The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 166: Still Friends

Scarlett’s POV

​I stood in the doorway. The smell of the other woman’s perfume was strong, mixing with the scent of sex and Ethan’s own forest musk. I felt empty inside. I had no right to be angry; I was the one who had shattered Ethan’s hope after three years. This was my fault.

​I stepped into the room and shut the door. The sound was loud in the quiet room. Ethan did not move. He sat on the edge of the bed with his back to me, his bare shoulders tense. The sheets were a mess, a testament to what had just occurred.

​"Ethan..." I whispered. My voice was shaky from the tears I was holding back.

​He didn’t turn around. He didn’t even acknowledge that I was there.

​"I’m sorry," I said. The words felt too small for the gravity of my actions. "I am sorry for leading you on. For letting you think we had a chance when I was still stuck in my past. I am sorry for breaking your heart."

​I took a small step closer, but I stayed back to give him space.

​"Trust me, Ethan, if I could make myself love you the way you deserve, I would. I wish I could give you everything you gave me. But my heart..." I stopped, thinking of Leo’s eyes. "My heart is broken, Ethan. It doesn’t do what I want."

​The silence was heavy. I swallowed hard, waiting for the end.

​"It’s okay if you don’t want to see me anymore," I said. "I understand if you want to stop talking to me. But Ethan, I will always be thankful to you. If it weren’t for you, I would be dead. You saved me. You kept me alive when I wanted to give up. I do love you... it might not be in the romantic way you wanted, but I do love you."

For a second, he closed his eyes like the words

wiped a tear from my face. "I’m leaving the hotel. I need to find out who I am

he cut

up and turned to face me. He didn’t look at my neck, and I tried not to look at the scratches on his chest from the

He’s the Alpha of a local pack—strong, stable, and he owes me a favor. He’ll take you in, provide you with a safe place

breath left my lungs in a rush of relief and guilt. Even now, after I’d crushed him, he was still protecting me. He was still the man who looked out for

Ethan," I whispered, my voice breaking completely. "Thank you for

and stepped toward me. For a moment, I

though the words were kind, I could hear the coldness in them. The romantic hope of us being together was dead. "Yes, we didn’t end up together, but that doesn’t

face against his

steady, grounding embrace. It was the hug of a brother, a protector, a friend. It was the end of one story and the beginning of another—one where I was finally free to find myself, and he was finally free to find someone who could give him the

thumbs to wipe the tears from my cheeks. His touch was gentle, but the heat that used to be there was gone. He told

Scar," he said, looking at me seriously. "You

whispered, looking at the floor. "Just two more

frowned. "Why? Why two more years? The triplets are

I still saw it. I saw that love and that need to

what is your