Shattered by the Alpha Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 96

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Chapter 1

We pulled into the hospital’s parking lot, and I found a spot near the entrance. As we stepped out of the car, Karissa’s pace slowed, her nervousness visible. I offered her the water bottle I bought and she took it drinking it.

Inside, we checked in and were directed to the waiting room. The typical sterile smell of the hospital filled our nostrils as we made our way to the designated area. Rows of chairs lined the room, filled with anxious faces and whispered conversations.

We found two empty seats, and Karissa settled into hers, fidgeting with her hands. I sat beside her, trying to offer reassurance with my presence. The tension in her body was evident, her eyes fixed on the floor.

I glanced around the room, taking in the varied expressions of worry and hope. Magazines and pamphlets were scattered # coffee table, but neither of us reached for them. Our attention remained focused on the reason we were here: the well–being of our

unborn child.

“Byron and Ophelia have decided to tie the knot in November,” I shared, breaking the comfortable silence. Karissa’s eyes snapped

towards me, interest piqued.

“Really? How did you find out?” she asked, her brow furrowing slightly.

“I was texting Byron last night. He filled me in,” I replied, my gaze returning to a baby portrait hanging on the wall.

Karissa’s expression turned contemplative, and I wondered what thoughts were swirling in her mind. “November’s beautiful for a wedding,” she murmured softly.

Karissa’s gaze drifted out the window once more. “I haven’t talked to Ophella in a while, and I was sleeping and busy the rest of the day, so I might’ve missed her calls,” she muttered. She leaned back into the chair, ber shoulders relaxing as she let out a soft sigh.

I sensed a complexity of emotions swirling within her, perhaps a blend of happiness for her friend’s upcoming wedding and a tinge of sadness for her that didn’t happen because of me. I resisted the urge to pry

Karissa’s voice was low ash spoke, her gaze fixed on some point across the room. “I’m glad Ophelia is happy, after all Byron put her through.”

I sensed a deeper meaning behind her statement, a subtle comparison perhaps, but didn’t press the issue.

My mind wandered to Byron’s past mistakes and the pain he’d caused Ophelia. Karissa’s words stirred memories of my own, the hurt I’d inflicted upon her. Regret and self–awareness warred within me, but I pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the present.

“Would you have forgiven Byron if you were in Ophelia’s shoes?” I asked, and her head swiveled toward me, vacant eyes locking onto mine with an unsettling intensity.

Her empty eyes locked onto mine, a piercing intensity that made my heart sink “wouldn’t,” she stated sternly, her voice firm, assured, and unwavering.

She continued, her tone gentle but resolute, “I believe if you love someone, you can’t hurt them so badly that it breaks them. Then again, everyone has a different mindset,”

“Maybe I think this way because of what my Father did to my mother,” she expressed, her tone was delicate but her statement was firm. “Or maybe it’s because I don’t have the heroic courage to forgive. I wouldn’t know. But this is who I am, and I’m not going to change it.” She announced exhaling as she did.

Her gaze left mine, “For me, love is supposed to keep you going in the hardest of times, not become one of them.” Each word was a cruel hammer blow, chiseling away at my determination to win her back.

As she spoke, the hospital’s smelly atmosphere faded into the background, leaving only the two of us, suspended in a sea of raw

motion. I felt the depth of her pain, the scars I’d left on her soul. Her words weren’t just a statement; they were a boundary, a line drawn with morals.

With every passing moment, my resolve crumbled. How could I argue with her definition of love? How could I dispute the hurt I’d caused? Karissa’s words from everytime she spoke about her Father to me echoed within me ‘Love shouldn’t break you; it should hold you together‘

I looked away, my eyes drifting to the floor and I knew, in that moment, that I had a long, difficult journey ahead to prove myself

worthy of her love once more.

I hesitated, biting back the question that lingered on my lips eager to burst “Will you ever forgive me?” But I knew better. The timing was off, and the wounds were still too raw

Instead, I observed her, studying the fortress she’d built around herself. The walls of moral conviction, erected to shield her from hurt, seemed impenetrable. Yet, this glimmer of hope flickering within me.

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