Betrayed by My Ex, Marked by His Alpha Emperor Brother novel Chapter 208

Chapter 208: Chapter 208

Elara’s POV

"Why did you leave? Why didn’t you want me anymore?"

The words hung in the air like shards of broken glass. Valerius stood in the doorway, his satchel forgotten at his feet, tears streaming down his face. His dark gold eyes—so much like his father’s—bore into me with an intensity that made my chest crack open all over again.

I scrambled to my feet. My legs were numb from kneeling, unsteady beneath me, but I moved toward him anyway. Arms reaching. Heart splitting.

"Valerius—baby—"

"Don’t." His voice broke on the word. Then hardened. Something shifted behind those wet eyes. The desperation curdled. Twisted. Became something sharp and jagged. "Don’t call me that."

I stopped mid-step.

"You left us." His chin jutted forward. His small hands curled into fists at his sides. "You left and you never came back. Not once. Not for my birthday. Not when I was sick. Not ever."

"Valerius, please let me explain—"

"You’re NOT my mother!"

The scream tore through the room. Raw. Violent. It echoed off the walls and slammed into me with physical force. I staggered backward.

Behind me, Lyra hid behind Kaelen’s leg, sobbing brokenly, her small body trembling.

"You’re not my mother," Valerius repeated, quieter this time but somehow worse. His voice was thick with tears he was fighting to suppress. His eyes were clouded with tears. "My mother wouldn’t have left. My mother wouldn’t have abandoned us. You’re just—you’re just a stranger."

The word stranger landed like a blade between my ribs.

I couldn’t breathe.

The room was shrinking. The walls pressed inward. The air turned thick and heavy, like trying to inhale through wet cloth. My vision narrowed to a pinpoint—Valerius’s face, contorted with rage and grief, swimming in and out of focus.

My chest seized. A steel band tightened around my lungs. My heart hammered so fast it felt like a single continuous vibration rather than individual beats.

Panic.

I knew what this was. I’d felt it before—in the underground rings, in dark alleys, in the moments between waking and sleeping when the memories clawed too close. But knowing didn’t stop it.

"Enough." Kaelen’s voice cut through the chaos. Low. Commanding. The timbre of an emperor who expected immediate obedience. "Both of you. Upstairs. Now."

Valerius’s head snapped toward his father. His mouth opened in protest.

"Now, Valerius." No room for argument. No warmth. Pure authority. "Take your sister. Go to your rooms."

The Alpha command threaded through the words—subtle but unmistakable. Valerius flinched. His jaw clenched, but his body obeyed what his mind resisted. He moved toward Lyra, took her hand, and pulled her toward the staircase.

Lyra went willingly, her small feet pattering on the steps. She looked back once—those green eyes finding me—before disappearing around the corner.

Then silence.

Dead, suffocating silence.

My lungs wouldn’t expand. The steel band tightened further. I pressed my hand flat against my sternum, fingers clawing at the fabric of my shirt as though I could physically pry my chest open and force air inside.

"Elara." Kaelen was in front of me. When had he moved? His hands gripped my shoulders—firm, steadying. "Breathe. Look at me. Breathe."

I couldn’t. I couldn’t see him. The edges of my vision were going dark, sparking with white pinpricks. My knees buckled again, but this time his grip held me upright.

"I can’t—" The words came out in a thin wheeze. "I can’t—breathe—"

"You can. Focus on my voice. In through your nose. Out through your mouth. Slowly."

But the room was spinning. Valerius’s scream echoed in my skull on repeat. You’re not my mother. You’re not my mother. You’re NOT—

I wrenched free of Kaelen’s hands.

Instinct took over. The same instinct that had kept me alive in fighting pits and back alleys for years. Run. When the world collapsed, you ran. When the pain became too much to contain within the walls of your body, you ran until your legs gave out or the distance swallowed it.

I lunged for the front door.

"Elara—"

My fingers closed around the handle. I yanked it open.

And froze.

A woman stood on the threshold.

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