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.

have that moment with

wasn’t

first in line to kill me if or when the truth came

don’t seem broken and fragile to me. Truthfully, I’m pretty sure the fact that you’re here talking to me points to you actually being extremely strong and brave. You

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

to me.

Just not in the way

www

were literally torture, but I can do things now

that makes it all worthwhile.

have a choice, I’d choose not to ever go through that, because I can’t exactly say what I’ve gained makes it

puts me in greater danger from people like

the new me, if I decide to look at it from a different perspective.

voice. “In a way that no one in your family can probably see. But I get the feeling that’s also because

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

they just not care?

caught up in their own drama–and I was gone for ten years, so they’ve all moved on without me–that

mean in a spiteful way, I just mean in an

kind of way.

just need to remember it’s them, not you,” Ronan says conspiratorially, leaning forward a little. “It’s also their loss if they can’t see any of that. You’re strong. You’ve proven

I’m speechless.

what to say, but I’m

I say to him, emotion catching

he gets

few times a week,” he says. “Maybe I’ll see you around again

hope I

my feet, and we stand there looking

step forward and

seems surprised, but then hugs