The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 355

Bianca’s POV

I couldn’t believe I had lowered myself to this.

Just a few days ago, I had been at the top of the world. I had spent my holiday break living in Callum’s parents’ expensive mansion, being treated like a queen. Or rather, like a princess.

Everything was falling into place. Even though Callum had been distant from me throughout the break, often treating me like a stranger, we were still engaged to be wed. That was all that mattered, truly, at the end of the day.

The world felt right. Like finally, after spending my entire life as a nobody, I was getting everything I deserved. The future didn’t matter—Callum’s anger over my true identity, if it ever came out, could be a problem for another day so long as I had that ring on my finger and that title before my name.

But now here I was, just a couple of weeks into the new semester that was supposed to be the deciding moment for my future, lower than the dirt that the worms crawled through.

I was… pathetic.

Instead of marrying Callum and having my happily ever after as a Luna, I was now sitting there in a dark alleyway, wearing a disguise so as not to be noticed. Watching as the guy that I was supposed to marry mere days ago, before everything fell apart, went on a date with another.

And he wasn’t on a date with just anyone, either. He was on a date with Liora—not the wolfless nobody that I initially thought she was, but the princess I had been impersonating for months.

The moment I had figured out who she truly was, dread had settled in my belly and it hadn’t gone away. Liora had sat there and just let me impersonate her all semester, probably laughing behind my back, waiting to swoop in and crush everything beneath the heel of her shoe.

Nothing I came up with, no plan to manipulate or drag Callum back to my side, seemed sufficient now. Not when Liora was the female Alpha and could utterly destroy my life forever in the span of a few moments.

It terrified me. Because it not only meant that she knew I had been lying for months, but it also meant that she was taking Callum away from me—my one chance to finally make something of myself as the unwanted child of a fucking whore—and that she may have even told him the truth already. Perhaps they even had a plan already to ruin my reputation entirely.

I couldn’t let that happen. Not after all of the work I had done to get this far. So I had been following them all day, ever since Callum tried to give her those flowers. I watched the race. The date.

The kiss.

I knew about their previous little trysts, of course. Neither of them exactly tried to hide it; I could always scent them on each other like a cheap perfume whenever it happened.

But that had been different. Back then, at least Callum still wore a ring on his finger that was supposed to bind him to me. I didn’t think much of whatever they had going on between them; it pissed me off, yes, but at least I knew that, at the end of the day, Callum had no choice but to return to me.

This kiss, however, wasn’t like those other times at all. This one was soft and lingering, like true lovers. They held each other like they cared, not like mere victims of a sudden burst of unwanted passion.

They kissed each other like they were in love.

And it made my heart shatter into a million pieces.

After class, I finally decided to make my move. Liora was packing up her things by the edge of the field, breathless from class. That girl, Mia, was standing beside her, along with one of the other wolfless. Perfect.

I still hated that I was doing this. But what other choice did I have? It was either this, grovel and play the victim and apologize like I actually cared, all for the sake of rising to the princess’s side, or…

Or nothing. Because Callum wouldn’t choose me again once he found out the truth about Liora’s identity. Not willingly.

But if I could get close to her, convince her that Callum was no good, urge her to pick another man, then maybe I could swoop in and win Callum back. In fact, maybe Liora and our father would even consider putting in a good word for me.

It was a long shot, but there was nothing else I could think of doing right now.

I took a deep breath and pulled my shoulders back. Not too much—I didn’t want to seem haughty—but just enough to come across as confident and open.

Liora glanced up at me, doing a double take, as I walked across the field.

I stopped in front of her. Then bowed my head and looked at the ground.

“Liora,” I said, “I’m sorry for how I treated you and the other wolfless last semester. Please accept my humble apology.”