Chapter 157 The Two of Us

Serena laughed, and there was nothing warm in it. "You love Eira. Great. So where the hell does that leave me?"

"Four years married to that woman and you never so much as gave her a pup. Four years, and you saved yourself for me."

"And now it’s, what, we were just friends?" She slapped a hand against her chest. "Friends don’t do what we did after that party. Both of us wasted, and we ended up in bed. Friends don’t kiss the way you kissed me at that gala. So don’t stand there and feed me that ’friend’ line."

Alpha Sebastian had nothing.

"You’re up in my face about Eira. You ever once ask yourself why I did it? You gave me everything, Sebastian. My body, your money, all those big promises. Everything but your last name. So what was I supposed to do, huh? Sit in the dark and be your little secret till I died?"

All that ’I don’t care where we stand, I’m fine in the shadows’ talk. It had never been anything but her running out the clock.

Serena pulled in a breath and lifted her chin, scraping together whatever pride she had left.

"I didn’t do this to Eira. You did. This one’s on you."

Every word hit like a fist.

Alpha Sebastian rocked back on his heels.

She kept going, driving it in. "Am I wrong? We’re both dirty here. You want somebody to blame, start with the guy in the mirror."

Crack.

His own hand came up and he backhanded himself across the face.

Because she wasn’t wrong. He was garbage. Simple as that.

Serena froze. He’d hit himself. Over Eira. He was really that far gone on her?

"Alright. Since we’re saying it all out loud." His voice snagged, then dropped into something flat and done. "We’re over, Serena."

"I loved you once. I’ll cop to that. But that ship’s sailed."

"You’re really dumping me?" Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Just like that? We’re over?"

"Yeah. We’re over." Alpha Sebastian nodded. "I’m letting the past go. I’ve got a life to get back to."

"Eira." Her eyes reddened. "You’re going back to her, aren’t you? She’s the life you want now."

He nodded.

"You actually think she still wants you?" Serena let out a wet little laugh. "She’s been ghosting you for weeks. You can’t see that, or you just won’t?"

Walking away wasn’t going to be as clean as he’d hoped.

"I screwed her over. She’s got every right to be pissed."

"Aren’t you scared she asks you for a divorce?"

Scared. His hand shook. He was scared out of his mind.

But she hadn’t asked. Not yet. Clean up this mess with Serena and there was still a road back. Keep dragging Serena around and he’d lose Eira for real.

Four years. He’d gotten used to having her there.

Hell, he wanted a pup with her now. That old, ugly plan to trap her with a baby, back then he was too dumb to see it for what it was. That was just his heart talking, and he hadn’t been listening.

This past month without her, he’d been off. Like somebody reached in and scooped something out of his chest and left a cold hole where it used to sit. He’d drowned it in work and told himself he was fine. That’s the only reason it took him this long to figure it out.

He was done getting this wrong.

Alpha Sebastian’s mouth went tight. "This ends here, Serena. I’m not making the same mistake twice."

"And how do you figure you’re gonna end it?" Serena fired back. "My career’s hanging by a thread, and you’re out. Your parents and your sister are all coming after me, and you’re out. Eira decides to press charges, and you’re out then too."

"Where’s your spine, Sebastian? You want to do right by Eira. Fine. Who does right by me?"

"The money, I’ve got," Alpha Sebastian said. "I’ll get my parents to back off. They’ll drop it. And Eira’s on me. I’ll handle her myself."

Money was the exact thing Serena was sweating.

Without Alpha Sebastian, who was going to cover her research? Nobody else opened their wallet the way he did.

She wasn’t about to let him cut her loose that easy. But standing here running in circles in a hospital hallway wasn’t getting her anywhere.

"Your sister worked me over pretty good today, in case you forgot. She’s your sister. Least you can do is take care of the woman she put in the ER. I want to go home and lie down."

Alpha Sebastian frowned. She wasn’t wrong. But getting spotted with Serena again was one more thing he’d never be able to explain to Eira.

"I’ll have Beta Jordan run you home."

"Sebastian!" Her chest was heaving now. "You won’t even drive me home yourself?"

He’d said he was keeping his distance, and he meant it. He didn’t take her anywhere. He called Beta Jordan instead.

"Get Miss Winthrop home. Make sure she gets in okay."

It wasn’t long before Beta Jordan arrived.

He clocked the red handprint blooming across his boss’s cheek, then his gaze swept over the cold, buttoned-up Miss Winthrop.

It didn’t take him two seconds to piece it together.

They were done.

Blowup or clean break, either way, staying on Serena’s good side couldn’t hurt.

"Miss Winthrop. Right this way."

Serena didn’t move an inch.

Alpha Sebastian was already gone, off to find his mother and his sister.