Chapter 154

Two months. My heart hammered, each beat sounding deafening in my ears. Two months? I couldn’t comprehend it. How could this be possible? I tried to move, but the ground beneath me felt like it was slipping, shifting, as if I were losing my grip on reality. The world seemed to freeze around me, my breath catching in my throat.

The air was thick with confusion, laced with fear, but also something darker—something I couldn’t quite place, but knew was there. My mind scrambled, desperately trying to piece together what had happened.

Grayson stood beside me, silent at first, his expression unreadable. I could feel his tension. Then, finally, he spoke, his voice filled with forced authority. It felt as though he needed to understand immediately so he could regain control.

“We need to get you back to the estate.”

I blinked, still reeling from Isabella’s words. His words barely registered. I looked back at her. “Two months?” I stuttered, my voice cracking with disbelief. “What do you—what do you mean? How? How could it be two months? I was—” I broke off, shaking my head as if I could clear the fog from my brain. The confusion was overwhelming.

Isabella opened her mouth to speak, still staring at me in disbelief, but before she could, Grayson lifted me into his arms. I didn’t have the strength to resist. I didn’t understand, but I knew I needed to trust him—to trust his calm demeanor despite the fact that we'd both just learned we'd vanished for two months.

He carried me bridal style, past the silently bowed men in his path. I couldn't speak; my mind swirled with a hundred unformed questions.

“Grayson,” I whispered, burying my face against his chest, “Two months… we… How?”

He didn’t answer. His body was stiff, his movements deliberate. I couldn’t tell if this was due to shock or something else.

“Where are we going?” I managed, the words heavy with confusion.

“We’re not far from my estate,” he said quietly, his voice steady but distant. “I recognize the woods. We’ll be there soon.”

I closed my eyes, pressing my face further into his chest, trying to make sense of it all, but nothing fit. How could two months have passed? My thoughts were a tangled mess, a thousand storms raging in my mind.

When we reached the estate, the silence was striking. Everyone we passed stared as if we were ghosts, their expressions wide-eyed and shocked. I felt the weight of their gazes, but Grayson didn’t falter. His stride was purposeful, unbroken, leaving me feeling even more lost.

Two months. How?

Chapter 181

Before I could process the answer, I felt myself being lowered onto something soft. My body registered the change before my mind could catch up, and I realized we were in a room—Grayson’s room. He was about to turn away, but I caught his hand, my grip weak but desperate.

“Grayson,” I whispered, struggling to keep my voice steady. “Two months.”

He didn’t look at me at first, but when he did, his gaze softened. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Go to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow,” he said, his voice gentle but firm, as if soothing me, or perhaps himself.

Then he left, leaving me stunned and confused. I stared at the door long after he’d gone, the words “two months?” swirling in my head. How could I sleep after everything? We’d only been here a day or two, at most.

I heard muffled voices outside, then louder. I heard Isabella’s voice: “I’m going in because I need to talk to my best friend who disappeared with you for two whole months. Do you understand that?”

The door burst open, and she rushed in, her eyes wide with relief and disbelief.

“You’re here,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You’re actually here, Lilian.” She looked as if she’d seen a ghost.

I saw Grayson glare at her before leaving. I couldn't speak, just stared at her, my mind racing.

“Why would you disappear for two months without telling me? You didn’t even call. If you wanted to get away, I’m your best friend—I would have understood.”

I rubbed my temples, warding off a headache. “Bels, you don’t understand. I wasn’t gone for two months. It was a night, maybe two days. Time… it passed differently there. I don’t even know how we ended up there.”

She sat down, her brow furrowed. “Where did you end up?”

“I don’t know, Bels,” I said, frustration rising. “Last night: the ball, the panic attack, the shifting—then I was attacked by hunters. Grayson saved me, and when I woke up, we were in this… place. It felt different. The trees seemed alive. Then we were attacked by something—wolf-like, but not—and I jumped in front of Grayson. The next thing I knew, we were back here. Two days, Bels. At most. I couldn’t have been gone for two months!”

“Except you were,” she said firmly. “You and Grayson have been making headlines. ‘Billionaire and his wife vanish into thin air.’ That’s what happened. After you shifted and ran, I followed, but lost your trail. Eliza saw Grayson leave after you, and neither of you returned. So I searched the woods.”

Her voice grew quieter. “I found the hunters. They were torn apart—a massacre. But my wolf couldn’t find your scent or Grayson’s. I called Liam, but he dismissed it, saying Grayson probably took you to another country. Then Elaine hung up on me.”

She sighed. “So I called Rickon. I had a feeling something was wrong. He brought Ricardo—the Alpha from Italy who was supposed to be dead—and after a week, the humans got involved. You were officially reported missing.”

I froze at that name. “Ricardo? I can’t remember his last name.”

She nodded. My frown deepened. “What is Rickon doing with him? He tried to kidnap me.”

Chapter 154 (continued)

“You’re focusing on the wrong thing, Lilian,” she said sharply.

Her words snapped me back to the other version of her words. I clicked my tongue in frustration. “What about my parents?”

Isabella’s eyes flashed with anger. “They refused to help with the search. My mother said—and I quote—‘I have no wish to participate in another one of Ava’s attention-seeking stunts after the embarrassment at the ball.’ Then she hung up. They’ve locked themselves away, refusing to talk to anyone.”

I wasn’t surprised, but hearing it stung more than I expected.

“So two months of my life are just… gone?” I laughed bitterly. “I’m probably fired.”

Isabella shook her head. “With a good explanation—one that doesn't involve alternate universes—you’ll likely get your job back. But that’s not what you should worry about. A lot has happened.”

That night. A night that, for me, had just ended. For everyone else, it was a two-month-old memory. I didn’t want to face it.

“Crystal,” I whispered. “How is she? And the baby?”

Isabella’s expression answered before her lips moved. My stomach twisted. I already knew it was bad.

“She’s fine,” Isabella said slowly. “But the baby is…”

(The passage ends abruptly here.)