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

first in line to kill me

thoughtfully. “You 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 survived that bad thing you went through. And maybe these might seem like empty

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

to me.

is right. Just not in the way

www

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

that makes it

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

puts me in greater

new me, if I

a way that no one in your family can probably see.

me- in a way Aaron and Jessica and

they just not care?

I was gone for ten years, so they’ve all moved

mean in a spiteful way, I

kind of way.

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 that

I’m speechless.

what to say, but I’m

say to him, emotion catching in

as he gets to his feel.

trails a few times a week,” he says. “Maybe

hope I do see

feet, and we stand there looking at

forward and

but then hugs me