Chapter 53: The Shadow of Truth
Chapter 53: The Shadow of Truth
(Elena’s POV)
Margaret Blackwood turned a blind eye to Sophia Rivers‘ feigned weakness and just sneered. “If I don’t blame you, who else can I blame? After six years, your skin is still as thick as ever.”
The words cut through the air like a blade. Sophia’s carefully constructed mask of innocence cracked under Margaret’s withering gaze.
Being humiliated, Sophia Rivers‘ face suddenly turned pale. Marcus Blackwood frowned, his protective instincts flaring.
“Grandma, don’t interfere with my affairs with her, and don’t target her anymore.” He picked Sophia up without hesitation, cradling her against his chest.
He left without looking at me. Not even a glance to see if I was hurt or needed help.
The cold dismissal hit me harder than the icy water of the Moonstone Reflecting Pool. I watched them disappear into the manor, feeling more alone than ever.
Margaret Blackwood sighed deeply at this scene. She turned to look at me, still drenched and shivering.
“Now the Blackwood family owes you.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I smiled bitterly. The words tasted like ash in my mouth.
Anyway, we were severing our mate bond. Marcus’s attitude wouldn’t affect my decision anymore.
As I struggled to get up from the pool’s edge, Victoria Blackwood surprisingly stepped forward to help me.
Her hand was steady and warm.
“Mother, I’ll take her down to change clothes first.”
Margaret Blackwood nodded approvingly. “Do that.”
In the Master Suite, I changed into a clean set of clothes from the Moonhaven Wardrobe Chamber. The fabric felt foreign against my skin after the chaos.
I thought Victoria Blackwood had already left, but she was still there. Standing by the window, her silhouette
rigid with unspoken thoughts.
I walked up to her cautiously. “Mother, I’ve changed my clothes, so I’ll go back first.”
Victoria Blackwood straightened my collar with gentle hands. Her touch was surprisingly tender.
“You’ve tasted the feeling of being mated to an Alpha who doesn’t cherish you, right?” Her voice was calm,
almost conversational.
I was stunned. Was I hallucinating?
Victoria Blackwood rarely said things that weren’t part of a Luna’s duty, let alone her true feelings.
“Mother, what are you…“.
“I’m just saying, you’ve seen Logan’s attitude towards you.” Victoria changed her usual attitude completely.
<Chapter 53 The Shadow o…
18 Points
“I don’t like you, but I won’t accept that Sophia Rivers either. I just think you’re still young and don’t need to hang yourself on one tree.”
Her words hit me like lightning. This was not the Victoria Blackwood I knew.
“If I were as young as you, I wouldn’t…” She suddenly stopped talking.
The arrogant mask slipped back into place. “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you, you should go back.”
Victoria Blackwood left the Master Suite abruptly. Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she
disappeared.
I stood there puzzled. Perhaps my mother–in–law just felt sorry for me.
(Marcus’s POV)
While I was waiting for Sophia Rivers to change downstairs, I got the surveillance footage near the
Moonstone Reflecting Pool. The truth was crystal clear on the small screen.
Sophia Rivers had already changed her clothes and was walking with Isabella Blackwood. They approached
me with false confidence.
“Marcus,” Sophia walked towards me. She didn’t notice that my phone screen showed the surveillance video.
“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault today. I shouldn’t have come and caused trouble for you and Isabella.”
Isabella Blackwood comforted her immediately. “Sister Sophia, don’t say that, you’re not the one who’s wrong! It’s clearly Élena Blackwood-”
“Did Elena Blackwood really push you into the Moonstone Reflecting Pool?” I interrupted calmly.
I looked back at Sophia Rivers with a calm expression. My wolf Logan was restless, sensing deception.
Sophia Rivers faltered. She reached out to hold my arm desperately.
“Marcus, I was indeed pushed, that’s why I fell. Besides Isabella, there was only Healer Elena. But Isabella
certainly wouldn’t push me.”
“Yes, brother, what are you still doubting! It was clearly Elena Blackwood who did it…” Isabella’s voice trailed
off.
She stared straight at the surveillance video in my hand. Her face went white with shock.
The video clearly showed Sophia Rivers pulling Elena Blackwood down. The truth was undeniable.
Isabella Blackwood looked at Sophia Rivers in disbelief and confusion. If Elena didn’t push her, why would
Sister Sophia lie?
Sophia Rivers suddenly saw the surveillance video in my hand. Her face turned deathly pale.
“Is this what you said, she pushed you?” I asked patiently.
Sophia Rivers‘ face was pale as moonlight. “Marcus, I…”
“Sophia Rivers, I thought you wouldn’t bother with these petty tricks.” I put away my phone expressionlessly.
