Chapter 93: A New Dawn

Chapter 93: A New Dawn Easter~ "Just a friend." I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I could barely even think. My heart pounded so violently that I swore it was trying to escape my chest. My hands shook as I clutched Rose tighter against me, as if holding onto her would somehow keep me tethered to reality. But what was reality anymore? Because what I had just witnessed—what they had just done—wasn’t normal. It wasn’t human. Natalie knelt beside me, her warm blue eyes filled with concern. She reached out, and I flinched before I could stop myself. She hesitated for only a second before gently grasping my arm and helping me to my feet. "Let’s get you to the couch," she murmured. My legs felt like jelly, and if it weren’t for her, I would’ve collapsed. She guided me carefully, making sure I sat down before she eased down beside me. I held Rose so tightly she squirmed in protest, her tiny hands patting at my face. I loosened my grip but didn’t let go. My eyes darted from Natalie to the now-empty space where that man—Jacob, whatever the hell he was—had vanished with my husband. My husband. Gone. With him. I swallowed hard, my throat painfully dry. My voice came out hoarse, almost unrecognizable. "Seriously, what... what are you?" Natalie blinked. "What? I didn’t catch that." I swallowed again, trying to gather my thoughts, but my brain was short-circuiting. I had just seen her snap a man’s arms like twigs without even touching him. I had seen her do... something to Ruben’s mind, something that made him scream like he was being dragged to hell itself. I had seen her heal all my wounds. And then there was the other guy—Jacob. He had looked normal, sure. But the way he moved, the way the air around him felt wrong, heavy... and then the way he disappeared with my husband? That was not normal. That was terrifying. I licked my lips, my voice shaking. "Are you... are you superhuman? Aliens? Or—" I hesitated, my grip on Rose tightening again. I dropped my voice to a whisper. "Or are you practicing witchcraft?" For a split second, Natalie just blinked rapidly with her lip slightly opened. And then, she burst out laughing. A full-blown, throw-your-head-back, wipe-tears-from-your-eyes kind of laugh. I blinked at her. "I—" "Aliens?" She wheezed. "Superhuman?" She wiped at her eyes. "Oh my goodness, Easter, you’re killing me." I frowned, feeling heat creep up my cheeks and neck. "Well, excuse me for trying to make sense of the actual insanity I just witnessed! If you don’t tell me who you are, I’m going to start assuming you two crawled out of some X-Men movie." She bit her lip, clearly trying to suppress another laugh. "Okay, okay, I’ll explain." Instinctively, I leaned forward, my ears at a ready. Natalie smirked. "I’m not a mutant, I promise." She tilted her head, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "But I am something special." I exhaled sharply. "Yeah, no kidding." She smiled, but this time it was softer, almost... reverent. "I am the Second Moon, daughter of the First Moon." I just stared at her. "You’re the what now?" Natalie leaned forward slightly, her eyes locking onto mine like she was about to tell me a very big secret. "I’m a goddess, Easter." I blinked. "A—what?" "A goddess. The daughter of the Moon Goddess herself." She gestured vaguely at the empty space where Jacob had been. "And Jacob—he’s my brother. Most people call him that now, but his true name is Mist. He’s the Wolf Spirit, son of the First Moon." I continued staring, hoping she’d burst out laughing again and say she was joking. She didn’t. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to process what she had just said. A goddess? The daughter of the Moon Goddess? The Second Moon? And her brother was the Wolf Spirit? I had no idea what any of that meant. But... for some reason... I believed her. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the way she carried herself. Maybe it was the way the very air around her seemed different. Maybe it was the fact that she had literally snapped my husband’s arms without touching him. Or maybe it was because, for the first time in my life, someone had actually saved me. Tears welled up in my eyes before I could stop them. "You saved us." Natalie’s expression softened. "Of course I did." "You saved us." My voice cracked, and then the dam burst. Tears spilled down my cheeks as a sob escaped my lips. "I—I thought I was going to live like that forever." My body shook. "I was terrified, Natalie. Every single day." Natalie reached out and placed a warm hand on mine. I gripped her fingers desperately. "I don’t care what you are. I don’t care if you’re a goddess, an alien, or the literal Grim Reaper—I