lphas Second Choice novel Chapter 19

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Chapter 2

By the time I climbed to the fifth floor and unlocked the door, the familiar old scent washed over me. Everything inside remained exactly the same..

Beside the old television sat my mother’s framed portrait. The candle in front of it had burned out. I replaced it with a new one, tied on an apron, and stepped into the kitchen.

Soon, a table of food was ready. The bowl across from me was still empty, just as it had been for years. I didn’t have much appetite myself and ate slowly.

“Mom, I ran into Wesley today,” I said softly, as though reporting to someone who could still hear me.

“Don’t worry. He can’t hurt me anymore. I’m much smarter than before.”

Only silence answered me. I set down my fork and walked into the bedroom to pull out an old photo album.

“Let’s look at you when you were young. It’s better than those stiff black–and–white pictures.”

The moment I opened it, a loose photo slipped out and fell to the floor. I bent to pick it up, and froze.

Wesley. Kayla. And me.

The three of us stood shoulder to shoulder, grinning wildly at the camera. I was in the middle, holding their

arms, laughing the hardest.

I was thirteen, with a chipped tooth on the right side, looking stupid and painfully innocent.

It was that summer.

Debt collectors had surrounded Wesley’s home, fists raised high, and no one dared step in. Not even my

parents. But I rushed forward.

The punch meant for Wesley landed squarely on my face. My tooth shattered instantly, and the swelling

didn’t go down for a month.

My mother trembled with anger, forbidding me from ever associating with the Grants again.

But then Rachel, Wesley’s mother, dragged her injured leg and knelt before my parents, thanking them over

and over.

My mother softened.

And after that, Wesley practically became part of our household. An extra set of knife and fork at dinner. A boy’s jacket hanging by our door every New Year.

My mother helped Rachel run her stall, and when people bullied Rachel, she would storm forward and scold them until they fled.

The two women were as close as sisters.

Chapter 2

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Until one day, Rachel, who had always been timid, insecure, barely able to form a full sentence… somehow ended up in my father’s bed.

When I came home, everything in the house was shattered.

My mother stood in the center, crying so hard she couldn’t breathe, a red handprint stamped across her face. My father shielded the she–wolf in his arms protectively.

“Let’s end our bond,” he said. “You can take all the money from selling the house. I just want Rachel.”

Wesley stood beside me in shock, unsure what to do. When he tried to pull his mother away, my mother slapped him twice with all her strength.

I pushed my mother aside, and she collapsed to the ground, staring at me in disbelief.

I remembered sobbing, but the words that came out were the cruelest thing I had ever said to her. “Mom, how

could you hit Wesley?”

The memories scattered like broken glass, ending with the small photograph in my hand.

I had burned everything related to Wesley after dissolving our mate bond. I didn’t expect one picture to be

hiding here.

I was about to toss it into the trash when a knock sounded at the door. I thought it was my neighbors, they

always visited around this time of year.

So I opened the door casually. Only to see Kayla standing there, arm linked with Wesley’s.

She smiled sweetly. “Lauren, long time no see. You haven’t changed at all. Wesley couldn’t refuse me. Hope

we’re not interrupting.”

I looked at them calmly. “I won’t invite you in. What do you want?”

Kayla’s smile faltered as she glanced at Wesley for help.

“Kayla just wanted to see you,” Wesley said. “She brought something too.”

He set a shopping bag on the entry cabinet.

Kayla immediately brightened. “These skincare products–I’ve been loving them lately. I had an extra set at home, so I thought of giving them to you. We used to share things like this.”

One glance told me they were the cheap kind even housekeepers refused to use because of the

overpowering scent.

“That photo…”

Before I could finish, Kayla’s eyes welled up with tears instantly.

“Lauren… after all these years, you still can’t let go, can you?”

Chapter 2

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I crushed the photo into a ball and tossed it into the trash. “It’s not that deep.”

She reached out a hand but didn’t dare touch me, fingers hovering uncertainly.

“I know you still blame me. If you and Wesley hadn’t separated, today would’ve been your bond anniversary.”

Her voice was gentle, but every word stung like salt on an open wound.

“I really had no choice back then. If you truly don’t care anymore, let us treat you to dinner.

If you ever need help, we’re old friends.”

My wolf snarled with rage, and I was about to refuse until my gaze fell on the candle burning before my mother’s photograph.

I suddenly smiled and smoothed out every trace of emotion.

“Okay.”