<b>Chapter </b>8


    Summer‘ POV


    <b>I </b>arrived at Felix’s room to find the door half–open and the room in chaos.


    Moore–Suzanna’s son–was stomping gleefully on something, looking proud of himself.


    Felix<b>, </b>still in his pajamas, was sitting on the floor, pale and visibly panicked, his eyes filled with fear and humiliation.


    One hand was covering his face. The other was reaching out, trying desperately to grab the prosthetic eye Moore was stepping on –but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach it.


    <b>“</b>Don’t step on it! That’s my eye!”


    His voice shook as tears streamed down his cheeks, his throat hoarse from crying.


    “Mama… he’s stomping on my eye…<b>” </b>


    His cries were helpless, fragile–and hearing them felt like someone was crushing my heart in their fist.


    It hurt.


    It hurt so much.


    <b>I </b>rushed to him without thinking, pulling him into my arms protectively.


    Moore, startled, slipped and fell to the floor, immediately bursting into loud wails.


    <b>“</b>Mommy! Help! The meandy hit me!”


    He rolled on the floor<b>, </b>clutching his knee, crying so loudly it echoed through the entire hallway.


    Before I could react to him, I heard the sharp click of high heels approaching fast.


    Suzanna burst through the doorway, her face twisting when she saw Moore crying on the floor.


    She stormed toward me, her gaze burning with fury.


    <b>“</b><b>You </b>darey a hand on my son?” she hissed, raising her hand as if to strike me.


    But midway through the motion, she seemed to remember something. Her hand paused midair.


    Then–her lips curled into <b>a </b>smile. Cold. Dangerous.


    And deeply, disturbingly satisfied.


    “Luna Summer<b>,</b>” she said, her voice sweet <b>as </b>poison.


    “Do you think Moore’s new eye looks good?”


    The malice in her eyes hit me like a punch to the chest.


    And in that moment, I realized


    This might be the opening, I needed.


    I <b>pushed </b>down the rage boiling inside me and slowly slipped my hand into my pocket, discreetly tapping the voice recording button on my phone.


    “The doctor said Moore’s <b>eye </b>had issues<b>,</b>” she began<b>, </b>casually.


    “They thought he might lose his vision. As soon as Alpha Foster found out, <b>he </b>started searching nationwide for apatible donor.”


    Sheughed lightly, full of pride.


    “Who would’ve thought this new eye would work so well? No rejection<b>, </b>noplications. It’s even healthier than the one he had before.”


    She paused, then looked at me with false innocence.


    “Who do you think it came from? I really should thank that little ‘donor.“”


    Felix’s crying suddenly stopped. (1)


    He buried his face deeper into my chest, his small body trembling violently.


    Suzanna clearly noticed the shift. Amused, she leaned closer to Felix, her voice low and venomous, like a snake whispering in


    the dark:


    “There were plenty of matches avable, you know? But your daddy–he wanted to be extra sure the transnt would be a sess. So, he handpicked a donor. A five–year–old boy. The doctors said it was the safest option.”


    She straightened and gave me a meaningful smile.


    “Luna Summer, look at that. Your son Felix’s eye is now in my son Moore’s socket. Isn’t it beautiful?”


    I couldn’t hold it in any longer.


    I raised my hand and pped her.


    Hard.


    “Smack!”


    She didn’t even have time to dodge. The blow sent her stumbling backward, her hand flying to her cheek.


    “Luna Summer, are you insane?!” she shrieked.


    But then–sheughed.


    A sick kind of satisfaction spread across her face. She gritted her teeth and hissed:


    “Did Alpha Foster tell you that the scar on your waist was from an ident? Don’t be stupid. That was from the surgery–when they took your kidney.”


    “Your son’s eye. Your kidney. Those were Alpha Foster’s gifts to me!”


    “You and Felix were nothing but a carefully prepared organ bank for us!”


    Her face lit up with twisted glee, thinking I’d break down, scream, or fall apart.


    But what she didn’t know-


    Was that I wanted tough.


    Because I got it.


    Every word had been recorded.


    This was it.


    This was the evidence I needed to win custody of Felix in court.


    I just had to wait for thewyer-


    My thoughts were abruptly cut off as Felix suddenly broke free from my arms.


    He ran up to her, choking on tears, his little hands balled into fists.


    “You’re a bad person! You can’t say that! Don’t hurt my mommy!”


    Suzanna, clearly enraged, reached out and grabbed his ear, twisting it hard as she snarled:


    “Stupid little cripple!”


    I lunged forward and shoved her away, my hand already swinging back to p her again-


    But before I could deliver the blow-


    “Smack!”


    A sharp, deafening pnded on my face instead.


    I staggered back, my cheek burning.


    Stunned, I turned to see Foster standing between us, staring down at his own hand in disbelief–as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just done.


    “Summer, I… I didn’t mean to. I didn’t—”


    His eyes were red, his voice shaking as he reached out for me, panic written all over the face that was usually so cold.


    “Does it hurt? I swear I didn’t mean-”


    “Alpha Foster!”


    Suzanna tugged on his arm<b>, </b>tears streaming freely now.


    “I was so scared…”


    She buried herself in his chest.


    Moore clung to his leg, big amber eyes brimming with tears.


    “Daddy, they hurt me and Mommy.”


    And just like that–his expression changed.


    The concern in his eyes vanished, like the tide pulling back.


    What remained was disappointment. Deep. Unforgiving.


    “Summer, haven’t I given you enough?”


    “Why do you always have to make things so hard for Suzanna?”


    “You need to calm down. I’m taking Suzanna and Moore to stay somewhere else.”


    With that, he wrapped one arm around Suzanna and took Moore’s hand with the other.


    He turned to leave.


    Felix watched him go, and—without thinking–called out:


    “Daddy<b>!</b>”


    His voice <b>was </b>soft. Fragile.


    Like it took everything he had to say it.


    Foster paused for a second.


    But he didn’t turn around.


    When the door closed behind them, I saw the light go out in Felix’s eyes.


    He didn’t cry. He didn’t scream.


    I crouched down and pulled him into my arms, holding him so tightly it hurt.


    But he didn’t shed a single tear.


    He just pouted slightly, leaned against my cheek, and blew a tiny breath of air.


    “Mommy, does it hurt?”


    He pointed at my face, then at my arm.


    “And here… does this part hurt too?”


    He looked up at me, his eyes glistening with tears he refused to let fall.


    I thought I was strong.


    I thought I wasposed.


    But the moment he whispered those words, all my defenses crumbled.


    “Felix…” My voice broke. <b>“</b>It hurts. It really, really hurts.”


    He gently patted my back<b>–</bforting me, like the grown–up in the room.


    Just then<b>, </b>my phone buzzed.


    It was a message from Suzanna.


    A photo.


    Explicit and vulgar–she and Foster, naked, tangled together, eyes locked, limbs entwined.


    It wasn’t just a provocation.


    It was humiliation.


    She didn’t even bother with a caption–just sent a red lips emoji.


    I swallowed the bile rising in my throat.


    Saved the photo.


    And forwarded it straight to mywyer.


    The evidence I needed was in hand.


    <b>Now </b><b>I </b>could take Felix and leave–whenever I wanted.