owe you my life." I looked up at her, my tears falling freely. "From now on, I’m indebted to you. I swear—if you ever need anything, I’ll be there. Even though I probably can’t do much... I’ll be there." Natalie squeezed my hand gently. "Easter, you don’t have to—" "I do," I cut in firmly. "You saved us. That means everything." Natalie exhaled and gave me a small smile. "Well... I appreciate that." Her expression turned mischievous. "But trust me, your life is going to be a lot better now that I’m here." Something about the confidence in her voice made me believe her completely. For the first time in years, I believed that things were going to be okay. Then a new thought struck me. "Wait," I said, sitting up straighter. "Where did Jacob take Ruben? What’s he doing to him?" Natalie tilted her head, looking almost bored. "Oh, nothing much. Just teaching him a little lesson. They should be back any—" As if on cue, the air in the room changed. A sudden gust of energy swept through, sending a shiver down my spine. And then— Jacob appeared. I stiffened. He wasn’t alone. Ruben was with him. Except... Ruben didn’t look like Ruben anymore. His body was wrecked. His clothes were torn, soaked in blood that dripped onto the floor in small, horrifying puddles. His face was covered in bruises, his lip split, his eye swollen shut. His hands trembled at his sides. His whole body was shaking. And his eyes... I had never seen them like that before. Wide. Frantic. Terrified. I gasped, my breath catching in my throat. Jacob, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine. In fact, he was smiling. "Brand new," he said cheerfully, patting Ruben’s shoulder hard enough to make him flinch. "He’s all yours." I gawked at Ruben. The man who had spent years making my life a living nightmare—the man I thought was scarier than any monster in the world—was now reduced to a whimpering mess. Ruben’s lips parted, but no words came out. He was shaking so violently that his knees buckled. He collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath like he had just escaped death itself. Jacob grinned. "So, what do we do with him?" I could barely breathe. Natalie turned to me, her blue eyes sharp. "Easter," she said, tilting her head slightly, her tone casual but firm. "What do you want to do with him?" She nodded toward Ruben, who had crawled to a corner and lay crumpled like a discarded rag doll, his bloody form trembling, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The man who had once towered over me in rage, the man who had dictated every second of my life with his fists and cruel words, now looked... pathetic. I swallowed, my throat dry. "What do you mean?" Natalie’s lips curved into a smirk. "I mean, do you still want to be married to him? Or do you want a divorce?" My entire body went still. A divorce. The word sent a jolt through me, like the snap of a whip. Divorce was something I had never allowed myself to think about, not really. It had always been an impossible dream, a forbidden thought. I blinked rapidly, trying to process what she was offering me. "I... I can do that?" My voice cracked. Natalie scoffed. "Of course, you can. Why wouldn’t you be able to?" Tears burned in my eyes as I shook my head. "Because I was told it was a sin. It was impossible." I hesitated, then my voice dropped to a whisper. "There was a time... Ruben had beaten me so badly I could barely walk. I ran to my parents’ house, hoping—praying—they’d help me. But my father looked me in the eyes and told me divorce was against our faith. He said I had to stay. He said... he said I deserved what I got. That I needed to be... straightened out" Natalie went utterly still. And then—her face twisted in fury. "Excuse me?" she said, her voice low and dangerous. I flinched at the sudden shift in her demeanor, but it wasn’t directed at me. It was at the very memory of what had been done to me. Natalie clenched her fists, the air around her crackling like an impending storm. "No one," she seethed, her voice shaking with restrained rage, "deserves to be beaten. Let alone every. Single. Day." Her eyes blazed. "Divorce isn’t just an option for you, Easter. It’s necessary. And if your father couldn’t see that, then he’s as much of a problem as Ruben." I stared at her, my breath shaky, my fingers digging into my lap. "But..." "No buts," Natalie cut me off sharply. Then her expression softened as she reached for my hand. "Easter, listen to me. You deserve happiness. You deserve peace. And if that means divorcing this sorry excuse for a man, then we’ll make it happen." A rush of emotions surged through me—hope, disbelief, overwhelming gratitude. I nodded rapidly, my heart pounding. "Yes," I whispered, then