The Alpha Wants His Curvy Luna Back

Chapter3

ELENA POV

I didn’t remember how I got home. One minute, I was walking away from the Silver Moon Estate, and the next, I was standing outside my apartment with my hand resting on the door. I stared at the key between my fingers for several seconds before realizing I was crying again. I quickly wiped my face. “Stop it, Elena.” My voice sounded weak.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The apartment was exactly as I had left it that morning. My shoes were beside the couch, a cup of tea sat untouched on the small table, and the blanket Rowan had bought me was still folded neatly across the armchair. Everything looked normal. Except me.

I dropped my purse on the floor and slowly sat on the couch. Silence surrounded me. For six years, Rowan had been part of almost everything in my life. His name was in my phone, his pictures were on my walls, his clothes were in my bedroom, and his favorite coffee was in my kitchen. Even the stupid little things reminded me of him.

I looked at the framed photograph sitting on the shelf. It was from our second year together. Rowan was smiling at the camera while I stood beside him with my arms around his waist. Back then, I had thought that smile belonged to me. Now I wondered if it had ever been real.

My phone vibrated.

I looked down.

Rowan.

My heart jumped before my mind reminded me of what had happened. I stared at his name until the phone stopped ringing. A few seconds later, another message appeared.

Rowan: We need to talk.

I laughed. A painful laugh escaped my lips. “Now you want to talk?”

Another message came.

Rowan: Don’t misunderstand what happened tonight.

I stared at the screen. Don’t misunderstand? What exactly was there to misunderstand? I typed a reply, then deleted it. I typed another and deleted that one too. Finally, I locked my phone. I didn’t want to hear another explanation. I had spent six years listening to explanations. I had believed every single one.

I stood up and walked into my bedroom. The first thing I saw was the small wooden box on my dresser. I opened it, and inside were years of memories. Movie tickets, old photographs, a dried flower, a bracelet Rowan had given me on my twenty-second birthday, and a handwritten note.

I picked it up. His handwriting was still easy to recognize.

One day, Elena, I’ll give you everything you deserve.

My eyes filled with tears. I pressed the note against my chest. “Why did I believe you?”

I sat on the edge of my bed. For years, I had imagined growing old with him. I had imagined waking up beside him, having children, building a home, and growing old enough to complain about his gray hair. All those little dreams suddenly felt ridiculous. Because while I was planning a future with him, he had been planning a future without me.

I closed the box.

Then I did something I had never done before. I took every picture of us from the shelf and placed them inside the box, one by one. The last picture was the hardest. I almost put it back, but instead, I turned it face down.

I couldn’t destroy the memories.

Not yet.

But I didn’t want to see them anymore.

My phone vibrated again. This time, it wasn’t Rowan. It was my best friend, Lila.

Lila: Where are you?

I didn’t answer.

A second message came.

Lila: Elena, please tell me you’re okay.

I stared at it before finally typing.

Elena: I’m home.

Her reply came immediately.

Lila: I’m coming over.

I smiled sadly.

Elena: Don’t. I need to be alone.

She didn’t reply for a while.

Then another message appeared.

Lila: Okay. But call me if you need me.

I placed my phone on the bed. For the first time that night, I felt a little less alone.

I walked to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were swollen, and my makeup was ruined. I looked nothing like the woman who had walked into that estate hours ago. That woman had believed she was loved. This woman knew better.

I washed my face, then changed into a simple sweater and jeans. I couldn’t stay inside. The walls felt too close, so I grabbed my coat and left.

The night air was cold against my face as I walked without knowing where I was going. I passed the little café where Rowan and I used to meet, but I kept walking. Then I passed the park where he had kissed me for the first time, and I walked even faster. I didn’t want memories. I didn’t want his name. I didn’t want anything that reminded me of him.

Eventually, I reached the river at the edge of the city. There was an old wooden bench overlooking the dark water. I sat down and said nothing for several minutes. Then the tears came again.

I covered my face with both hands. “I hate you.”

My voice broke.

“I hate you so much.”

But even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t completely true. The worst part was that some foolish part of me still loved him.

That was what hurt most.

A sound behind me made me turn. A black car had stopped on the road. I quickly wiped my face as the driver’s door opened.

A man stepped out.

He was tall. Very tall. He wore a dark coat, and his expression was impossible to read. He glanced toward the river before his eyes settled on me.

I immediately looked away. I didn’t want anyone seeing me like this, especially a stranger.

He walked closer, and I heard his footsteps stop a few feet away.

“Are you waiting for someone?”

I shook my head. “No.”

His eyes remained on me. “Then why are you sitting here alone at this hour?”

I gave a small, bitter laugh. “Maybe I like being alone.”

He didn’t respond.

For some reason, his silence annoyed me. I looked at him. “Do you mind?”

“No.”

“Then why are you still standing there?”

He calmly pointed toward the bench. “Because that’s where I was going to sit.”

I stared at him, then at the empty space beside me.

“Oh.”

I moved aside, and he sat down.

We remained silent. I expected him to ask questions, but he didn’t. Somehow, that made me even more uncomfortable.

After a few minutes, I stood. “Good night.”

I took two steps.

“You’re going to regret him.”

I stopped.

Slowly, I turned around. “What?”

The man’s expression hadn’t changed. “Whoever made you cry.”

My chest tightened. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“No.”

His eyes met mine.

“But I know what regret looks like.”

I didn’t know what to say.

He looked away. “Go home, Elena.”

My heart skipped.

I froze. “How do you know my name?”

For the first time, something almost like amusement appeared in his eyes. He reached into his coat and pulled out my purse.

My eyes widened.

I looked down.

My purse was gone.

“You left this in the car.”

I stared at him. “Your driver?”

He nodded toward the black car. “You dropped it near the road.”

I walked over and took it from him. “Thank you.”

He stood. “You should be more careful.”

I held the purse against my chest. “Why?”

“Because tonight you look like someone who isn’t paying attention to where she’s going.”

I frowned. “Are you always this rude?”

“Usually.”

Despite everything, a tiny smile almost escaped me.

Almost.

He noticed, but he said nothing. He simply walked toward his car.

I watched him leave.

I didn’t know his name. I didn’t know why he had stopped. And I certainly didn’t know that the stranger sitting beside me for those few minutes would soon become the one person who would completely change my life.

At that moment, I only knew one thing.

For the first time that night, I had stopped thinking about Rowan.

And somehow, that felt like the beginning of something.