Marked By The Alpha's Cursed Blue Moon
Chapter 76. Journey to Truth

Chapter 76: 76. Journey to Truth

Maria woke up as early as 5 a.m., feeling unusually strong and energized.

A dangerous kind of excitement coursed through her, born from the belief that she was getting closer to taking Bernard down, and that Cassandra’s efforts might finally be paying off.

For the first time in a while, Maria actually felt like going to college. Without wasting a second, she walked into the bathroom to take a bath. Yet, as she stepped inside, her eyes avoided the mirror.

The trauma of seeing her reflection talk back at her—an image of herself, naked, whispering chilling words—still haunted her. She couldn’t bear another encounter like that. So, she completely ignored the mirror.

Once she finished bathing, Maria wrapped herself in a towel and stepped back into her room—only to freeze in shock.

Bernard was sitting on her bed.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she realized she was standing there naked, and he had been watching her. Panic shot through her as she turned quickly to run back to the bathroom, but Bernard was faster. He stood and grabbed her hand firmly.

"Bernard! What are you doing here?! And why are you holding my hand?" she snapped, furious and stunned by his presence.

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he looked at her with a calm, lustful gaze. "I missed you," he said. "Why are you running from me? Aren’t you my chosen mate? This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you like this."

His grip tightened slightly.

Maria struggled against him, glaring. "Don’t give me that! What about Cassandra? Aren’t you in love with her now?"

"Oh, Cassandra?" Bernard gave a dismissive smirk. "She was just a pawn. I used her to find out how you were feeling... to see if you were still angry with me. I wanted to make you jealous. That’s all. But I’m sorry, Maria. I really did miss you."

Maria stared at him, speechless.

Liar, she thought to herself. But maybe this is my way in. If Cassandra can’t get close enough to manipulate him, then I will.

She let her towel drop.

Bernard pulled her to the bed, kissing her neck, then moving down to her breasts. Her body reacted involuntarily to his touch, even as her mind burned with rage. She could feel the hardness of his body pressing against her, and before she could speak again, he was inside her.

He moved with aggression—not passion. There was no love in the way he touched her, no warmth in his eyes.

You don’t miss me, Maria thought bitterly. This is about control. Power. Possession.

As Bernard kept moving, Maria’s face twisted into an angry expression. Her thoughts grew darker.

Have it as many times as you want, Bernard. Because when I’m done with you, it’ll be your end. You... and your entire bloodline.

Bernard seemed to notice the look on her face but didn’t care. His focus was entirely on satisfying himself.

That moment sealed her resolve.

She would be the one to bring him down.

When he was finished, Bernard stood up wordlessly and left the room, not even sparing her a glance.

Maria lay there, numb and enraged. She felt used. Dirty. Broken.

"I hate you," she whispered under her breath.

Dragging herself out of bed, she returned to the bathroom to clean up. After she dressed, she left the room without looking back and headed straight for the car to go to college.

The driver looked surprised to see her. He hadn’t expected her to go anywhere, especially not so early. But he said nothing and started the engine. In less than twenty minutes, they arrived at the college.

Maria stepped out of the car with a tight, cold expression—but then paused.

I can’t look like this, she reminded herself. No one must know what happened with Bernard. Not today. Not ever.

She quickly composed herself, painting a gentle smile on her face as she headed to her class.

Inside the classroom, she spotted Laura and Cassandra sitting together. Both girls leapt to their feet in shock and delight when they saw her.

"Maria!" Cassandra gasped, running toward her. "We missed you so much. How are you feeling?"

"I missed you both, too. And I’m doing fine now," Maria replied, smiling as they all sat together.

"So, are you back for good now?" Laura asked excitedly. "Because we don’t want to miss you again like this!"

Maria chuckled softly. "Yes, I’m back for real. And with final exams coming up, I need to be here."

The joy between the three girls was genuine. For the first time in days, Maria felt surrounded by real love—her only true family.

Then, she turned toward Cassandra with a playful glint in her eyes. "Cassandra... what’s going on between you and Bernard?"

Cassandra looked startled. The question clearly caught her off guard.

"I... I mean, we’ve seen each other," she stammered at first. "And I think things are beginning to take shape. I believe he’s slowly opening up."

"Good. But we need to speed things up," Maria said seriously. "We need to act like we’re not on good terms—create a little drama between us. That way, Bernard won’t suspect we’re working together. He’ll let his guard down."

Cassandra nodded slowly, processing the plan. "Okay. I know what to do now. Give me two days, and I’ll have some solid feedback from him."

Maria turned to Laura next. "Laura, any progress with Mr. Frederick?"

Laura smiled. "Yes! I spoke to my dad, and he managed to get us an appointment with him."

"Really?" Maria’s eyes lit up.

"But..." Laura hesitated. "It’s going to be in another city—Paisley. We’ll have to travel there. The meeting will be in the evening, so we’ll need to sleep over."

Maria nodded eagerly. "No problem at all. I’ll go anywhere I need to. We must meet him. He might have answers about who sold my parents’ house."

"This trip could change everything," Laura said gently.

Maria stared into the distance for a moment, her face hardening. This journey will reveal the truth... and I’ll use that truth to bury Bernard and everything he stands for.

A storm was rising and Maria was ready to be its eye...