Scarlett (Second Edition) by Karima Saad Usman novel Chapter 153

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Scarlett

hapter 153

Scarlett’s POV

I took a deep breath, stradying myself, forcing my emotions to stay buried, even though each of their faces pulled painfully at the strings around my heart. Td known them as strong, confident, proud men neer in a thousand years would I have imagined seeing them so broken, so list.

Clay, once vibrant and full of life, was now a shadow of himself, his face hollow, eyes sunken and rimmed with dark circles. Maxwell’s haggard appearance shocked me; his shirt hung loose, and he looked so weary, so defeated. And Lucian his unkempt heard, his gaunt frame, the helplessness in his eye was almost unrecognizable. It was as if each of them had been carved out, hollowed by their pain and regret.

“Scarlett…” Lucian’s voice was barely a whisper, fragile and uncertain, like he was afraid his words might Skatter me. I forced myself to meet his gaze ignoring the wave of emotions stirring inside me.

“What do the three of you want from me?” I asked, my voice colder than I intended. “Haven’t you taken enough already?” My words struck them like a

physical blow. Clay’s face crumpled, tears slipping freely down his cheeks, each one a testament to his regret. Maxwell looked hauted, like he was trapped

in some kind of waking nightmare. Lucian, unable to hold my gaze, bowed his head, and a tear fell, splashing softly onto the ground.

“Scarlett, don’t let them upset you. I’ll handle this,” Keith said, his voice a quiet strength behind me, but I shook my head, surprising even myself with my

response.

“They aren’t objects, Keith. They’re my mates,” I replied, the words slipping out before I could even think about them. And in that moment, I knew it was true, despite everything. A bond like ours didn’t disappear with anger; it couldn’t just be erased. But anger still burned in me, fierce and justified. I straightened, squaring my shoulders and locking eyes with each of them, letting my words carry the weight of all the hurt they had caused.

“I can never forgive you for what you did to me. If we hadn’t already claimed each other, I would reject all of you right here and now. But I am not coming

home with you,” I said, my voice firm.

Suddenly, Lucian fell to his knees, his face streaked with tears, his shoulders hunched under the weight of his regret.

“I’ll bear it all, Scarlett. The hatred, the punishment, whatever you decide I’ll accept it. But don’t cut off Maxwell and Clay. They were innocent. The betrayal you suffered was mine alone. Gregory was my mistake; the pack members who hurt you, they were under my influence. None of this was their fault.

hate me.” If you want to hate someone,

His voice broke, but he continued, desperation spilling over with every word. “I deserve to suffer for eternity for what I’ve done, for abusing the gift the goddess gave me. But please, don’t cut them off. Clay has searched for you every single day since you left. Maxwell waits by the road where your scent disappeared, hoping, praying that you’ll return. We are lost without you. Hopeless.”

I looked away, the strength I’d been holding onto suddenly shaking, my walls beginning to tremble. His words struck chords I hadn’t wanted to feel again. Clay searching for me each day. Maxwell waiting, sitting by the road where I’d vanished. They hadn’t stopped loving me, even if they hadn’t known how to show it before. Even now, after all I’d endured, a part of me longed to reach out, to believe their words, to heal the ache that had haunted me for so long.

But I remembered the cold nights, the loneliness, the sense of betrayal that had ripped through me when I’d realized my own mates had failed me.

“I don’t know if I can ever forgive you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “You took away so much-my trust, my safety, my heart. And while you may suffering now, it doesn’t erase the pain you caused me. It doesn’t erase the memories.”

Lucian nodded, accepting my words with an air of resignation, as if he’d expected nothing less. “I know. And I would never ask you to forgive me. But please, Scarlett… even if you can’t forgive, don’t let the bond die. Don’t let them suffer for my mistakes.”

I glanced at Clay, whose tear-streaked face reflected pain, and then at Maxwell, who looked like he was on the verge of breaking completely. Their suffering

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Chapter 153

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and it mirrored the hurt they had caused in me. It was stalost unbearable.

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Lucian’s voice tracked with desperation, his words spilling out furough his tears. “I deserve aft of this, Scarlett. Every cance of your anger, that they they

don’t. Please, don’t punish Clay and Adaxwell for my failures” His plea tore at something deep within me, and the weight of my own envions began to press down, blurring the line between anger and grief.

I felt it then-Tiger’s presence, warm and grounding, urging me to come home. Vin and Neo, too, reaching out to me through our bond, a reminder of the ties that had once felt unbreakable. Their emotions washed over me like a tidal wave, overwhelming and raw. I could feel their longing, their remorse, the

pain they had carried in my absence.

But Keith’s voice interrupted, a firm reminder in my mind. “Think hard, Scarlett. If you go back, you might not escape what happens next.” His heartache mirrored my own, and I knew he was pleading with me to stay, to choose the life I had found with him. His quiet words were heavy with the weight of his own fear, his own longing. I could feel how close he was to breaking, too.

I took a deep breath, struggling to pull myself back into the present. “What is it with this Garland man?” I asked, forcing myself to focus on something cise. anything that would help me think clearly.

Maxwell looked up, his face lined with exhaustion and grief. “Forget Garland. He’s our burden to bear. You shouldn’t worry about him, Scarlett All we want is to bring you home,” he said, his voice soft, pleading.

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