Chapter 134
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out to find Soren’s name on the screen. I answer quickly, needing to hear his voice. “Bree?” he says, concern lacing his tone.
“My dad is in an induced coma,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady.
“What hospital?” he asks, urgency creeping into his voice.
“Blackwood Hospital.”
“I will head there straight after my meeting tomorrow,” he tells me. I sigh.
“No, I will be back in a few days,” I say, the weariness of the day creeping into my voice. “Then we need to talk, Soren. I have to tell you something.”
“Okay, and yes we do,” he replies, his voice calming me even amidst the chaos.
As I hang up, I know I can’t keep my secrets hidden for much longer. But for now, I focus on my father, hoping for a sign of life, a sign that he’ll pull through.
I’m sitting on the edge of the couch, the flickering light of the television casting shadows in the dim room. The living room is filled with familiar yet distant memories, the worn–out floral wallpaper and creaky wooden floors like stepping back in time.
Being back here after so long feels surreal, like stepping into a
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forgotten chapter of my life, where everything seems. untouched yet strangely unfamiliar. I feel like a stranger in her own childhood home, a place that once held warmth and comfort now feels foreign and distant, as if it belongs to someone else’s past, not my own; for so long, I craved coming home, and now it’s like it was never my home, to begin with. I don’t belong here; this is no longer home; home wasn’t with Rhett either.
My mother sets down a plate on my lap. “Thank you,” I tell her as she falls onto the couch beside me and flicks on the news.
“The Doctor should call soon with news of your father,” she tells me, and I nod, picking up my fork. I eat the dinner she made me. It used to be one of my favorite dishes, but now it tastes bland. Isn’t it strange how something can lose its taste when the memory of it changes or becomes tainted? In the background, the news anchor’s voice drones on, a constant hum in the background, until suddenly, my heart drops when I hear King Soren’s name mentioned.
“Did they just say Aubrey of Blackwood Pack?” I whisper, turning to my mother, my fork frozen mid–air. She frowns, glancing at the television.
“It can’t be,” she mutters, but the news anchor continues, “King Soren is not only engaged to Aubrey but she is believed to be the fated mate of Rhett Miles.” My pulse quickens as I try to process what I am seeing.
“This can’t be happening,” I breathe, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over me. My mother places a reassuring hand on my arm, her expression mirroring my shock.
My face appears on the screen, framed by bold letters that
3000%
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scream my real name.
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“-suspected in the robbery of Alpha Rhett Miles pack, authorities are searching for this woman, believed to be involved in a robbery and violent altercation-”
The footage rolls, showing chaotic scenes from the day I left Rhett. I see myself, wild–eyed and desperate, caught in a moment that feels like a lifetime ago. They’ve painted me as a madwoman, a criminal who attacked and robbed the very people who had once been my family. My stomach twists, and I feel bile rise in my throat.
The camera zooms in on the news anchor, her expression grave and serious. The screen behind her is filled with dramatic images of the altercation in the elevator.
My heart races as I watch, dread pooling in my stomach. The anchorwoman continues, her voice steady but filled with
urgency.
“Sources confirm that Aubrey has been living under the false. identity of her deceased sister, Brielle, and that the King has no idea the woman he is set to marry. This deception raises serious questions about her intentions and her true
background.”
