My Convicted Wife is My Mate (Bella and Kane) novel Chapter 53

chapter 46
BELLA’S POV

I showered and dressed in silence.

My body still ached from what had happened - the fever, the vomiting, the endless hours of fighting my own body.

I didn’t know how I was even standing. Maybe I wasn’t healed. Maybe I was just too stubborn to fall apart.

Rather than hiking back through the woods, Kane decided to take us through town. He didn’t ask if I was up for it. He just started walking, and I followed. That was Kane. He was always in control, always steady, as if the world itself would move out of his way if he told it to.

A bus was waiting at the corner stop when we reached the road. It was nearly empty, except for the driver who looked half asleep behind the wheel.

We climbed aboard, and I expected Kane to take one of the many vacant rows, maybe give me space to think. But he didn’t. He sat right beside me, close enough that his shoulder brushed mine.

I was too tired to question it. Too drained to care.

As the bus moved down the road, I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “For trying.”

He didn’t answer. But I felt the quiet rise and fall of his chest under my cheek. His silence wasn’t cold. It was thoughtful. The kind of silence that said more than words could.

We stayed that way for the ride. I closed my eyes and listened to the low sound of the bus engine, to the city drawing closer. Part of me wished we could’ve stayed in the cabin longer.

But after everything, it was probably better that we had left quickly. Kane’s heightened senses must have picked up more than I’d have wanted him to.

When the bright lights of the city came into view, I sat up. We were passing through Pack Silverwood territory. My chest tightened as I spotted a massive billboard glowing in the distance. It was Damien and Gina. In the photo on the billboard, they were both smiling. They looked perfect, shining like a royal couple above the city skyline.

I groaned quietly.

Kane looked down at me. “What?”

I pointed out the window. “That.”

His eyes followed my finger. He didn’t react outwardly, but I could feel the shift in his energy. He understood.

“They really like their faces plastered everywhere,” I muttered.

Kane’s eyes stayed on the billboard for a moment longer before returning to me.

“You knew him well.” It wasn’t a question.

I sighed. “We used to date.”

That caught his attention. His brows lifted slightly, but his expression stayed calm “What happened with you two?”

Another billboard flashed past us. It was another photo of Damien and Gina. They looked flawless, in love, untouchable. It made me sick. I wondered how Kathy must be feeling now. I also wondered what made them break up. He moved on with Gina quickly, too quickly. Typical Damien. .

“Grand gestures are fine for fairy tales,” I said bitterly. “But that? That’s not love. That’s power. Those ads are a message. They want people to see them and think perfection.” I paused. “I wonder how Kathy felt every time she saw them.”

Kane didn’t interrupt, just watched me quietly.

“We dated for a few years,” I continued. “Met when I was still in college. After I finished my degree, we talked about mating, marriage… a life together.”

Kane hummed softly. “Oh?”

I laughed under my breath. “You must think it’s unbelievable that someone like me was ever his girlfriend.”

He didn’t reply. He just waited.

I let out a deep breath “But then came the night everything fell apart. There was a banquet..” My throat tightened. “My sister, Kathy…she never really liked me. I swear, Kane. I didn’t poison that woman. I would never do that to anyone”

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