Chapter 99

• I wasn’t sure what I expected, but the look in Alfred’s eyes wasn’t it. His eyes were bloodshot and red, edged with puffy bags, as if he’d been crying for months. The sight forced me to remember the pain and loss I suffered on his behalf—the loss of my child because of his infidelity—yet the softening of his gaze toward me was inexplicable. Why did he look at me with such tenderness now? Memories of our past rushed through me like a storm, but his broken appearance contradicted the ruthless image I’d held onto. My thoughts raced, trying to make sense of the chaos inside me. Did he know what he had done to me? Did he feel regret? And yet, a darker voice whispered that this might be some sick game, another layer of betrayal that I hadn’t yet uncovered. But there he stood, an ex-mate, a potential enemy, reduced to a specter of his former self.
• Alfred took a few hesitant steps in my direction, his hand trembling with raw emotion. He was a ghost reaching out to me, a reminder of all that had been shattered. I was taken aback, shocked by the depth of his distress, the unsteady sway of a man unraveling. I steeled myself against his advance, every instinct screaming to protect what remained of my heart from him. His nearness dredged up forgotten feelings, echoes of love and pain intertwined, battling within me for dominance. A time when I had hoped for a future with Alfred, and then when I wished to tear him apart. Why did he look at me like that, and why now? What kind of game was this, and what role was I expected to play in it? My mind swirled, every heartbeat another question without an answer.
• But before Alfred could reach me, Ivy intercepted him. She rested her hand firmly on his chest, her touch a gentle but undeniable command. She looked at him with the possession of a woman in control, her patting gesture almost condescending in its assurance. I watched, stunned by the sway she seemed to hold over him. Was this the same man who had once turned my world upside down? Her assertiveness left me off-balance, her eyes meeting mine with a mix of triumph and defiance. There was something almost pitying in the way she dealt with him, as if she was the only one who truly knew him now.