motive four: sheer jealousy and unbridled rage. Since you arrived, you’ve been under relentless scrutiny. Judged at every turn, perpetually feeling inadequate. Perhaps, in that pivotal moment in the forest when Ivory accused you of taking everything from her, something inside you shattered, and you reacted in a way that was uncharacteristic.”

The stillness that enveloped the room was almost tangible, a heavy blanket of silence that seemed to suffocate any hope of clarity. I surveyed the faces around me, each one reflecting the same calculations, the same judgments. The motives they discussed were neatly packaged, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. They provided a rationale for why I would commit such an atrocious act.

Yet, the truth—that I hadn’t done anything—felt insignificant against the backdrop of their tidy reasoning.

“I didn’t do this,” I insisted, my voice trembling with a mix of desperation and fear. I hated how small and fragile it sounded in the vastness of the room. “I swear to you, I did not attack Ivory. I was trying to save her.”

“Elder Morrison,” a voice broke through the tension, and I turned to see Martha, the head cook, stepping forward with a commanding presence. “May I speak?”

Morrison paused, weighing the request before nodding. “Briefly.”

Martha strode to the forefront, her formidable stature somehow making the space feel constricted. “I’ve served this pack for forty years,” she began, her voice steady and unwavering. “I’ve witnessed countless Lunas come and go—some admirable, others not so much. In that time, I’ve honed the ability to read people.”

She locked her gaze onto mine, and I braced myself for the impending condemnation that I feared was coming.

“Luna Aria is not a murderer,” Martha declared with unwavering conviction. “Insecure? Yes. Out of her depth? Absolutely. But there is no malice in her heart. I’ve observed her over these past weeks. I’ve seen how she copes with stress, how she reacts when provoked. She cries. She retreats into herself. She pushes herself to do better. She doesn’t retaliate with venom.”

A wave of emotion surged within me, and I felt tears threaten to spill over at this unexpected defense.

“That’s your professional opinion?” Thorne interjected, his voice dripping with barely concealed sarcasm.

“That’s my observation, honed over four decades of watching people navigate pressure,” Martha replied firmly. “And I believe it holds just as much weight as all this speculation about motives.”

“Thank you for your input,” Morrison said, attempting to maintain diplomacy. “Does anyone else wish to speak in Luna Aria’s defense?”

The silence stretched out, thick and suffocating. I scanned the room, desperately searching for someone—anyone—who might rise to my aid.

Celine was present, her expression a mixture of conflict and uncertainty, yet she remained silent. Several pack members I had tried to connect with averted their eyes, and even those who had once shown me kindness seemed reluctant to publicly support me now.

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