Chapter 100 – Upset
–LIA’S POV–
Blake sniffled, slowly standing up from the ground.
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“Do you forgive me?” he asked, looking like he wanted to come closer, but was too afraid of Zane to do it.
“Yes,” I said, even if I didn’t entirely mean it. “I forgive you, but only if you promise that you will never invade my personal space again, and you will not want anything more than basic. friendship.”
He wiped away his tears, his green eyes shining with moisture. “Okay. I promise, Lia. I just need to be around you, even if it’s at a distance. Even if the only thing I can say to you is hello and goodbye.”
I gave him a nod. “Can you go back to your table now? I’d like some privacy with my friends.”
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll see you around.”
Instead of returning to his table, Blake quickly left the cafeteria.
I let out a relieved sigh and sat back down, picking up my pizza and taking a bite. The Hounds were silent as they joined me one by one, Zane being the last.
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The drive back home was uncomfortably quiet.
Zane looked straight ahead, not sparing me a glance or saying a word to me.
I took in a deep breath. “Zane,” I said softly. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.”
His jaw ticked, but he didn’t do much else to show he even heard.
- me.
“Zane,” I said again, frowning. I gently took his hand in mine. Sparks shot up my skin. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?” he asked.
“For forgiving Blake and giving him the permission to be around me,” I replied.
“And why are you sorry for that?”
“Because… I know you hate him?”
Zane shot me a look. “You think that’s why I’m mad? Because you allowed him to be around you when I hate him?”
“What else?” I frowned.
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“It’s not because I hate him, Lia. It’s because you should too. He put you in danger, he tried to assault you, and you simply forgave him. You melted because he shed two tears for you. I
don’t believe it.”
I sighed. “It’s not like that, Zane. I didn’t melt. I still don’t like. him or want anything to do with him. I only let it go because I’m tired. I didn’t want him to create such a scene. He was kneeling before me. Everyone was watching us.”
“So what, love? It doesn’t matter. I don’t care who’s watching.” His voice was quiet, controlled. Like he was holding back.
I looked down at our hands—his still resting in mine, warm and comforting. I gently squeezed it, trying to show him that I was
his.
“You know I don’t either,” I said. “But I just wanted it to be over. I wanted people to stop looking at me like I’m… a disaster magnet. I didn’t forgive him for him. I did it so I could finally breathe, Zane.”
Zane didn’t say anything for a moment. He pulled his hand from mine and ran it through his hair, frustrated.
“I get that,” he said finally. “I do. But forgiving someone just so things go quiet? That’s not peace, Lia. That’s just silence. And silence doesn’t heal wounds. It just lets them fester. I wanted to kill him for what he did. Rip his heart out. But I didn’t because I know you don’t want that. At the end of the day, he is your mate
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Chapter 100 – Upset
too.”
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“Zane, I don’t care about him,” I promised. “Not anymore. He is not my mate or anything else.”
“He is your mate, Lia. No matter how much I try to ignore or deny it. He is.”
“No,” I frowned, taking his hand again. “You are my mate, Zane. You are the one. Not him. You know that I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said. “But he doesn’t deserve any part in your life.”
“And he won’t get one,” I said immediately. “What I said was just a formality, my love. I will keep giving him the cold shoulder until he gives up.”
His hands tightened on the wheel. “I think you’re too good sometimes. Too damn forgiving.” His eyes softened then, and he placed a kiss on my hand. Relief flooded through me. “And I’m scared that one day, someone’s gonna hurt you worse than Blake. did, and you’ll still look for the best in them. Still find a reason to say ‘it’s okay‘—when it’s not.”
I looked at him, offering him a sweet smile. “But you’ll be there, right?” I whispered. “You won’t let that happen?”
Zane sighed and pulled the car to a stop outside my house. He shifted in his seat and turned toward me, fully this time. The
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evening sun shone over his face, making his eyes look just like the sky.
“I will always be there. Always. But I’m not just your shield, Lia. I’m your mate. And when you’re hurting, I feel it too. Watching you give even an inch of yourself to someone who didn’t deserve a single piece, it kills me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I didn’t know that.”
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I know you are. And I know you don’t fully understand the extent of my feelings for you. It’s not your fault.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. So I leaned in and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in the crook of his neck.
He held me tightly, like he was afraid I might slip away if he let
- go.
“I’m yours,” I whispered. “Only yours. Don’t ever doubt that. Blake means nothing to me, my love. I just wanted the drama to end. I wanted all the curious eyes to go back to what they were doing. I didn’t mean it when I said I forgive him. I only said that so he’d leave us alone.”
“I get it,” he murmured into my hair. “But you have to promise me one thing.”
I pulled back just enough to look at him. “What?”
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“Next time someone tries to invade your space, emotionally or physically, you don’t forgive. You don’t explain. You tell me. And I’ll handle it. In my way.”
“Of course,” I replied. “I’ve always come to you. Why are you worried that I won’t?”
“I don’t know,” he replied, taking a deep breath. “I just didn’t like you claiming that you forgive him. And I despise the way he looks at you.”
I planted a kiss to his forehead. “I don’t like it either. But you know what I like?”
“What?”
“You.” I grinned.
A smile finally found its way onto his lips, and I chuckled.
Zane ruffled my hair, then kissed my cheek. “Silly girl.”
“I love you, Zane.”
“I love you too, Lia. You should go inside now. I’ll see you at night.”
“Okay,” I said. “Bye.”
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