Bound To The Broken Alpha (Amy and Daniel) novel Chapter 146

Chapter 146 Pretense

Amy

Finished

I didn’t sleep that night. I laid on the bed staring at the ceiling as my mind replayed Elias’s words over and over again. Every time I tried to close my eyes, I saw his face – calm, cold, and sure of what he said.

By morning, I felt hollow. Not sad, not angry. Just empty. The kind of emptiness that doesn’t make sense until you’ve lost something you didn’t even realize you were still holding onto.

I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes. Daniel was still asleep beside me, his hand loosely draped over the blanket. For a second, I wanted to wake him, to talk, to cry, to just stop feeling like I was being pulled apart inside. But I couldn’t. He deserved rest. So I got out of bed quietly and went to the dresser.

–

There was an old photograph in the top drawer the one Mrs. Smith had given me the day I clocked 10. She’d said it was my mother. It was one of the few things I’d kept from my time in the foster home.

The woman in the picture had soft eyes and a kind smile. I’d spent years imagining her voice, wondering what it would have been like to grow up with her.

I picked up my phone and checked the photo she gave to me before she died and wondered why she told me they were both my mother. Nothing made any sense.

Now, staring at it, I wasn’t sure what to believe. Elias’s words kept echoing in my head: “You’re not my blood. You’re not hers either.”

I turned the photo over and ran my thumb across the faded ink where Mrs. Smith had written, “Your mother.” Two words, one lie.

The thought made my stomach twist. I grabbed my bag, dressed up quickly, and left for the office before Daniel woke up. I couldn’t face him yet. I needed to face Elias first.

—

When I reached the company, I walked straight past everyone who greeted me. I must have looked different maybe tired, maybe detached but no one asked. I went up to Elias’s office and knocked once before walking in. He looked up from his desk, his expression calm, almost expectant.

“Good morning,” he said, as if nothing had happened last night.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled the photograph from my bag and placed it on his desk. “Is this the woman you meant?”

He leaned back in his chair and looked at the picture. His face didn’t change. Not a twitch, not a

1/3

9:39 Wed, Jan 7

Chapter 146 Pretense

blink. He studied it for a few seconds before he spoke.

943

Finished

“That is not your mother,” he said. Then, after a short pause, he added, “Neither of them are.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about? This picture–Mrs. Smith told me-”

“Mrs. Smith lied,” he cut in. His tone was sharp but calm, like a man discussing the weather. “That woman is no one to you.”

“You’re lying,” I said. My voice came out quicter than I expected, but steady. “You don’t want me to find out the truth.”

He sighed, the kind that came from someone who’d already decided the conversation was over. “I have nothing to gain by lying to you. I’ve told you what I know.”

I clenched my fists. “Then tell me more. Who was she? Who was my mother really? You said she cheated, but you never said her name, or what happened to her after she left.”

He didn’t look up this time. “You should stop wasting your time chasing ghosts. Some pasts are better left buried.”

“You can’t say that to me,” I snapped. “You had a family. You had a mother. You had people who told you who you were. I didn’t. All I’ve ever had are questions, and now you’re the only person who can answer them.”

Elias finally stood up, and when he did, the room seemed to shrink. “You think knowing the truth will fix anything? It won’t. It’ll only break you further.”

I shook my head. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”

He looked at me for a long moment. “Amy, you’re chasing a past that doesn’t exist anymore. The people you’re looking for are gone. Let them stay gone.”

And with that, he picked up the photograph from his desk, stared at it once more, and then set it down. “This woman means nothing. Stop wasting your time.”

He brushed past me and walked out, the sound of the door closing behind him echoing louder than it should have.

I stood there for a long time, staring at the photo. My throat burned, but I couldn’t cry. Not here. Not in front of him.

When I finally picked up the picture and left, my hands were trembling. I walked down the hall, ignoring everyone who called my name, and locked myself inside my office. The moment I sat down, the tears flowed.

I pressed my palms to my eyes, trying to stop the shaking, but it didn’t help. Every word Elias

2/3

9:39 Wed, Jan 7

Chapter 146 Pretense

said replayed in my mind. Not your mother. Not her either.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify