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

that wasn’t real..

anyone–would be first in line to kill me if or when

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 survived that bad thing you went through. And maybe

but I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to consider

to me.

not in the way he probably means.

www

do things now that I couldn’t do before.

makes it all

I could go back and have a choice, I’d choose not to ever go through that, because I can’t exactly

in greater danger from people like Axel.

I decide to look at it from a

that no one in your family can probably see. But I get the feeling that’s also because you don’t

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

they just not

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

don’t mean in a spiteful way, I just mean in an oblivious

kind of way.

any of that. You’re strong. You’ve proven that to yourself. You

I’m speechless.

know what to say, but

say to him,

he gets to his

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

smiling, because I hope

to my feet, and we stand there looking at each

forward and

then hugs me back, and it’s