Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Aria’s POV

I shot to my feet.

My heart slammed against my ribs. Every muscle in my body went rigid.

That voice. I knew that voice.

Finn stepped out from behind a cluster of trees. Moonlight caught his face—jaw tight, eyes burning amber with barely contained rage. His expensive suit was wrinkled. His hair was disheveled. He looked like he’d been searching for hours.

Maybe he had.

"Finn." His name came out flat. Dead.

"Don’t ’Finn’ me." He stalked closer. Each step deliberate. Predatory. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done?"

I took a step back. Then another.

My eyes darted around the empty park. No one. Nothing. Just trees and shadows and the distant hum of traffic.

Where was Kael? He said he was coming. He promised.

"I asked you a question." Finn’s voice dropped lower. Dangerous.

I turned. Started walking away.

His hand clamped around my wrist like a vice.

Pain shot up my arm. I gasped. Tried to pull free.

"Let go of me!"

"Not until you explain yourself." He yanked me around to face him. His grip tightened until I felt bones grinding together. "What the hell is wrong with you, Aria?"

"You’re hurting me—"

"Good!" His eyes blazed. "Maybe pain will knock some sense into that empty head of yours!"

I stopped struggling. Met his gaze head-on.

Something had changed in me. Maybe it was the hours in that cell. Maybe it was my family’s betrayal. Maybe it was the sound of Kael’s voice on the phone, promising to come find me.

I wasn’t afraid anymore.

"Let. Go." My voice came out steady. Calm.

Finn’s eyebrows rose. Surprise flickered across his face. He wasn’t used to this version of me. The version that didn’t cower. Didn’t beg. Didn’t apologize.

"Since when do you give me orders?"

"Since I stopped being your wife."

The words hit him like a slap. His grip loosened—just for a second—before tightening again.

"You think walking away is that easy?" He laughed. The sound was ugly. Bitter. "You think you can just sign some papers and disappear?"

"I already did."

"Lilith had Family Fun Day today." His voice turned sharp. Accusatory. "Every child had their parents there. Every single one. Except ours."

Guilt tried to rise in my chest. I pushed it down.

"I sent you a message," he continued. "Told you exactly where to be. Exactly when. And you just... didn’t show up?"

"She made her choice perfectly clear, Finn. She doesn’t want me. She wants Celestia."

Something flickered in his eyes. He didn’t deny it.

"And grandfather’s birthday dinner?" His jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle twitching. "Mother told everyone we’re hosting tonight. TONIGHT. Do you know what she found when she got to the estate?"

I said nothing.

"Nothing!" He shook me. Hard. "The kitchen was empty! No decorations! No food! No preparations whatsoever!"

"What did you expect?"

"I EXPECTED MY WIFE TO DO HER JOB!"

The roar echoed through the empty park. Birds scattered from nearby trees. The night went silent.

I stared at him. At this man I’d spent five years trying to please. Five years cooking. Cleaning. Organizing. Birthing. Bleeding. Almost dying.

And it still wasn’t enough.

It would never be enough.

"I filed for divorce." My voice was quiet but firm. "I rejected our mate bond. In front of hundreds of witnesses. What part of that wasn’t clear to you?"

"That was just a tantrum—"

"It wasn’t a tantrum, Finn. It was a decision. The first real decision I’ve made in five years."

His face contorted. Rage. Disbelief. Something that almost looked like hurt.

"You can’t just—"

"I can." I lifted my chin. "And I did. So stop bothering me. Go back to Celestia. She’s the one you actually want."

For a moment, he just stared at me. Like he was seeing someone he didn’t recognize.

Then his expression darkened. He grabbed my other wrist now. Both hands trapped. Both arms aching. "That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do! I gave you everything! A home! A family! Status! And you threw it all away for what? Some pathetic fantasy about being loved?"

The word hit like a punch.

Love.

I’d wanted it so badly. Had convinced myself that if I just tried harder, did more, gave everything I had—maybe someday he’d look at me the way he looked at her.

What a fool I’d been.

"Let me go, Finn."

"No."

"I said let me GO!"

I twisted. Pulled. Fought against his grip with everything I had.

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