Bad Love An Alpha’s Regret

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.

7

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.

assume they know what happened to me, and what they should

have that

wasn’t real..

now I know he–more than anyone–would be first in line to kill

to you actually being extremely strong and brave. You survived that bad

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

to me.

right. Just not in the

www

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

not saying that makes it all

to ever go through

me in greater danger from people like

me, if I decide to look at it from a different

way that no one in your family can probably

believe how much this stranger has actually seen me- in a way Aaron and Jessica and Axel and everyone else maybe never will.

just

gone for ten years, so they’ve

a spiteful way, I just mean in an oblivious

kind of way.

also their loss if they can’t see any of that. You’re strong. You’ve proven that to yourself. You don’t need

I’m speechless.

but

him, emotion

as he gets

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

I hope I do

my feet, and we stand there looking at each other.

I step forward and hug