“Alpha Luke brought an Omega with him and said you were too busy, so he asked her to stand in for you.”
I called Luke, curious to hear what excuse he’d come up with this time.
The moment the call connected, Luke’s angry voice came through.
“Emma, you’re overreacting. Alina’s mother said she couldn’t sleep without seeing our bonding photos. I was just making the act convincing by taking a few pictures.”
I sat in front of the images, staring at the pile of photos. “Making the act convincing? I see a lot of kissing shots. hat doesn’t seem like ‘just for show.’“
“Those were just camera angles! We weren’t actually kissing. It’s like a mage’s illusion—you know how that works, right?”
“But I also see a photo where you two are half-naked. You’re covering her chest with your arm. That doesn’t look like a camera angle…”
Luke’s voice grew angrier. “Half-naked? That’s called art! What kind of filthy thoughts are in your mind? The photographer was there the whole time. What do you think could’ve happened?”
He hung up on me.
For the first time, I realized just how shameless the man I had loved for so many years could be.
When I saw the exorbitant bill for the photoshoot, I snapped a picture of it and sent it to Luke.
Within seconds, my phone rang.
“Emma Klein, we agreed you’d pay for the photoshoot. Why are you backing out now? We booked two sets—the next one was supposed to be with you!”
But I overheard Alina’s voice in the background, saying she planned to shoot the second set for her birthday next month.
My phone buzzed with a notification—Luke had transferred the money to me.
“Emma Klein, with that attitude, you think I’ll still bond with you!? Keep waiting!”
“When I feel like forgiving you, maybe I’ll consider coming back.”
“And we don’t even need to take your photos anymore. When we get married, I’ll just have the studio use illusion magic to Photoshop your face into the pictures!”
If it weren’t for Monica’s dying words—telling me that Luke and I were never truly suited for each other—I might never have taken a hard look at the man he really was.
The studio owner stood awkwardly, witnessing my argument with Luke. He repeatedly apologized. “This was our mistake. It’s entirely our fault. I’ll refund your deposit right away.”
“No need,” I said, pointing at the half-naked photo of Luke and Alina. “Enlarge this one, frame it in the most expensive moon-silver frame, and send it to the Moonlight Chapel. Tell them it’s my gift to the happy couple. ”
