The Alpha Who Never Loved Me (Serena and Kieran) novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Serena

The car pulled out of my parents’ street and I reached into my pocket.

The black card was caught between my fingers. My mother had found it on the table right before we left. He must’ve slipped it there during dinner, wanting to force them into taking it even after they had returned it.

“My mother saw it.” I held the card out to him. “They don’t need your help.”

He didn’t take it right away.

He was looking at me. His eyes a pool of affection, staring at me with a gaze that used to be familiar but has long lost it, now it was rare.

Then he reached over and took the card from my hand, but he didn’t pull back. His fingers closed around mine instead and there he settled.

I stared at our hands.

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He’d had wine at dinner. He was probably feeling the effects and I knew that. I knew this wasn’t real

tenderness, that it was alcohol loosening the grip he usually kept on himself.

But my chest ached anyway.

This was what we used to be. His hand around mine in the car, his thumb brushing my knuckle without thinking about it. I used to fall asleep on these drives home, my head against his shoulder, his fingers threaded through mine on the console between us.

I wanted to stay in this. Even for a minute. Even if it was borrowed. Even though—

His phone rang.

He dropped my hand, pulled the phone from his jacket, and answered.

I watched his profile while he listened to the person on the other side. He only said a word and throughout the minute long phone call. When he hung up, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and stared straight ahead.

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The warmth was gone.

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Whatever had been in his eyes a minute ago had been replaced by the more familiar distance and distraction, and I knew, with every broken piece of me, that the call had been from her.

I was a fool.

A complete, irredeemable fool who had just sat there holding his hand, letting herself believe he still loved her, ready to melt into a moment that meant nothing to him.

The doctor’s voice came back to me: “Whatever is causing this level of stress, remove yourself from it.”

I needed to stop. I needed to breathe and stay calm and think about the life inside me instead of the man beside

1. My baby needed a mother who wasn’t constantly shattering.

But God, I wanted to cuss him out.

The car stopped in the driveway and we both alighted from it.

Jenna’s car was already parked by the curb. She was stepping out when she spotted us, and her face lit up.

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“You two came back together?” She walked over, eyes bouncing between us. “Did you fix things? Please tell me you fixed things.”

Before either of us could answer, Kieran spoke.

“I have something to take care of.” He was already turning back to the car, reaching for the door handle. “I’ll be back.”

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

“Are you going to see Sophie?”

He froze for a second.

“Go inside.” He didn’t look at me. “I’ll be back.”

“For how long?” My voice climbed higher. “For how long are you going to disrespect me? For how long will she call and you’ll go running, leaving your wife standing in the driveway?”

“Stop.” His jaw was set. “Just go inside.”

Everything I’d been pressing down finally snapped. I

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could not maintain the nonchalance i had told myself to.

I grabbed a hold of his jacket and reached for his phone but his hand caught my wrist before I got close.

“Drop it.” His grip tightened. “You have work tomorrow.”

I shoved him with both hands against his chest, hard enough that his back hit the seat.

I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to say every word that had been rotting inside me for weeks.

But before I could get a word out, my vision blurred around the edges and a sharp pain surfaced in my head, so sharp, my legs grew weak.

I staggered, grabbing the nearest solid thing for help.

“Serena!”

I heard Jenna’s scream through the haziness my brain was currently in.

But hands caught me and steadied me.

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I felt who it was before I saw him. His hands were strong

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and thick and grabbed me tightly, almost lifting me from the ground instead of steadying me.

I slapped his hands off me.

“Don’t touch me.” I stumbled toward the front door, my vision still blurry.

I heard his footsteps behind me and then his hand grabbed mine again.

I turned and shoved him backward. “Leave me alone!”

I parted my lips and a scream tore out of me. I screamed for five whole seconds, letting the pure rage and hate I had nestling in me spill out.

Kieran stared at me, his eyes widened slightly and the usual persona he wore was replaced by something

different..

“I want nothing to do with you.” My voice sounded broken, scratched by the yelling. “Go be with the woman you love. Go!”

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He stepped forward and his hand came up toward my 1:15 arm but I slapped it hard before he could touch me.

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He looked down at his hand, then up at me.

“Leave.” I was holding back tears, every muscle in my face fighting to keep them from falling. “Just leave.”

I turned and walked inside. Jenna was right behind me, her arm looping around my waist when my knees buckled on the threshold.

She guided me to the couch and I sat, or collapsed, I wasn’t sure which. My chest was heaving and the headache pounded behind my skull and my hands were shaking in my lap. I needed to breathe. I needed to rest.

My baby. I had to think about my baby.

The front door opened and I looked up.

Kieran stood in the doorway, apparently, he had not left to see his precious. He was standing there, watching me from across the room with an expression I couldn’t read.

“If you’re leaving,” Jenna said, her voice thin, “then leave.”

“Take care of her.” His eyes were still on me even though

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