I was about to leave when Sophia Rivers suddenly grabbed me. Tears streamed down her face.
“Yes! I did it, I shouldn’t have pulled her down because I was jealous! But Marcus, you keep saying that you
have nothing to do with her, but is it really nothing?”
< Chapter 53: The Shadow o
E PUTS
I pretended not to know Elena Blackwood in front of her at first. She believed it initially.
But later on, she still discovered the relationship between us! And now that Elena was about to enter the house, and even Grandmother Margaret was on her side, how could she not be anxious!
I stood there motionless, not saying a word. My silence spoke volumes.
Sophia Rivers let go of my hand. She staggered back two steps and cried sadly.
“Marcus, you promised me…”
“What I promised you still counts.” The words felt heavy on my tongue.
She paused, hope flickering in her eyes.
I turned to look at Isabella Blackwood. “You take her back.”
After speaking, I left without another word.
Sophia Rivers looked at my departing figure in a daze. Her face turned pale and green with desperation.
(Elena’s POV)
As soon as I returned to Moonhaven Private Quarters, my phone rang. Nathan Sterling’s name flashed on the
screen.
“Elena, I found out that the officer on duty the day David Blackthorne was beaten was Officer Joseph, a nephew of Director Harold Thornfield of the Northern Territory Revenue Authority.”
I opened the refrigerator to get water. My hand paused when I heard about the director of the Revenue
Authority.
Director William Cross’s words flashed through my mind like lightning.
“What is the name of the wife of the Director of the Revenue Authority?” I asked suddenly.
Nathan Sterling obviously didn’t expect me to ask that. But he answered promptly.
“His wife’s name is Heidi Cross, and she works as a manager in a bank.”
The surname is Cross… Sure enough, it was related to Director William Cross.
But Director William Cross was still in detention and not in the same jurisdiction. It was impossible for her to know about David Blackthorne’s matter directly.
And this matter was inseparable from Sophia Rivers. So who was close to Sophia Rivers and co Director William Cross’s relatives to help?
I suddenly realized who it was. The pieces fell into place.
“Brother Nathan, can you help me check on someone else?”
He smiled warmly. “It would be my honor.”
“I want to check Heidi Cross’s recent contacts and whereabouts.”
“Okay, I will help you.”
I smiled sincerely. “Thank you, Brother Nathan.”
ask
After ending the call, I turned around. Marcus Blackwood was standing at the Master Suite door, looking at
Chapter 53. The Shadow o…
me meaningfully.
I couldn’t forget his coldness by the Moonstone Reflecting Pool. I was indifferent when I saw him again.
The bitterness in my heart had crystallized into something harder. Something unbreakable.
I was about to leave when the Alpha blocked the Master Suite door. “What did you ask Nathan Sterling to
investigate?”
“Is it any of your business?” I met his gaze defiantly.
Seeing that he didn’t move, I raised my head impatiently. “Can you please move, Alpha Marcus?”
Marcus Blackwood slowly reached out to me. His hand moved with careful deliberation.
I instinctively avoided him. The movement was automatic, protective.
A move that was insignificant to him stabbed his heart inexplicably. Very uncomfortable.
He withdrew his hand and casually adjusted his cuff. “I’ve investigated the Moonstone Reflecting Pool
incident and found out that I did wrong you.”
I stood still, silently holding the doorknob. Then I laughed.
“So? Alpha Marcus is here to apologize?”
“But I’m not being wronged for the first time. If you want to apologize, add all the previous things together. Oh, and it’s best to have Sophia Rivers kneel down and apologize to me too.”
He frowned darkly. “Elena Blackwood, don’t push your luck.”
“I’m pushing my luck? When you made me kneel down and apologize to Oliver Rivers, why didn’t you think that I was also wronged?”
I laughed bitterly. The sound echoed in the chamber.
“Marcus Blackwood, you only believe what you see and what Sophia Rivers says. I didn’t say anything when I was wronged again and again. How is asking her to kneel down and apologize to me pushing my luck?”
“Are you done?” The Alpha approached me, his expression unreadable.
“If it weren’t for you and Grandmother Margaret forcing her away back then, would she have lost her purity to a strange wolf and been sold by her parents?”
His words hit me like physical blows.
“Elena Blackwood, the source of all her suffering is because of you, and in the meantime, you became Luna,
Blackwood.”
Marcus Blackwood pinched my chin, his expression gloomy. His grip was firm but not painful.
“You’ve already gotten everything she couldn’t get, so even if I let you endure her, let you give in to her, you
have to endure it.”
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