Kyra’s POV
Snow was recovering well and had been transferred to a private room yesterday. I felt relief that she was safe, but what ward my heart most was seeing her happiness with her father. Nathan hadn’t spoken to for days, and just as I’d told Emily, I understood completely. When he had hurt , I’d done the sa—refused to speak to him. I’d even pretended to have amnesia, which failed miserably since he knew too well.
From my place near the window, I watched my daughter and her father on the hospital bed. Nathan was feeding Snow with such tenderness, and she was clearly enjoying every mont of it. The sight made tears spring to my eyes.
"Kyra, let’s eat," Emily nudged my arm gently.
I looked at her and forced a smile, shaking my head. "I’m not hungry yet."
She shot a stern look. "Snow’s recovering now. She’s back to being her bubbly self. You don’t have to worry about anything."
I pressed my lips together without responding. Just then, I sensed Nathan’s presence beside . My breath caught when he put the empty plate on the table and fixed with an icy glare, his jaw clenched tight. The coldness in his eyes sent chills through .
"My child needs nutrients," he said, his voice hard and unforgiving. "If you want to suffer, suffer alone. Don’t involve my children in your misery."
His words cut deep, like a thousand knives piercing my heart. I had wronged him terribly, and even though I knew it wasn’t entirely my fault, I had to face his anger. He had every right to be this furious.
I watched him turn his back on and return to Snow’s side. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I walked toward them both.
"Mommy, have you eaten?" Snow asked, her innocent eyes studying my face.
I smiled and kissed her hair. "I’ll go with Aunt Emily for a while to eat, okay? Stay with d-daddy." The word caught in my throat, still strange to say aloud after keeping it secret for so long.
She smiled sweetly. "Yes, mommy. Take care! Aunt Emily, take care!"
Emily returned her smile and waved before grabbing my arm and practically dragging from the room.
"Your ex is so annoying, Kyra!" she fud once we were in the hallway.
I smiled bitterly. "He’s hurt. Anger is a natural defense chanism when you’re wounded. You know that well, Emily."
"Yes, but does he think you wanted to hide it from him? He was weak then and he’s still weak now. He couldn’t even protect his own family from Kieran Carver."
"Emily..." I tried to stop her.
"What? It’s the truth! He should’ve fought for you if he loved you, but he didn’t, right? He handed you over to that crazy bastard. He didn’t fight."
"He tried," I whispered, feeling the need to defend him despite everything. "I was the one who didn’t want him to fight back then because I was afraid of getting hurt again."
"And you should’ve kept fighting against your own feelings if he was going to end up treating you like this."
I pressed my lips together, refusing to comnt further.
We entered a fast food restaurant near the hospital. I chose our table while Emily went to the counter to order. While waiting, my gaze drifted to a family eating nearby—two children with their parents, laughing and sharing food. A complete family. A happy, complete family.
"I’ll be right back. Need to use the restroom," I told Emily when she returned with our trays. I needed a mont alone to compose myself.
As I approached the hallway leading to the restrooms, a strong hand suddenly gripped my arm, pulling into a dim stairwell. My heart raced with panic until a familiar scent hit —cedar and musk.
"Kieran," I hissed, trying to jerk away.
Unlike before, he imdiately released , stepping back to maintain distance between us.
The stairwell was dimly lit, but I could see him clearly—wearing a black shirt and pants, his imposing height making the space feel smaller. What struck most was his expression; his eyes reflected deep regret and sorrow, sothing I’d never seen in him before.
"Kyra..." he whispered my na and, to my shock, bowed his head low. The gesture seed to communicate his desire for to listen, to believe he ant no harm.
I gritted my teeth, the anger I harbored toward him still burning bright in my heart. I doubted I could ever forgive this man for the destruction he’d brought to my life.
"I-I’m sorry..." His voice broke.
"I’m sorry for everything...for using you, for manipulating you, for hurting your father...and especially for making your life miserable..."
I clenched my fists as I stared at him, still bowing before . I thought even if he kissed my feet or buried himself alive, it wouldn’t be enough.
"I...was wrong..." he continued. "Y-Your father was a good man. I was stupid. I was blinded by anger, but I will own up to my mistakes. I’m sorry, and I don’t expect you to forgive ."
At the ntion of my father, my eyes filled with tears. The pain was still raw. Now, after everything, he admitted my father had been innocent.
"Too late, Kieran," I said, my voice breaking. "It’s too late. You already let my father die."
He slowly lifted his face to look at , and I was startled by the tears in his eyes. "Amanda was the one who pushed your father out the window. He was trying to escape... but Amanda caught him. I-I’m sorry..." His voice held a desperate sincerity I’d never heard before.
I couldn’t help but sob. "I will never forgive you, Kieran."
He nodded, reaching toward my cheek but stopping when I flinched away. Pain crossed his face as he swallowed hard. "I just need to do one more thing, but after that, I’m turning myself in. I’ll pay for my sins."
My forehead creased in disbelief. He was willing to face justice? As the Alpha of the Rogue wolves, it seed impossible that he would reflect on his mistakes, let alone accept punishnt for them.
"I don’t believe you," I said flatly.
"I know you don’t," he said softly. "But I an it. I’ve been carrying this hatred inside for too long. When my mother died, I thought your father was responsible." He paused. "But then I fell in love with you—my enemy’s daughter. It ssed up inside, made want to hurt your family even more, to take everything, including you."
I stared at him, speechless at this confession.
"Seeing you with Snow changed sothing in ," he continued. "Seeing what a real parent’s love looks like. It made question everything I thought I knew."
"How is she?" he asked after a mont of silence.
The question reignited my anger. I still rembered how he had threatened using my daughter. The mory made my heart ache with rage.
"I will never let you go near her. Never!" I declared.
He licked his bottom lip and nodded, giving up. With one last look at , he turned and walked toward the exit, his shoulders slumped in a way I’d never seen before. For a mont, I saw the broken man beneath the monster he’d beco. As I watched him leave, I suddenly realized this ti was different from all our previous etings. For the first ti, Kieran hadn’t tried to control or intimidate . He just wanted to apologize, to make things right before facing whatever was coming.
I stood there in the dim stairwell long after he left, my emotions all over the place. When I finally got back to the restaurant, Emily was already halfway through her al, looking worried.
"Where were you? I was about to send out a search party," she said, trying to joke despite being concerned.
I sat down, my food now cold. "Just needed a mont," I said, not wanting to tell her about eting Kieran. So things were too complicated to explain, even to my best friend.
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