Reborn: The Alpha I Called a Mistake

Chapter 5

Aurelia’s POV

I searched his face for the lie.

For the slightest crack in his expression that would tell me he was deceiving me.

But his eyes were clear. His expression was open and pleading.

And the hope I had been desperately clinging to flared back to life.

Hot.

Desperate.

“Do you swear it?” I whispered. “Do you swear she means nothing?”

“I swear it on my life.”

He pulled me into his arms, his body trembling against mine.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t want you to think there was anything to doubt.” He buried his face against my hair. “You’re the only one, Aurelia. You’ve always been the only one.”

I closed my eyes and buried my face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent of cedar and something darker—something that had always made me feel safe.

I believed him.

I accepted his explanation.

I accepted his apology.

I even accepted the cake he had brought me—a red velvet confection with my name written across the top in elegant gold script.

And I told myself I was being foolish.

That love required trust.

That Ryan would never hurt me.

I was wrong.

⸻

The shopping mall was bright and crowded, filled with the cacophony of voices, music, and the rustle of shopping bags.

I was laughing at something Lena had said when I saw them.

Ryan and Vespera.

They were walking side by side through the atrium, her arm linked through his as though she belonged there.

They were too close.

Far too close.

And the easy familiarity between them made my stomach twist.

Lena saw them too.

Her laughter died instantly, and her face hardened, her dark eyes flashing with a fury I had only ever seen directed at people who truly deserved it.

“Is that her?” she demanded, her voice low and dangerous. “The b***h from the company party?”

I nodded, unable to speak.

Lena was already moving.

She shoved through the crowd with the force of a hurricane, and I hurried after her.

By the time I reached them, she was already standing in Ryan’s face, one finger jabbing accusingly against his chest.

“You lying piece of s**t,” she spat, loud enough to turn heads. “You told her it was business. You told her she meant nothing. And here you are, parading around with her like some happy couple in the middle of a mall where anyone can see you.”

Ryan’s face went pale.

“What kind of man does that to someone he claims to love?”

Vespera’s eyes widened, her perfect lips parting in surprise.

“Aurelia,” Ryan said, his voice strained. “This isn’t what it looks like. My father asked me to accompany her. It’s an order, not a choice. I’m just doing what I’m told.”

“Then tell your father to find someone else to escort her,” Lena snapped. “Or better yet, tell him the truth—that you have a girlfriend who deserves better than to be humiliated in public while you play happy couple with some rich man’s daughter.”

Vespera’s expression shifted.

For the briefest moment, something cold and calculating flickered in her eyes before disappearing behind a mask of polite confusion.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, her voice sweet as honey. “I didn’t realize Ryan was in a relationship.”

She looked at Ryan.

“He never mentioned you.”

The words struck me like a knife between the ribs.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

He never mentioned me.

The man who had promised me forever had never even told her I existed.

Lena immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me away, cursing under her breath.

“We’re leaving.”

Her voice left no room for argument.

“You’re staying with me for a few days. I don’t want you anywhere near that man until he gets his s**t together.”

I let her drag me away.

I let her bundle me into a taxi and take me to her apartment, where she made me tea, wrapped me in a blanket, and reminded me over and over that I deserved better.

I stayed with her for three days.

I ignored Ryan’s calls.

I ignored his messages.

I ignored the part of me that still wanted desperately to believe in him.

On the fourth day, he showed up at Lena’s door with flowers, apologies, and that same desperate look in his golden eyes.

He played the perfect boyfriend—worried, contrite, remorseful.

He promised he would tell his father to find someone else.

He promised he would never see Vespera again outside their unavoidable business obligations.

And I believed him.

God help me.

I believed him again.

But the pattern repeated.

Again.

And again.

I would see them together.

He would have an explanation.

I would confront him.

He would apologize.

I would forgive him.

And the cycle would begin all over again.

Each time, his explanations grew thinner.

His apologies became more hollow.

And the part of me that still believed in him grew smaller and smaller until it was nothing more than a dying ember buried beneath the ashes of my heart.

Then came the night everything finally ended.

I found them kissing in a restaurant.

There was no business dinner.

No forced appearance.

No excuse.

Just the two of them alone in a shadowed corner, their bodies pressed close together, his hands tangled in her hair as her lips moved against his.

For a moment, I simply stood there.

Watching.

And something inside me shattered.

The sight burned away every last excuse I had made for him, every lie I had told myself, every fragile thread of hope I had clung to.

I crossed the room before I even realized I was moving.

My hand struck his cheek.

The slap echoed through the restaurant like a gunshot.

Ryan stumbled back, his eyes widening when he saw me.

“Aurelia, wait—”

He reached for me.

But I was already gone.

Already running.

Already fleeing into the night with tears streaming down my face and the bitter taste of betrayal burning on my tongue.