Chapter 49
The heavy front door clicked shut behind me, the sound echoing in the silent,
dark hallway. It was well past three in the morning, and every bone in my body ached with a tiredness that went deeper than just physical exhaustion. I
just wanted to crawl into bed and disappear.
I can’t believe I entertained alpha Kyle’s offer and even though I didn’t answer him but the fact that I seemed interested must have painted a bad picture
about me.
I left him by the lake but I didn’t go home until now.
“Faith? Is that you?”
Astor’s voice, low and rough, sliced through the quiet. I froze, my hand still on the doorknob. Of course, he was awake, he probably wants to shout at me
even more.
I didn’t answer, just started walking, my footsteps soft on the wooden floor, heading towards the stairs. Maybe if I just kept moving, he’d let it go.
“Faith! I asked you a question. Where were you?” His voice was louder now, sharp, like a whip cracking.
My shoulders tensed. I kept walking. The steps felt heavy, each one a struggle.
“Faith, stop! I need an answer!” he snapped, his voice a cold blade.
That was it. My last thread of patience snapped. I spun around, my own anger flaring up, hot and fast. “I’m tired, Astor! I’m so tired of you always telling me how to feel, how to act, or where I can and can’t go!” My voice was a furious whisper, careful not to wake anyone else, but full of venom.
He stood by the living room doorway, a dark shape in the dim light. His eyes felt like they were burning holes into me. “I know where you were, Faith. But I
Chapter 49
want to hear you say it.”
My stomach clenched. He knew. Of course, he knew. Why did he always play these games then? “Good,” I retorted, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Then why are you bothering to ask me?”
I turned to walk away again, completely done with this. I just wanted to be free of his constant questions and accusations. But before I could take another step, his hand shot out, grabbing my arm. His grip was tight,
crushing.
I gasped, startled, a jolt of fear shooting through me. “Let go, Astor!”
He didn’t. His face was a mask of furious suspicion. “Are you having an affair, Faith?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
The words slammed into me, knocking the air out of my lungs. My mouth fell open. “What are you talking about?” I whispered, utterly shocked. My mind spun, trying to make sense of his crazy accusation.
“Alpha Kyle,” he spat out, his grip tightening until my arm throbbed. “For some weird reason, every time I go looking for you, I find you with him! So, I’m asking you, Faith, what the hell is going on between you two?”
My shock quickly turned to a different kind of anger. A cold, burning rage. Alpha Kyle? That was his ‘evidence‘? My mind flashed back to a different time, a different betrayal. He had no right.
I pulled my arm free with a furious yank, ignoring the pain. “Oh, really? Every time you go looking for me?” I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “Why didn’t you demand yourself to stop when you were cheating on me with my sister, Astor? Why didn’t you ask yourself what the hell was going on then?”
He flinched, his face going pale in the dim light. He opened his mouth, probably to start with another one of his endless excuses, another round of “let me explain.” But I wasn’t going to let him. Not this time.
Chapter 49
Claim
“No,” I cut him off, shaking my head slowly, tears stinging my eyes but
refusing to fall. “Don’t bother. Don’t even try. You’ve done enough talking,
Astor. Believe me, you’ve done more than enough.” My voice broke, but my
resolve didn’t. “I’m so tired. So tired of the constant explanations, the
constant promises that things will change. So tired of constantly trying to give you another chance, only for you to always, always show me your true
colors.”
I looked at him, really looked at him, and saw not the man I loved, but the man who had broken me, over and over again. My chest ached with a dull, heavy pain. “I just want to be left alone, Astor. Just leave me alone.”
I turned my back on him then, not bothering to wait for his reaction. I heard him call my name, a desperate plea, but I kept walking, my pace quickening. I wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t. Each step was a step away from him, away from the pain. I reached my room, slammed the door shut, and fumbled with the lock, clicking it into place with a shaky hand. The sound was deafening, final.
I leaned against the door, my chest heaving, trying to catch my breath, trying to calm the storm inside me. Everything felt too much. I stumbled into the bathroom, flicked on the light, and turned the shower on, letting the water run hot, steaming up the room. I stripped off my clothes, each movement feeling heavy and slow.
Stepping under the shower, the hot water rained down on me, scalding my skin but somehow soothing my soul. I closed my eyes, letting the water wash over my face, down my hair, over my body. It felt like it was washing away the dirt, the accusations, the pain. As the steam filled the small space,
mind started to clear.
my
I thought about everything, all the compromises, all the tears, all the times I convinced myself to stay, to try again. I thought about how I always waited for him to give me permission to be happy, permission to feel something different, permission to even just leave an argument.
< Chapter 49
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And then, a stark, painful truth hit me, clear as the water pounding against my skin. I shouldn’t be asking for permission. For anything. Not from him. Not from anyone. I couldn’t keep doing this. If I stayed here, if I kept trying, kept giving him chances, I was going to die. Not a physical death, but a slow, agonizing death of my heart, my spirit. The heartache would consume me, hollow me out until there was nothing left.
The water poured down, a cleansing torrent, as a new resolve solidified within me. I was leaving. And this time, it wasn’t just a threat. This time, I swear, Astor will never find me.
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