louder, "Yes! I want a divorce!" Natalie’s smirk returned, her sharp features lighting up with satisfaction. "Good choice." She turned to Jacob, who had been standing there quietly, arms crossed, watching the exchange with a knowing look. "Get the papers ready." Jacob grinned. "On it." And then—he disappeared. One second he was there, and the next, he was gone, vanishing into thin air like mist dispersing in the morning light. I gasped. Even though I had seen strange things today—things I never thought possible—it still startled me every time. My heart pounded as I turned to Natalie. "He did it again." "He’ll be back soon," she said casually, as if disappearing men into thin air was completely normal. I barely had time to process what had happened before— BAM! Jacob reappeared, and he wasn’t alone. Standing beside him was a middle-aged man, his gray suit slightly wrinkled, his neatly combed hair now tousled, and his face twisted in sheer terror. My breath hitched. I knew that man. "Is that—?" I stammered. Jacob smirked. "Yep. Meet Thomas Caldwell—famous divorce lawyer. He said he’d be honored to be your attorney." The lawyer, still looking completely shell-shocked, nodded vigorously. "Y-yes," he stammered. "Absolutely honored!" I almost choked on a laugh. The fear in his eyes was unmistakable. Clearly, he hadn’t willingly agreed to be here, but now that he was in this room—with Jacob, Natalie, and Ruben looking like death itself—he was too scared to refuse. Thomas straightened his tie, taking a deep breath before slipping into full professional mode. "Mrs—" He looked at me expectantly, "Easter," I said and he nodded. "Mrs Easter," he repeated, his voice steadier, "do you wish to proceed with a divorce?" I exhaled sharply. "Yes. Yes, I do." He nodded. "And your husband—?" I turned to where Ruben sat, his body still trembling. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken, hadn’t even made eye contact with me. I pointed at him. "That’s him." Thomas followed my gaze and immediately went pale. "Oh dear lord," he muttered. He took a step back, looking at Jacob warily. "What happened to him? He—he needs a hospital! This—whatever this is—this is illegal!" Jacob’s smirk deepened. "Illegal? What do you mean, Mr. Caldwell?" The lawyer gestured frantically at Ruben. "I mean, look at him! He’s been beaten to the brink of death! You can’t just force a man into a divorce while he’s like this!" Jacob arched a brow. "You think he looks hurt?" Thomas threw his hands up. "Are you blind? He’s practically—!" Then he stopped. His mouth parted slightly, his eyes widening. I frowned. "What is it?" The lawyer slowly turned back to Jacob. His voice dropped to a whisper. How... how did he suddenly become okay?" I blinked. What was he talking about? Ruben was still the same—broken, bleeding, ruined. But Thomas... he looked like he was seeing something completely different. Jacob leaned in, his smirk playful yet dangerous. "Why don’t you tell me what you see, Mr. Caldwell?" The lawyer swallowed hard, his face pale. He didn’t answer. Jacob chuckled. "That’s what I thought. Now—let’s move on, shall we?" Thomas hesitated before regaining his composure. "Mr. Ruben Morgan," he said, his voice cautious, "do you agree to the divorce?" A weak, broken whisper came from the corner. "Yes." Jacob clapped his hands together. "Excellent. You have one day to draft the divorce papers, Mr. Caldwell." The lawyer barely had time to process what Jacob had said before—POOF—he vanished. I blinked. "Did you just—?" Natalie patted my hand. "Don’t worry. He’ll be fine." Jacob turned to Ruben, his expression hardening. "And you. Listen carefully." Ruben flinched. "You don’t leave this house," Jacob said, his voice smooth, yet laced with deadly intent. "Not now. Not after the divorce. Not ever. Because if you do—" Jacob’s eyes gleamed. "I’ll kill you." A fresh wave of terror passed through Ruben’s broken frame. Jacob smiled. "And trust me. I’ll be watching." Natalie exhaled, looking back at me. "You’re free now, Easter. He won’t bother you anymore. Use this time to heal, to live." I nodded, my chest feeling lighter than it had in years. Natalie rose from the couch, she kissed Rose on the forehead, making the baby giggle. Then she turned back to me. "Take care of yourself, Easter. I’ll be back to make sure the divorce goes smoothly. She and Jacob turned to leave. And suddenly, panic clawed at my chest. They were leaving. They were about to disappear, just like that. "No—wait!" I shot up from the couch, grabbing their hands. "Please don’t leave me here. I can’t—I can’t stay here anymore." I swallowed hard, my voice trembling. "Take me with you. Please. I’ll do anything. Just... don’t leave me behind."