To ruin an Omega novel Chapter 501

Chapter 501: The Victor takes it all 2

FIA

A laugh bubbled up from me. It came out half-choked with crying. "I don’t know if this is in my head or you’re actually here from another time."

She stepped forward. Her hand reached out to touch my face, but a membrane stopped her. The barrier shimmered between us, marking the boundary between past and present.

"Ah... so this is real, and you are visiting from another time."

She nodded.

"So we can peek into the future physically," I said.

"If you beg the goddess enough." Mother smiled. The expression looked exactly as I remembered it. Warm, knowing, and full of love. "You look so good."

More tears formed. They felt different now. Lighter somehow. "I guess I got one of my wishes. So it’s only smooth sailing from here."

She nodded.

"I’m so happy you’re here."

"I’m more than elated that I got this opportunity." Her voice carried the weight of certainty. "To see with my own eyes that all the risks I took worked out in the end. Happy birthday, baby."

I smiled through the tears. "Thank you."

"You should cry happy tears. Not sad ones." She moved closer, but the membrane held firm. "This is a time for you to be happy."

"I am happy." I nodded frantically. The motion made more tears spill free. "I am."

"I’m glad to hear that."

She leaned in. Her lips came within an inch of my cheek before the barrier stopped her. "Have the life you deserve, baby."

Her gaze shifted to my phone. "You’re allowed to be angry for however long you want. What he made you go through was horrible. But you’re also allowed to let him try if you want. If enough time has passed for you to want to try again."

I nodded.

"That includes my father, too."

Another nod came from me because my throat had closed up too tightly for speech.

"My time is almost up." She started to fade. The edges of her form blurred and dissolved. "But know I love you, Fia."

"I do know."

She smiled. The expression lingered even as the rest of her disappeared entirely. Then she was gone, and I stood alone in my room with tear-stained cheeks and a heart that felt too full to fit inside my chest.

I moved on autopilot. Bath first. The hot water soothed muscles I hadn’t realized were tense. I scrubbed my skin until it turned pink, then stood under the spray until the steam made it hard to breathe. When I finally stepped out, I brushed my teeth twice and stared at my reflection until I could meet my own eyes without flinching.

The closet yielded a dress I didn’t even remember getting. Deep green fabric that brought out the gold in my eyes. I pulled it on and did something with my hair that approximated presentable. Makeup went on in quick, practiced strokes.

By the time I finished, music drifted up from the ballroom. The sound pulled me forward. I followed it down the stairs and through the corridors until I reached the doorway.

Light spilled out into the hallway. Bodies moved inside, dancing, laughing, and celebrating. The sight made my chest tighten with something that felt dangerously close to contentment.

Cian spotted me immediately. He crossed the room in long strides that ate up the distance between us. When he reached me, his eyes tracked over my face like he was cataloging every detail.

"You look beautiful."

Heat crept up my neck. "I just put random things together."

"Then you’re naturally gifted at putting random things together." He held out his hand. "Dance with me."

I placed my palm against his. The familiar warmth of his skin grounded me, pulling me fully into the moment. He led me onto the floor. The music swelled around us as his arm came around my waist and pulled me close.

We moved together. The steps came easily now, after all the practice I had gotten. My head fit perfectly against his shoulder. The world narrowed to just this. Just us. Just the way his heartbeat thrummed steady beneath my ear.

"Alpha Cian."

Garrett materialized beside us. His expression was apologetic but determined.

Cian’s gaze turned sharp. The protective fury I’d come to recognize flickered across his features. "What, Beta?"

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