CHAPTER 001
969 Words
: Broken Relationships
"I sincerely apologize for your loss, Luna. The loss of Iona is incredibly tragic. The healer came up to me with serious eyes and said, "I can't imagine how it must feel to lose such a little angel."
I was devastated by those words. My knees gave way, and I fell to the chilly floor, my grief too overwhelming and sudden to contain.
Iona. My darling little girl is just four years old. Only a few weeks remained until her fifth birthday. She was no longer with us.
The early-morning attack had destroyed everything. Blood, fear, and flames replaced the peace I had worked so hard to create. The worst part, though? Nathaniel.
He turned away as I lay half-buried in the rubble, clutching my unconscious daughter and bleeding. Instead, he hurried to assist Yoan and her son, Dane. He had known Yoan, his childhood friend, before he had ever met me.
"Yoan, she's just fainted and is in shock. He had stated, "Let's check on your son first—he's in worse condition."
I'm haunted by those words. He didn't give Iona a second glance. He treated her as if she didn't exist.
I was sitting in the corner of the healer's room, crying, shaking, and feeling broken. On the bed was Iona's tiny body. Although her serene face gave the impression that she was simply sleeping, I knew she would not be returning.
I tried to steady myself by holding onto the table next to me, but nothing could stop this pain. His words, "She's only fainted; she's just in shock," reverberated like poison in my head.
I froze as I reached out to touch her, whispering, "I can't... I can't do this." She had icy skin. dead.
Yoan and her son now had Nathaniel's full attention. Nathaniel was no longer focused on me. This attention was not directed towards Iona. Our once-promising marriage turned out to be a lie. Nathaniel was unaware of Iona's absence.
The healers dressed Iona in white and placed her in a coffin after tending to my wounds. With my heart so heavy that it hardly beat, I followed them to the morgue.
However, I had a task to complete prior to the funeral. I unblocked a number that I had concealed for many years.
Once, the phone rang. Twice. Three times.
"Angelina?"
"Hi, Alpha Malcolm. I've already decided."
"You agree, Angie?" His tone brightened.
Indeed. I would go back to my old pack and assist them with their laborious farming. I was moving on—for good—from Nathaniel.
Nathaniel showed up with desperation in his eyes as Iona's hearse pulled up to the Black Widow Pack.
"Angie, please," he pleaded. Return to the Pearl Harbor Pack. The situation is something we can resolve. I'm able to fix it.
I gazed at him. He was the man I once cherished. And I was aware.
"No way," I said sharply. "Nathaniel, you made your decision." I'm making mine now."
---
Nothing felt real the day after the attack. Luna expected me to be strong. However, I had just laid my daughter to rest.
The pain crushed me. I had stopped crying. Losing Iona was more painful than any of my injuries or fractures.
"That's too far," I muttered as I curled up in bed.
Nathaniel did not, however, return home. He didn't inquire about Iona. He was too preoccupied with fixing things. alongside Yoan.
Was he truly too preoccupied? Or was he simply indifferent?
I thought I was dreaming until the following morning, when he finally entered the room with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"When did you come home, Nathaniel?" Weakly, I asked.
"Just now," he whispered, staring at his phone.
"Are you going to be going back to work?"
He didn't raise his head. "I lead the group." I couldn't afford to sleep through the mayhem."
"How dare you—"
"Make breakfast instead of whining," he yelled.
I balled my fists up. He was treating me like a servant, and my daughter had just passed away.
I stirred the pot with trembling hands while cooking in silence. Did Yoan spend the entire night with him? Did he spend the night at her house? Did he ever value Hazel more than Iona?
He continued to use his phone while seated at the table.
"We believe that rival packs attacked us because they were envious," he stated. "I'm going to be late today. Please pack my lunch.
"Yes," I said softly.
"Is Iona awake yet? The poor thing must be afraid. I'm going to have a picnic with her soon."
My heart fell.
"Really, Iona—"
His phone rang. He took it up.
"Hazel is experiencing seizures. He grabbed his coat and said, "I have to go."
"Nathaniel!"
"I apologize, Angie. You're feeling better now? Yoan requires my help. Her spouse was a Theta. It's my responsibility."
"Yes, I've recovered. Additionally, your daughter might never wake up again.
"Jealousy is not appropriate at this time."
"Yes. I am aware.
"I appreciate your understanding." He gave me a childlike pat on the head and walked away.
A courier arrived as his car drew away. He brought chocolates and liliesfor Hazel and Yoan. Nathaniel gave Iona hair bands last month when she asked for a doll.
He had always desired a son. What about Hazel? He might as well have Hazel.
Carl was Yoan's. Carl loved her, even in death. She also had Nathaniel now.
Me? I was alone. Not even Iona was present.
My chest began to bloom with bitterness. I turned my focus over to Yoan. In Hazel's direction. In the direction of the man who was meant to love us.
And I realized that I could no longer bear this life or this suffering.
- Writer
