292 The Goodbye That Broke an Alpha

    Lucian

    Two Days Later

    Darian called me back to the right wing not long after breakfast. His voice had that edge, tight, urgent, and

    I knew something was wrong.

    Mara and I hurried, not even stopping to ask questions.

    When we entered, I froze.

    My father was on his knees.

    Martha stood in front of him, eyes red, a small bag clutched in her hand.

    She was leaving him.

    Tears streamed down her face, and I realized then, this wasn’t anger. This was hurt. Deep,yered, and

    old.

    “What’s happening?” Mara asked quietly.

    My father stood, struggling topose himself. “She’s leaving me,” he said, almost choking on the words.

    We all looked to Martha.

    She took a trembling breath, then spoke, her voice soft but steady, each word soaked in thirty years of

    pain.

    “I just need time, Vander,” she said. “This is the first time in my entire life I’ve truly been free. I need space,

    to breathe, to think.”

    She paused, wiping at her tears, but they kept falling.

    “A lot has happened between us. Too much. And I haven’t had the chance to heal. I live every day scared… that you’ll kick me out of your room. Or worse, out of this house. It’s not love when you walk on eggshells

    every day”

    No one moved. No one breathed.

    “You’ve embarrassed me over and over. You shouted at me like I was beneath you. You made me hard just so I could survive living next to you. And I see Lucian with Mara, and I wonder… why can’t I have that, too?”

    Her voice cracked, but she didn’t stop.

    “I know you’ve done so much for me, and I’m grateful, I am. And I still love you, Vander… I really do. But I need time. Time to heal from ric, from the trauma, from you.”

    She let out a shakyugh through her tears. “I became bitter. Ished out. I hurt people who didn’t deserve

    [

    B

    292 The Goodbye That Broke an Alpha

    She looked down at her bag, then back up at him.

    “I want to find the girl I used to be. Please… just let me go. Understand why I have to do this.”

    She broke down, sobbing uncontrobly.

    +8 Points

    My father stepped forward, desperate now. His pride was gone, stripped clean. His voice cracked when he

    spoke.

    “Please, Martha. Don’t go. I’ll change. I swear I’ll change. I’ll love you the way you’ve always wanted.”

    She looked at him through tear-filled eyes, and even through her pain, she smiled, soft and sad.

    It wasn’t rejection. It was goodbye… for now.

    “Twenty years, Vander,” Martha said, her voice trembling but unwavering. “And you never let me im you.”

    Her words hung heavy in the air.

    “For twenty years, you never took a single photo with me. You never hung my picture on your wall. For twenty years, I lived in quietpetition with the ghost of yourte wife. I was always second best, an option, not a choice.”

    My father stood frozen, guilt pouring from every line on his face.

    “I felt like a convenience,” she continued. “A pleasure tool to be discarded whenever it suited you. And I stayed. I stayed through the yelling, the silences, the shame, because I kept hoping you’d see me.”

    Tears streamed down her cheeks, but her voice never wavered.

    “You’ve apologized. And I ept it. I do. But I can’t heal under the same roof where I learned to shrink.”

    She wiped her tears with a trembling hand.

    “I need time, Vander. Please… let me have this. I don’t want your money. I still have the money from what I

    sold before. That’s enough.”

    Her eyes softened, filled with purpose. “I want to go to Emberridge. Back to Goldenpeak. I want to start a foundation for girls and women like me, ones who never got the chance I did. Not everyone meets an Alpha who lifts them out of darkness. Not everyone finds love like I eventually did.”

    She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a near whisper.

    “Someone has to go back. Someone has to make sure others don’t end up like I did. Just… let me be that

    person. Please.”

    My father looked broken. Shaken. His hands trembled slightly as he reached out.

    “You can set that up from here,” he pleaded. “You can still do all of it from Mooncrest. Please, Martha,

    don’t leave me. Not now.”

    But her eyes had already said it. She wasn’t asking permission. She was asking for understanding.

    292 The Goodbye That Broke an Alpha

    I stepped forward quietly.

    “She’lle back, Father,” I said gently.

    +8 Points

    He turned to me, eyes red, panic just beneath the surface. “She might leave the ind… and nevere back. What will I do while she’s gone?”

    He turned back to Martha, desperation in on his face.

    But she didn’t flinch.

    She just held his gaze with the calm certainty of someone who finally knew what she needed, and was

    brave enough to take it.

    “Let mee with you,” my father said suddenly, desperation in his voice. “To Emberridge. I’m no longer

    in charge, we can,

    n

    “Please, Vander,” Martha interrupted gently, but firmly. “Just… be quiet.”

    He froze.

    “I promise I’ll return when I’m ready,” she said, voice soft and full of emotion.

    But I saw the way her hand gripped the strap of her bag. I saw the way she avoided looking back at him. She had made peace with this choice.

    My father stood still, defeated, unsure of what to say or do. He didn’t stop her. He didn’t follow. He just stood there as Martha picked up her bags and walked out of the house.

    We followed her outside. A cab waited at the curb.

    Martha turned and gave a small wave.

    We waved back, and I felt something tighten in my chest as the cab pulled away and disappeared down

    the road.

    “She won’t return,” my father muttered beside me, barely audible.

    I didn’t know what to say.

    He wasn’t wrong. He had driven her away, piece by piece, for years. I saw it, even if I hadn’t always understood it. I didn’t always like Martha, what she’d done to me left scars, but I couldn’t ignore the truth.

    She had been treated unfairly.

    And now the woman who had stayed through everything had finally walked away.

    “I hope shees back,” I said quietly. “For your sake.”

    My father didn’t respond.

    “Alpha,” Mara said gently, stepping beside him. “She loves you. Her heart won’t let her stay away forever.”

    He still said nothing. Just stood there for a moment longer, staring at the empty street like it had stolen

     292 The Goodbye That Broke an Alpha

    something from him.

    Then, silently, he turned and walked back inside, each step heavy, and disappeared into his bedroom

    without a word.

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