His words wounded me deeper than any physical attack ever could. At that moment, I knew—I was nothing to him. I had no place in his heart. That space had always been reserved for Adeline.
But I had one last plea, one final desperate wish: Kieran’s trip to the ocean. I was ready to set Ronan free, to finally let him go. But even then, he refused to grant me that one moment of peace.
He could never love me—I had come to accept that. But how could he be so cruel to Kieran? How could he turn his back on his own son?
I fixed my gaze on Ronan, my emotions a storm of disappointment and fury. The man who had once seemed as flawless as a masterpiece now only filled me with revulsion. Those eyes—once a source of comfort, once softened by affection—were now nothing but cold and unyielding. I had always found warmth in them, but now, they served only as a cruel reminder of the distance between us.
Before I could speak, Adeline’s voice sliced through the tension. “Alpha, my foot hurts, and so does my face. Can you check if it’s swollen? I’m worried it might ruin my appearance for tomorrow’s Alpha gathering.”