After I left Alpha father and son went crazy with regret

Chapter 80

Nora’s grip on the phone tightened slightly.

She had anticipated resistance, but hearing it still made something twist in her chest.

“Grandma’s birthday only comes once a year, Alex. You can visit Aunt Linda anytime,” she said, keeping her voice even.

A sigh came from the other side. “I guess…” He didn’t sound convinced.

Nora closed her eyes briefly.

She knew pressing him further would only make him more resistant, so instead, she decided on another approach.

Later that evening, she found Arnold at his cottage, sitting in his usual chair, flipping idly through an old book. He barely looked up when she entered.

“Can you talk to Alex?” she asked without preamble.

Arnold turned a page, his face impassive. “About what?”

“Grandma’s birthday. He’s reluctant to come. Maybe if you talk to him, he’ll reconsider,” she said, crossing her arms.

Arnold finally glanced at her, studying her for a moment. “And you’re not going to ask me to come?”

Nora looked away. “That’s not what this is about.”

He exhaled through his nose, closing the book. “Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll talk to him.”

That was all she needed. She left without another word, walking back home with Alex. They barely spoke, and though she tried to brush off the lingering discomfort, it clung to her like a shadow.

Saturday arrived with a quiet kind of joy.

The house was filled with the warm scent of baked pastries and fresh flowers, the soft murmur of family members exchanging laughter and greetings.

Nora watched as her uncle Alexander presented his carefully chosen gift to Grandma, a beautifully embroidered shawl in her favorite shade of deep blue.

Alex shifted

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Chapter 80

her gentle

a smile,

hesitated, glancing at Nora with a look of slight embarrassment.

His

of

her voice measured. “You’re still a kid, Alex. What Mom and

frame melted almost instantly. “Oh,”

way Nora’s expression cooled ever so slightly.

came to Linda’s birthday–not only remembering the date but counting down the days, eagerly anticipating it as if it were a

put thought into it, made it

gift, he could have drawn something–he was more than capable of sketching a

of it. Not

made her

him, Nora forced a small smile, her thoughts swirling beneath the surface like an unmoving tide. Some things, she supposed,

she had prepared and handed it to her

yet distinct fragrance of aged herbs filled the

air.

full–moon herbal wine?” Grandma murmured, eyes widening

“Yes, Grandma. I knew you

in the old lady’s gaze as she looked at her granddaughter. “This wine is almost impossible to obtain. How did

admitted with a

wine pot in her hands. “I haven’t had a

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Chapter 80

only the most esteemed elders of the tribe could enjoy it. You

admiration rippled through the family.

little about wine recognized its rarity. Some exchanged glances, impressed that

the moon. She whispered, “Grandmother, Arnold wasn’t here today, but he asked me to pass on the gift to you,

crafted piece, depicting an ancient oak tree with twisting branches and