The Alpha's Forbidden Vow novel Chapter 15

POV: Selene

Zane’s silence was the final, killing blow.

It was a confirmation, a public endorsement of Isabella’s cruelty.

His inaction screamed that I was nothing to him.

Less than nothing.

My presence, my humiliation, it was all just a tedious bit of dinner theater he was forced to endure.

Isabella’s words had been sharp, but his silence was a blade that severed the last, stubborn thread of hope connecting my heart to his.

I finally found my voice.

It was a small, shaky thing.

“Excuse me,” I whispered to no one in particular.

I pushed my chair back, the sound scraping loudly in the silent room.

I didn't look at anyone as I stood up, my ruined dress clinging coldly to my skin.

I could feel their eyes on my back as I walked out of the dining room, my head held high, my pride the only thing keeping me from shattering into a million pieces.

The moment I was in the hallway, out of their sight, I broke into a run.

I fled up the grand staircase, past the portraits of his ancestors, to the one place that was mine.

My small, plain room.

I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, the lock clicking into place.

And then, for the first time since that night in the kitchen, I allowed myself to cry.

The sobs were violent, silent things that wracked my entire body, torn from a place of grief so deep I didn't know it existed.

I wept for the boy I had foolishly loved from afar.

I wept for the man who had taken me with such savage passion and then discarded me like trash.

I wept for the baby who would never know its father.

I wept for the utter, complete, and devastating death of hope.

When the tears finally subsided, I was left with a cold, clear emptiness.

There was no more pain. No more confusion.

There was only resolve.

I walked to the small, cracked mirror above my dresser and looked at myself.

I felt nothing.

My hand went to my stomach, a silent promise to the life within.

We’re getting out of here. I’ll keep you safe.

I opened my door and slipped into the darkened, sleeping manor.

Every shadow was a threat, every creak of the floorboards a potential alarm.

But my fear was gone, burned away by my resolve.

I made my way through the labyrinthine halls, down a servant’s staircase, and out a side door into the cold, night air.

The moon was a sliver in the sky, offering little light.

It didn't matter.

I knew the way.

I walked across the manicured lawns, through the ornate iron gates that were never locked, and onto the dark, empty road.

I did not look back.

There was nothing left for me there.