Contract Marriage With Alpha Snow novel Chapter 296

Chapter 296: Personal Apology

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Chapter 296

~Ella’s POV~

My heart stopped.

The voice was smooth, deep, and all too familiar. Blood drained from my face as I shot up from the couch, my grip tightening on the phone.

"Cal—Ares? I mean, Alpha Ares," I stammered.

"Ah, so you do remember me," he said with a soft tone that hinted on his remorse and charm. "I wasn’t sure you’d even pick up."

"I almost didn’t," I snapped, trying to steady my racing heart. "Why are you calling me? And how the hell did you even get my number?"

There was a pause on his end before he replied, his voice softer now. "I wanted to apologize, Ella. For everything."

I scoffed, now pacing the room. "Apologize? For what exactly? For lying to me? For hiding who you really are? For making me feel like an idiot?"

"Yes," he said simply, his honesty catching me off guard.

"Okay, he just called me an idiot."

I heard Ares sigh deeply.

"Ella, I did not call you that. I..."

"But you just agreed to it."

"No, I... Ella. I am apologising for tricking you. For all of that. I messed up, and I don’t expect you to forgive me right away, but I need you to know I’m sorry."

I let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through my hair. "Sorry doesn’t change the fact that you lied to me, Ares. I thought—" I stopped myself, biting my lip. "It doesn’t matter what I thought. It’s over now."

"Ella," he said, his voice dipping into something that sounded almost... pleading. "I know I hurt you, and that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do. I was trying to protect you, in my own messed-up way."

"Protect me?" I repeated, my voice dripping with disbelief. "From what? The truth?"

"Yes," he admitted, his honesty disarming me again. "The truth about who I am. My reputation. I didn’t want you to see me as... that guy."

"Well, guess what?" I shot back. "You became that guy the moment you lied to me."

There was a long pause on the other end, and for a moment, I thought he’d hung up. But then he spoke again, his voice quieter.

"You’re right," he said. "I screwed up. But I’m trying to make it right. That’s why I’m calling."

"Okay," I said, crossing my arms. "You’ve apologised. Congratulations. Ciao."

"Ella, wait!" Ares choked out quickly.

"What now?"

"I want to see you," he said.

I barked out a laugh, the sound harsh even to my own ears. "You must be dreaming. You should be thankful I even answered your call. There’s no way I’m seeing you."

"I figured you’d say that," he said, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"What’s so funny?" I demanded.

"Nothing," he replied, though I could hear the smile in his voice. "Just... look outside your door, little angel."

"What?" I frowned, moving toward the door.

"Go on," he urged. "I promise it’s worth it."

At least he apologised when he hurt me, unlike Styles, right?

Sigh, let’s just see the gift, I mentally concluded.