Chapter 71
Adeline West
The memories were like shards of glass, cutting into me with every word I spoke. The pain it invoked inside me was unbearable.
“He believed that I was a gold digger, that me and my family made his grandfather agree to this marriage because we were
but I was after his money. I didn’t know what my father and his grandfather talked about and why they wanted us to marry, no part of it. My father forced me to marry him.” I said, remembering that I married Killian.
“I used to work at his company to compensate for the money he sent to my family, as his grandfather wanted him to help my father’s business.” I said, my voice shaking. “But even there, I was nothing but a gold digger. His assistant bullied me every day and treated me like I didn’t belong. She worshiped Laurel, and she made sure I knew it. And Killian… he never cared. He never stood up for me, he never once defended me.”
I could see the anger flickering in Sebastian’s eyes, but he remained silent, letting me continue.
“His family hated me,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “They never accepted me. They treated me like an outsider, like I was ruining Killian’s life by being there. They wanted Laurel for him, not me. And Killian… he never defended me. He never cared about me. All he cared about was Laurel.”
The tears were falling freely now, and I didn’t bother to wipe them away. I was too far gone, too broken to care. “And then… someone murdered his sister… but he and his mother accused me of killing his sister.”
Sebastian’s eyes widened, and I could see the shock on his face. “What?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“He blamed me for her death,” I said, my voice shaking. “He said I hated her and killed her. And after that, he banished me from the pack. He told me to leave, and I did. I had no choice. I was alone, and I didn’t even know I was pregnant.”
Sebastian’s arms tightened around me, and I felt the warmth of his embrace seep into the cold that had wrapped itself around me for so long. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his voice full of pain. “I’m so sorry, Adeline. You didn’t deserve any of that.”
“When…when I left…I found out I was pregnant,” I continued, my voice hollow, “Greta, Mary’s sister helped me, and she was the one who sent me to Mary… and then…”
I hesitated, the memory of that night in the meeting hall flashing in my mind. It was a memory I had tried so hard to forget, but it was always there, lurking in the shadows.
“There’s something else,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Something I never told anyone.”
Sebastian’s eyes were full of concern, but he didn’t interrupt. He just held me, waiting for me to continue,
“One night… I was working late in my office,” I began, my voice trembling. “When I was leaving, I saw some attackers. I didn’t know who they were, but they were chasing an injured man… I couldn’t see his face. It was too dark. I took him to the meeting hall, saving him from the attackers, and he… he forced himself on me.”
Sebastian’s body tensed, and I felt his hold on me tighten protectively. “Adeline,” he whispered, his voice full of pain. “I’m so sorry.”
“I never saw his face,” I continued, my voice breaking. “I didn’t know who he was. But that’s how I got pregnant. I was carrying the child of a man I didn’t even know. And I couldn’t tell anyone. Not Killian, not anyone.”
The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating. I could feel Sebastian’s heart racing against my chest, his body rigid with anger and sorrow. But he didn’t speak. He just held me, his arms wrapped around me as if he could somehow take away all the pain I had endured.
13:05 Sun,
Chapter 71
P
“I’ve been carrying this secret for so long,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I couldn’t tell anyone. I couldn’t bear the shame.”
I collapsed into Sebastian’s chest, my sobs shaking my entire body. “I didn’t ask for any of this, Sebastian. I didn’t ask for this life, this pain. I just wanted to be happy. I just wanted a chance at love.”
Sebastian’s hand stroked my hair, his voice soft and filled with emotion. “None of this is your fault, Adeline. None of it. You’ve been through so much, and you didn’t deserve any of it.”
“But it feels like it is,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “It feels like I’m cursed, like everything I touch falls apart. My mother died, my father hated me and never cared for me; Killian’s family hated me; he hated me. Now you…”
“Don’t,” Sebastian said, his voice firm but gentle. “Don’t ever think that. You are not cursed, Adeline. You didn’t deserve what Killian did to you, and you don’t deserve the pain you’ve carried all this time. What happened to you was not your fault. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
I cried harder, the weight of his words sinking into me, breaking down the walls I had built to protect myself. For so long, I had blamed myself. For so long, I had carried the burden of guilt and shame. But now, for the first time, someone was telling me that it wasn’t my fault.
Sebastian pulled back slightly, cupping my face in his hands. His eyes were filled with so much love and so much compassion that it took my breath away.
“I love you, Adeline said softly. “I love you for who you are, for the strength you’ve shown, for surviving everything you’ve been through. I don’t care about your past or about what happened with Killian. You’re not defined by what happened to you. You’re so much more than that.”
I stared into his eyes, my heart aching with pain and love. His words washed over me, soothing the wounds that had been festering inside me for years.
“I don’t deserve you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Sebastian shook his head, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “You deserve everything; you deserve love. You deserve happiness. And I want to be the one to give that to you.”
“But…” I hesitated. “You… are an Alpha, Sebastian, and I’m not the strong woman you deserve.” I said.
“Adeline West,” he said softly, his voice low but filled with emotion. “You have no idea how strong you are, do you?”
I blinked, unsure of how to respond. Strong?
Me?
The broken, battered woman who had been pushed to the edge so many times?
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