Approved for Her, Rejected for Me Chapter 08

Approved for Her, Rejected for Me Chapter 08

My father looks filled with guilt.

My mother’s eyes are red from crying.

Sebastian keeps avoiding my gaze, unable to look me in the eye.

They’re all carrying gifts.

Adrian must have told them I was here, so they came to apologize.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

I already know the answer, but I still ask.

My mother nudges my father forward.

He scratches the back of his head and reluctantly steps toward me.

“Amelia, it’s been a long time. How have you been?”

“We just…”

My mother suddenly pushes him aside, as if she has finally worked up the courage.

“Amelia, we were wrong! Please, just forgive us!”

If one apology could erase everything that happened, then what am I supposed to do with all the pain I carried for years?

I can’t do it.

“No.”

The moment the word leaves my mouth, my mother completely breaks down.

She covers her face and bursts into tears, “Amelia, you’re going to be the death of me!”

“You’re my own daughter, and you won’t even acknowledge me anymore. What am I supposed to live for? I might as well just die!”

My father’s eyes turn red too.

He puts an arm around my mother, but his voice is heavier than before.

“Amelia, your mother and I are getting old. We can’t take this kind of pressure anymore.”

“I’m sorry for what we did back then, all right? Whatever you want, I’ll make it up to you. Just come

home. Starfall Pack can’t lose you.”

I look at him.

My voice is quiet.

“The three scars on my back are still there. Did any of you ever truly feel sorry for me back then?”

“I knew you took Phoebe on those trips behind my back. I was in that family group chat. I saw every photo. Every message.”

The café falls completely silent.

My father raises a hand to wipe away his tears.

My mother keeps sobbing.

Sebastian turns away and stares at the ceiling, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

Then Adrian walks in from outside.

He reaches into his suit pocket and pulls out a bank card before placing it directly in my hand.

“All my money is in this account. You can manage it from now on. You can have the final say in the Pack, too. You’re still my Luna. My mate.”

I glance down at the card. Then I toss it at his feet.

“I don’t need it. I have plenty of money now.”

“I’m done with this family. It’s rotten to the core, and I don’t want any part of it anymore.”

“Take care of yourselves.”

I turn and walk away.

The moment I step outside, I receive a message from Grayson.

[Amelia, the Alpha says this alliance is extremely important to the Pack. He wants you to talk to Alpha Adrian again.]

I contact Adrian again.

But he gives me only one condition.

I have to return to Starfall Pack for dinner first.

Athoon, my parents cook everything themselves.

The dining table is covered with all my old favorites.

Grilled steak, creamy mashed potatoes, and freshly baked bread are all placed right in front of me.

I look around the Beta House.

Everything that belongs to Phoebe is gone.

After waiting for a while, I still don’t see her come out of her room.

Adrian notices my confusion and explains, “She moved out the year you left.”

“Why?”

“Because your mother found her diary.”

“It was all in there. Everything she’d done to undermine you, and how she’d been trying to take your place, piece by piece.”

I simply shrug, “She succeeded. She just got unlucky and got caught.”

Adrian presses his lips together and says nothing.

I sit back down in the seat that used to be mine.

The best steak is placed right in front of me. Every side dish is within easy reach, and everyone watches me carefully, making sure I have everything I need.

For a moment, it feels like things have gone back to the way they used to be.

But the love we once had is gone.

I let them fuss over me.

I take a few bites, then put down my knife and fork.

“Can we sign the contract now?”

Before Adrian can answer, the front door of the packhouse suddenly bursts open.

Phoebe rushes inside with a plastic bottle in her hand.

She raises it and throws the liquid straight at me.

Adrian shoves me out of the way.

The next second, the entire contents of the bottle splash across him.

His clothes instantly begin to smoke, filling the room with a sharp, acrid smell.