Once My Only, Now Just a Memory Chapter 20

Once My Only, Now Just a Memory Chapter 20

I took a deep, steadying breath. “Cillian, have you truly forgotten what you did? The scars on my face. The fire in the hospital. Dumping me in the snow. Ican look past all of that. But what about Lumi?”

I walked into my bedroom and fetched a small, worn cardboard box.

Inside were a few crayon drawings.

They depicted a man, a woman, and a little girl holding hands, all of them smiling.

The man wore a crooked birthday crown on his head.

The text at the bottom read: “Happy Birthday, Daddy.”

Cillian’s hands began to shake violently.

“This is…”

“Lumi drew it,” I said, staring at the colorful pages.

“She said she wanted to prepare your birthday gift early.’

“I only realized later that she knew she wouldn’t survive that winter.”

Cillian went rigid.

“She knew everything. The only thing she didn’t expect was that her Daddy would never come to save her.”

A single tear fell onto the drawing.

Then another.

It was the first time I had ever seen the powerful Alpha weep.

“Lumi’s life stands between us, Cillian. We can never go back.

He stood there for a long time, his shoulders shaking, before carefully placing the drawings back into the

box.

“I am sorry.”

“I won’t bother you again.”

He practically fled from the apartment.

Over the next two weeks, Cillian didn’t show his face.

But a large sum of money was deposited into my bank account every week.

And fresh flowers, cakes, and toys constantly appeared at Lumi’s grave.

I left them untouched.

My life began to settle into a quiet routine again.

Until one afternoon, the bakery door opened.

“Soren?”

He wore a simple, elegant coat and sweater.

“I was in the area. I wanted to see you.”

I poured him a cup of tea. He took a sip and looked at me. “Is Cillian still bothering you?”

“No,” I replied.

Soren’s brow furrowed.

“He is. He has been following you for the past two weeks.”

I froze.

“Wait. You said you were just passing by. How do you know he has been following me for two weeks?”

Soren went stiff.

His usual calm, composed face flushed with a sudden /rare look of panic.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Don’t worry, I know you are just looking out for me. It is not as if you have some hidden motive.”

Soren looked me in the eye.

“How can you be so sure?”

My smile faded. “What?”

“How are you so sure I don’t have a motive?”

I stared at him, completely stunned.

If this were ten years ago, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

But now, my face was scarred, my wolf was gone, and I had lost my youth and confidence.

How could someone like Soren be interested in me?

But he quickly changed the subject.

“Cillian won’t give up. He is waiting for you to change your mind.”

“He can keep dreaming, said instantly.

Soren offered a soft smile. “Then let us make him give up for good.”

“How?”

“Find a fake boyfriend.”

I began to think about who I could ask.

“Who?”

“Me.”

I stared at him again, my mind going blank.

Soren stepped closer, his face inches from mine.

My heart began to race. He was far too close.

Just as I was about to step back, he stopped.

From the outside, through the large bakery window, it looked as though we were kissing.

A sharp sound came from the street, and my phone began to vibrate.

I answered it, my hands trembling. Cillian’s raspy voice came through the line.

“You refuse to come back because of him?”

“Do you truly believe Soren Ellery is better than me?”

I snapped back to reality.

“Of course. Almost any man in this world is better than an Alpha like you.”

There was a long pause on the other end.

Then, the line went dead.

I looked up to find Soren watching me, a soft, genuine laugh escaping his lips.

My face burned hot.