Rebirth Of The Heiress And The Tycoon's Lover (Alina) novel Chapter 261

The room was too quiet after they left. The silence stretched between the walls, heavy and almost suffocating. Only the steady ticking of the grandfather clock broke it…slow, deliberate, reminding her how time had a cruel way of moving even when her world felt frozen.

Alina sat by the window, her knees drawn up against her chest, her phone loose in her hand. The view from her room was beautiful, gardens blanketed in green, fountains glimmering beneath the late afternoon sun… but it didn’t feel like home. Nothing here did.

She stared at her reflection in the glass, her face pale and tired, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion and longing. Then, with a slow breath, she unlocked her phone and scrolled to Talia’s name. Her thumb hovered over it for a moment, hesitating. Finally, she pressed the call button.

The line rang twice before Talia’s familiar voice came through, warm and laced with relief. “Lina? Oh, thank God. I was just about to call you myself. How are you holding up?”

The sound of her friend’s voice cracked something inside Alina. Her throat tightened. “I don’t know,” she said softly. “Everything feels… off.”

There was a shuffle on the other end, like Talia was settling somewhere comfortable, ready to listen. “Off how?” She asked gently.

Alina turned her face toward the window again, her eyes tracing the fading light. “I didn’t want to be here, Tal. I still don’t. I wish I was back home in Elaris… with Lucian, with you, with everyone. Everything here feels like I’m walking through someone else’s life.”

Talia was quiet for a beat. When she finally spoke, her voice was patient but careful. “I get that,” she said. “I really do. But Lina… you have to at least try to adjust to your new life now.”

Alina’s voice sharpened slightly, wounded. “Are you trying to tell me to get used to the fact that I’m betrothed to some stranger?”

“No,” Talia said quickly, almost tripping over the word. “That’s not what I meant. I just mean… you have a new start, even if you didn’t choose it. You have to find your footing somehow. Maybe give your new family a chance.”

Alina let out a quiet, bitter laugh. “It’s hard, Talia. Everything’s strange here. I look at them and I can tell they love me..they really do,but I don’t feel it. Not yet. And I hate that.”

“I understand,” Talia murmured. “But you have to try. Your mother seems kind, and you’ve already bonded with Damien. Maybe start from there.”

“Things with Damien are awkward,” Alina admitted, her tone softening. “He lied to me from the beginning. He knew who I was all along and said nothing. I don’t even know how to face him properly now.”

“Lina-”

“Let’s just change the topic,” she interrupted quietly. “I need to get my mind off things.”

11.00 Sun, Oct 19

Chapter 261

:.

50 vouchers

Talia hesitated, then sighed in understanding “Alright then. You won’t believe the uproar in the media about the drama that happened at your wedding.”

Alina groaned, covering her face with one hand. “Oh, God. Don’t remind me. That was humiliating enough without the entire world talking about it.”

Talia chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry. The news about you being an Evergreen completely overshadowed your canceled wedding. You’re trending everywhere….but for entirely different reasons.”

“That’s better, I guess,” Alina muttered, lowering her hand. “At least they’ve moved on from the runaway bride headline.”

“Exactly,” Talia teased. “Public attention’s like a toddler,constantly distracted.”

A soft laugh escaped Alina, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She stared at her lap for a while before Talia asked, “Have you heard from Lucian since you left?”

The air shifted. Alina’s fingers tightened around the phone, her chest aching at the question.

“No,” she whispered. “Not once. And the fact that he could just… ask me to leave like that, without even fighting for me, that’s what hurts the most.”

There was silence on the other end, broken only by the faint sound of Talia’s breathing.

“Lina,” she said gently, “you know Lucian. He wouldn’t just do something like that without a reason.”

Alina turned her gaze to the window, her voice trembling. “Then why hasn’t he called? Why hasn’t he tried to explain anything?

Talia hesitated. She wanted to tell her the truth, that Lucian wasn’t the kind of man to let go without reason, that something bigger had to be at play, but she knew it wasn’t in her place to. “Maybe he’s giving you space,” she said softly. “Maybe he’s trying to do what’s best for you, even if it doesn’t seem that way right now.”

“Well, it doesn’t feel that way,” Alina muttered. “It just feels… empty.”

Talia sighed, her heart aching for her friend. “You don’t have to understand it now, Lina. Just… don’t close yourself off completely.”

Alina didn’t answer. Her eyes were glassy, distant. After a moment, she changed the subject again. “How’s my business going? And Mia how is she? I haven’t been able to talk to her since everything happened.”

Talia seized the shift gratefully. “You know Mia,” she said with a small laugh “She’s handling things like a pro. Calm under pressure, as always. The boutique’s running smoothly Orders have doubled since the whole drama your designs are everywhere now”

“Keally?” Alina asked, her voice carrying a faint spark of surprise.

“Really, Talia said warmly. “You’re lucky to have her, Lina. She’s been holding things together better than anyone expected”

Alina smiled faintly, her voice softening, “I am lucky, She’s been with me through everything”

11:00 Sun, Oct 19

Chapter 261

“She still is,” Talia replied. “I’ll ask her to call you later. I’m sure she’d love to hear your voice.”

“Til like that,” Alina whispered. “I miss you both.”

“We miss you too.” Talia said. “But you’re stronger than you think. You’ll get through this.”

Alina gave a fragile smile. “You always say that.”

“Because it’s always true.”

94

13 55 vouchers

The silence that followed wasn’t heavy this time,it was the kind that wrapped around them like comfort. Alina breathed slowly, letting the sound of her friend’s voice calm her heartbeat.

“I still can’t believe this is my life now,” she murmured after a while. “I woke up thinking I’d spend the rest of my life with Lucian. Now I’m in a mansion full of strangers calling me ‘Miss Evergreen‘ as if I’m someone else entirely.”

“It’ll take time,” Talia said. “You can’t expect to feel at home overnight. But little by little, you’ll find your rhythm again.”

“What if I don’t want to?” Alina’s voice trembled. “What if I just want my old life back?”

“Then hold on to the parts that made you who you are,” Talia said softly. “You don’t have to let go of everything, Lina. You just have to learn how to breathe in this new space.”

“That sounds easier when you say it,.” Alina murmured.

“That’s because I’m not the one living it.” Talia replied with a quiet laugh.

Alina couldn’t help but smile at that. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“I try.”

For a moment, they both laughed…their first real laughter since the call began. It didn’t last long, but it was enough to make the air feel lighter.

“I wish you were here.” Alina said quietly.

“Me too,” Talia replied. “But you’re not alone, Lina. You have people who care about you there…even if it doesn’t feel like it yet.”

“Maybe,” Alina whispered. “But none of them are you.”

Talia smiled softly, her voice warm. “Flattery won’t make me teleport.”

Alina chuckled under her breath. “You’d think being an Evergreen would come with magic powers.”

“Well, if it does, use them to conjure a glass of wine and relax for once.”

“I’d need a whole bottle.“.

11:00 Sun, Oct 19

Chapter 261

Then drink one for me too”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify