The Silent Alpha novel Chapter 36

***Zanet****

"Zane, l-"

Talia pauses for a moment to wipe her tears and several thoughts fill my head.

ls my past too much of a burden to share with her? Am I too broken to love? 

“Thank you so much for sharing with me," she murmurs, my entire body tensing as I brace myself for her to turn me down for my baggage.

My mate, however, interlocks our fingers together, bringing my hand up to her lips and kissing it.

"You are so strong, Zane," she whispers through her tears.

"So strong and so brave," she adds, giving my hand a squeeze.

"My problems feel so small compared to yours now," she chuckles sheepishly.

"I had a much easier life than you did.Good parents and for a brief time, a good husband."

She fidgets with her hair at the mention of her ex husband and I frown at her.I did not show her my past to compare pain.

Pain is pain, no matter how small or big.I hold her close, hoping I can somehow shield her away from any more pain and suffering.

"I guess it’s my turn, isn’t it?" she says quietly, resting her it?"

I nod my head and place my hands over her eyes.

My walls come down and I focus on her thoughts until the pitch black fades away.

It doesn’t take long for me to figure out that I am in a hospital room of sorts, a machine steadily beeping in the corner as I look around.

The room is quite spacious with a large window overlooking the city.

A woman lays asleep on the hospital bed, a series of tubes coming out of her.

Her face is bruised and swollen, her entire body covered in bandages.

Talia sits by her side, her thumb caressing the back of the woman’s hand.

"I’m sorry, Mami," she murmurs as she strokes the woman’s cheek.

"I-I’m so sorry for pushing you away this past year.I should have...I should have tried to understand you more because I know that you only ever had the best intentions for me."

She stops to catch her breath and wipe her tears.

"I know you don’t like him much, but Christian is a good man..." she says with a forced smile.

"And he’ll take good care of me.I know he will...So you don’t have to worry about me anymore.You can rest now with Dad.Yo voy a estar bien {I’m gonna be okay},"

She leans over her mother and kisses her on the forehead.

"Te quiero mucho, mami.{I love you}.Siempre te voy a querer {I will always love you}.For a moment, she stays there with her cheek pressed against her mother’s before her phone dings and she looks down to read the message.is almost here, okay? Just a little more and then I-I’ll...I’ll let you go, okay?" she smiles through her tears.

Her lips tremble as she brushes away the woman’s hair.

"Un poquito mas {Just a little more}."

The heart monitor responds with its beeping but the woman never stirs.

Suddenly, the door bursts open, the same woman from Talia’s last memory and her ex-husband bursting in.

That must be Vanessa, I note, watching her ignore Talia as she rushes to the woman’s side and kisses her forehead.

Christian, however, comes up behind Talia and holds her to his chest.

I know it shouldn’t, but it angers me to see my mate in his arms.

"Ay, Mami,"

Vanessa whispers as brushes away her mother’s hair, her voice morphing into a sob.

";Qué te pasd? ;Qué te hicieron? {What happened to you? What did they do to you?}"

She turns to Talia, her face stained with tears.

"Are you sure she’s..."

Her voice trails off at the end but Talia understands and nods as she wipes the tears on her face.

"And Dad?" Talia shakes her head, a fresh stream of tears rolling down her cheeks.

Christain squeezes her tightly, Talia burying her face in his chest as he responds on her behalf.

"They couldn’t do anything for him.He died on impact..." he Asmall whimper escapes Talia’s throat while Vanessa caresses her mother’s cheeks.

The medical team arrives, Talia sobbing even louder now that the end is near.

"l-is she in pain?" Vanessa asks.

"Does she hurt?"

One of the nurses steps forward.

"No, sweetie.She’s not in any pain."

"Good," Vanessa nods to herself.

"And...H-how many....How many lives is she saving?"

"Four," the nurse responds.

"She’s saving four."

"O-Okay,"

Vanessa says to herself, kissing her mothers cheek.

"H-How long will it take before...she umm...before she..."

"Not long," the nurse.

"Only a few minutes and we'll make sure she’s comfortable."

"O-okay,"

Vanessa replies, looking over at Talia.

"Okay."

Talia steps out of Christian’s arms to stand by her sister, grabbing hold of her mother’s hand.

"Adios, Mami,"

Talia whimpers, giving her mother’s hand a squeeze as the nurse begins to turn off the machines.

Vanessa watches closely as the nurse reaches over to remove the ventilator from her mother’s mouth when she suddenly bursts into tears.

"I can’t," she whispers breathlessly.

"I can’t do this.I can’t watch."

Talia tries to calm her down by hugging her.

"Vanessa-"

"No!"

Vanessa snaps, storming out of the room and into the The nurse pauses and looks at Talia who only squeezes her mother’s hand.

"Keep going," she murmurs, the nurse nodding and proceeding with the removal of the tube.

"It’s okay, Mami,"

Talia whimpers, wiping away the last of her tears.

"She’s just scared but I’ll take good care of her for you.You just go home to Dad.We'll be okay."

As the nurse promised, it only takes a few minutes before Talia’s mother finally goes home, the medical team wheeling her into surgery.

Christian holds Talia for a few more moments while she sobs silently before she rushes off to find her sister.

It does not take her long to find her, Vanessa curled up on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.

Talia does not appear angry or upset, quietly sitting beside her sister.

"I’m sorry," Vanessa whimpers, her body shaking with grief.

"I just couldn’t do it.I couldn’t watch them ...k-kill her," she hiccups, Talia throwing her arm around her sister's shoulder.

"I couldn't...I couldn't..."

She bursts into another sob, Talia giving her a tight squeeze and letting her rest her head on her shoulder.

"I know..."

The hallway of the hospital disappears into the abyss, morphing into an office.

The room is painted white with minimal decor, just a few plants here and there.

A large desk sits in the middle of the room, right wall, there is a reading nook with a large comfy chair and a matching coffee table.

The entire left wall is a book shelf full of thick books and a wedding portrait of Talia and Christian.

Talia sits at the desk, punching away at a calculator and jotting something down on a sheet of paper.

Her brows are furrowed in concentration when a gentle knock on the door draws her attention.

"Come in," she calls out, a beautiful woman and a brooding man walking into the room.

The woman holds a small bouquet of flowers and a little red box in her hands, a beaming smile on her lips.

"Mrs.Hart!" Talia smiles happily, rushing to greet the woman with a hug.

"Nat, we’ve talked about this," the woman corrects her, her smile never faltering.

"You can call me Kay. You know Mrs.Hart makes me feel old."

Talia chuckles as she puts the flowers on her desk and nods nervously at the man beside Kay.

"Mr.Hart," she says, forcing a smile for the silent man who only gives her a quick glance and nods in acknowledgment.

Kay nudges her husband in the stomach to behave but Mr.Hart only growls in annoyance.

Thoroughly embarrassed, Kay clears her throat and cheerfully hands the small red box to Talia.

"Happy Anniversary, my dear," she chirps, smiling like a two years and Goddess you have done an incredible job.

“Right, honey?" She asks her husband.

The man only looks at Talia, his intense stare sending chills down my spine.

Talia does not seem bothered by his cold demeanor, keeping her attention on Kay.

"Anyways, we have a gift for you," Kay continues, attempting to diffuse the developing tension.

"I hope you like it."

Talia opens the box and extracts a beautiful bracelet with stone beads "It’s a fertility bracelet,"

Kay explains, a bit of hurt flickering in Talia’s eyes.

"It’s meant to bring you good luck with your fertility.Figured it would be worth a shot."

"Oh I see,"

Talia smiles politely, although I see the anger twitching in her cheek.