Chapter 80
I shook my head at how absurd this was, making a small boy uncomfortable because they simply wanted to stare.
I felt Charlie tense up beside me again and this time, I became agitated.
I hated that I put him in this position because all the little boy wanted was to see his father and to have people looking at hiri like he was a freak inca circus was aimoying-
Aragon appeared by my side, his gaze scanning the crowd with a protective intensity. Leah followed close behind, her presener a steadying force a one of the guards took Daisy from her.
As we walked forward, the whispers grew louder, but I ignored them. I refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing my discomfort.
At the steps of the pack house, Marcel emerged, his expression neutral but his eyes filled with something unreadable.
“Welcome back,” he said.
“Marcel,” I replied curly, my tone sharper than I intended.
His gaze flicked to Charlie, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face before he quickly masked it. “This must be your son.”
I nodded, keeping my hand firm on Charlie’s shoulder. “This is Charlie‘
Charlie, sensing the tension, looked up ar Marcel and offered a tentative wave. “Hi,” he said softly.
Marcel’s lips twatched into a faint smile. “Hi, Charlie, Welcome.”
Charlie nodded but stayed close to me, his small hand clutching mine tightly.
“We’ve prepared rooms for you,” Marcel continued, his eyes briefly darting to Aragon before returning to me. “If you’ll follow me.”
I glanced at Aragon, who gave me a reassuring nod. Together, we followed Marcel into the house, Leah trailing behind with an armful of bags.
The inside of the pack house hadn’t changed much. The same polished wooden floors, the same intricate carvings on the banisiens. It smelled the same too–a mix of pine and something early that always reminded me of home, though thated to admit it.
As we walked, I could feel eyes on us. Members of the pack peeked out from doorways and whispered behind half–closed doors.
“Is she staying for good!”
“Do you think she’s forgiven them?“:
“Look at her son–he looks just like her.”
Their words cut, but I kept my head held high. I had no intention of showing them how much their gossip
Marcel stopped in front of a door, pushing it open to reveal a cozy room with two twin beds. “This will be for you and Charlie,” he said, stepping
anide to let US பட
Charlie immediately ran to the nearest bed, jumping onto it with a grin. “This one’s mine!”
Haughed despite myself, his enthusiaum infectious. “Alright, you can have that ofte,”
Marcel hesitated in the doorway, his gaze once again shifting to Aragon. “I will leave you two alone,
With a brief God, Marcel rummed and left, leaving the four of us alone.
Leah dropped the bags onto the other bed, dusting her hands off with a sigh. “Well, that wasn’tio
I shot her a look. “Sprak for yourself. I feel like I’m under a microscope.”
“They’re just curious,” she said with a shrug. “Can you blame them?”
1 groaned, flopping onto the bed beside me. “Yes, I can. They treated me like dirt, Leah. I shouldn’t have to prove myself to them.”
“You’re not proving anything.” Aragon interjected. “You’re here for Charlie. And for younell”
Hlooked over at him, his steady presence grounding me. He was right, of course. As much as I wanted to run and hide, I couldn’t. Not anymore
Charlie bosinned over to my bed, his wide grin making my heart swell “Momy, can I go play outsider
Theutated, glancing at Aragon. He nodded subtly, and I tumed back to Charlie. “Alright, but stay close to the house And don’t go anywhere without telling me, okay?”
“Okay” be cured bar for dashing out of the room.
Leah sank onto the bed beside me, her hand resting on mine. “You’ve got this, you know.”
I unded weakly, the weight of her words settling over me. “Thope an
Aragoni a voice broke through my thoughts “You’re stronger than you think. Sapphire. Don’t let thein make you doubt that.
I nodded, taking his words to hear. For Charlie’s sake, I had to be because if let them affect me like the last time, I am afraid I wouldn’t be strong
So what i nest on your list of things” Aragon asked.
“Hight now! Ehave to go see Marcel, I don’t like the way he spoke to me formally like some stranger and I guess I deserve some
Chapter 80
“He will loosen up, but I guess you can talk to him. Come on, I am going to check on Daisy.”
I followed her out without another word to Aragon, I didn’t want him asking me questions right now, not when I am uncomfortable coming back. here.
Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking when I made that decision. Leah opened the door to the room and smiled,
“Guess who is here,” she said excitedly to Marcel.
1 stepped out from behind her and smiled awkwardly at him, I heard her close the door giving us privacy to talk
“Marcel.”
“You look well,” he said.
I nodded, “I am, I took care of myself.”
Silence.
The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Im sorry, Marcel I owe you an apology.”
Marcel paused mid step, his brows knitting together. Without saying a word, he walked over to the bed and sank down onto it, the mattress dipping under his weight. He folded his amos across his chest, tilting his head as he studied me
“Why are you apologizing to me!” he asked.
u were mad at me for leaving without saying anything.
I shifted uncomfortably, clasping my hands together in my lap. “Because I know you were
He sighed heavily, the sound filling the room. “I wasn’t just mad, Sapphire. I was hurt. I thought we were closer than that.”
The guilt hit me like a wave, crashing over me and dragging me under. I lowered my gaze, unable to meet his eyes. “I know.” I whispered. “And I’m sorry. I should’ve told you, but I didn’t tell Leah either. I didn’t tell anyone.”
He nodded slowly, his expression softening. “I know that now. And I get it. You were going through hell back then. You needed to escape, and telling people would’ve made it harder.”
My lips twitched into a weak smile, “You’re too kind, Marcel.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Kindness has nothing to do with it, Sapphire. I just wanted you to be okay.”
The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air. Marcel broke it first, his eyes flicking to the door where Charlie’s laughter still echoed faindy from the hallway.
“So,” he began, his tone lighter now, “your son. How did that happen!”
Heat rose to my cheeks, and I laughed nervously, brushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Uh, well.. Aragon and I had a thing before I left. I didn’t even know I was pregnant until I was already far away from this place.”
His brows shot up, and a knowing smirk tugged at his lips. “Aragon, huh? That explains a lot.”
I rolled my eyes, “Don’t start.”
He leaned back, his hands propping him up on the bed as he regarded me diqughtfully. “If you’d known back then, would you have stayed!”
The question hung in the air, heavy with implications. I didn’t answer inanediately, taking a moment to gather my thoughts. “No,” I said finally,
“Good” he said without hesitation
My eyes snapped to hus, surprise flickering across my face. “Good?”
He nodded, op night. “Yeah. You didn’t deserve what they put you through. And honestly? I didn’t want you to stay eith
condition”
Not under those
His words left me momentarily speechless. He wasn’t just saying it to make me feel better–1 could see the sincerity in his eyes.
Marcel stood and crossed the room, stopping in front of me. His expression softened, and he crouched down so we were at eye level. “You needed to Irave, Sapphire. And I’m glad you did. I hated seeing you like that. When you left, I was over the moon. Not because you were gone, but because you
were free.”
My throat tightened, emotions swirling within me. “You never said any of this before. “I murmured.
He slanapred. “Didn’t seem like the right time. But now! Now I can tell you dat I’m proud of you. You built a life for yourself, for your son. You didit let this place break you.”
Trans pricked at the comers of my eyes, and I blinked them away quickly. “Marcel…”
Before I could say anything else, he pulled me into a ling. His arms wrapped around me tightly, and for the first time in a long time, I felt truly
pdenood
Im glad you’re okay” he said. “That’s all I ever wanted for you since you came here,”
I logged him back just as tightly, letting the warmth of his. support wash over me. “Thank you.” I whispered, the words barely mulible.
