Bad Love an Alpha’s Regret by Elise Sinclair

Chapter 313

He holds out his hand and I take it, shaking.

His grip is firm and cool, and there’s something almost comforting about it.

“I’m Emily,” I tell him in return.

His smile deepens. “That’s a pretty name.”

I laugh at this.

Ronan might be too charming for his own good.

“I think it’s pretty basic myself, but you’re welcome to your opinion.”

He gives a quick, friendly laugh.

“So, Emily, what has you out here looking so down on a day like today?”

I take a slow breath, working out how I can explain without sounding crazy.

“Something bad happened to me, something traumatizing,” I begin, choosing my words carefully. “Something that went on for a long time. I finally got out just recently, and now my family are treating me like I’m fragile and broken. Maybe because I am.

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But I don’t want to be. And I can’t stay with my family, I can see that. It’s just not going to work. They’ll hate me when the realize the truth of everything that happened to me. Except I don’t know what to do, and don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Ronan nods, listening with sympathy and understanding.

And I realize it’s something no one has bothered to do since I got home.

They all just assume they know what happened to me, and what they should do about it.

I did have that

wasn’t

first in line to kill me if or when the

actually being extremely strong and brave. You survived that bad thing

I’m definitely different, but I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to consider that I might

to me.

Just not in the way he

www

literally torture, but I can do things now that I couldn’t do

that makes

to ever go through that, because I can’t exactly say what I’ve

since it puts me in greater

new me, if I decide to look

a sincere voice. “In a way that no one in your family can probably see. But I get

has actually seen me- in a way Aaron and Jessica and Axel and everyone

just

I was gone for

spiteful way, I just mean

kind of way.

if they can’t see any of that. You’re strong. You’ve proven that to yourself. You don’t need to prove it to anyone

I’m speechless.

but I’m deeply touched by

to him, emotion catching in my

smiles as he gets to his

hike these trails a few times a week,”

hope I do see

feet, and we stand there looking

I step forward and

seems surprised, but then hugs me back, and it’s nice.