His Thoughts Loved Me, His Cruelty Destroyed Me Chapter 02

His Thoughts Loved Me, His Cruelty Destroyed Me Chapter 02

The words hit me like a heavy blow.

I never expected Lachlan to say something like that.

Even in our nastiest fights, he had never weaponized my family trauma against me.

He knew exactly what it meant to me.

My mother was ruined by my father’s mistress.

Then, shameless as he was, my father dragged his illegitimate daughter into our home, forcing me to play the “doting older sister.”

It was an open wound. Off-limits.

Lachlan watched my face, scanning every micro-expression.

Fury surged through me. A wolf’s howl threatened to tear from my throat, and I opened my mouth to scream at him.

Then, a frantic voice echoed in my mind.

[“I even pulled this trick to provoke her. She has to fight back now, right?”]

[“Her eyes are red… Goddess, I’m such a fool!”]

[“Babe, I’m sorry. My wolf is going insane. I want to make up with you. I want to hear your voice. You need to tell me what happened these past three days.”]

[“Please, just give me a reaction. Let me know you still care.”]

The words caught in my throat.

Lachlan watched my lips part and close.

A brief, desperate flash of hope flickered in his eyes, quickly masked by a sneer of utter contempt.

I swallowed every word.

I turned my head away, cutting off eye contact.

“You’re right.”

A suffocating silence fell over the car.

[“What did she just say?”]

[“How could she say that?”]

[“She’s supposed to rip me apart with her claws! She’s supposed to snarl and call me a wretch! She should be screaming at me for letting Tamsin sit up front, hating my guts for using the stuff she bought me!”]

[“Does she… really not care anymore? Does nothing I do matter to her?”]

[“Babe… I’m begging you…”]

Head down, calm and composed, I started replying to work emails on my phone.

Lachlan waited and waited. Nothing.

He clenched his jaw, knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.

The car sped down the interstate.

Silence.

Tamsin finally broke it.

“Um, Rowan… I’m so sorry about Ms. Lawson.”

My thumb froze over the screen.

Ms. Lawson. My mother.

“We just wanted to force her to break her bond with Dad. Who could’ve guessed those private photos would destroy everything?”

“Honestly, my mom and I have felt so guilty all these years. We’ve always wanted to make it up to you.”

“We just never found a way.”

“There’s always a way.”

I set my phone down.

“Then you and your mother can stay out of my life forever.”

Tamsin’s eyes instantly welled with tears.

“Rowan… what… what did you just say?”

I stared at her coldly. “I said, drop the act and stay away from me.”

My body lurched forward.

Lachlan slammed on the brakes.

“Rowan, get out of the car.”

Lachlan glared at me cold through the mirror.

“Get out. I don’t give rides to vile people.”

“She provoked me first!”

My chest heaved. The bottled-up rage finally erupted, my nails digging so hard into my palms they almost extended into claws.

His voice echoed in my head once again:

[“Rowan finally showed some emotion toward me…”]

[“I knew this trick would work.”]

I gritted my teeth. “Lachlan, stop playing games!”

Lachlan shifted slightly in his seat, a confident smirk touching the corner of his lips.

“I’m not playing games. Either you get out, or you apologize to Tamsin.”

“Did you hear what she just said? She brought up my mother! And you expect me to apologize?!”

Tamsin’s soft weeping grew louder, the feeble scent of a low-tier Beta mixing with her phony tears.

“Rowan, I really just wanted to say I’m sorry…”

The tension in Lachlan’s face darkened.

“Rowan, you have three seconds.”

“Apologize, or get out.”

“Lachlan, we are on the interstate…”

“Then apologize.”

I met his eyes. The oppressing aura of an Alpha rippled subtly through the cabin.

His inner thoughts flooded my mind once again:

[“Don’t cry, babe. Please, don’t look at me like that. I can barely hold this act together.”]

[“Looking at me like that is driving my wolf crazy.”]

[“Please, just give in this once! I’ll kick Tamsin out right now and beg for your forgiveness!”]

[“Please, I can’t take this anymore!”]

“Speak.”

His spoken voice was low and cold—a stark contrast to his desperate inner begging.

“Three. Two…”

He narrowed his eyes, a flicker of dark red gleaming in his deep pupils.

Click.

The car door opened.

Before his wide, shocked eyes, I stepped out without a second thought.

His breath hitched sharply.

“Rowan!”