GoodNovelChapter 257
Chapter 257
-Ava’s POV-
A bitter laugh slipped past my lips before | could stop it. The right thing? My hands curled into fists against my
thighs, my nails digging into my palms.
“You thought cagingwas the right thing?” | turned to face her fully now, my anger coming in hot waves,
years of resentment clawing their way to the surface, “You thought controlling every single aspect of my life was
the right thing? Making sure | never stepped out of line, never questioned you, never lived?”
She flinched, just barely, but | caught it. And for sreason, it only madeangrier.
“I spent my whole childhood trying to be perfect for you,” | went on, my voice rising, “I did everything you asked.
| followed your rules. | stayed quiet when | wanted to scream, I let you moldinto whatever version of a
daughter you wanted. And still, somehow, it was never enough.”
She let out a shaky breath but didn’t turn to look at me. | could see the way her shoulders trembled slightly, but |
didn’t care. Not yet.
“You acted like you were perfect, like you had all the answers. Like you were the only one who knew what was
best. But you weren't, were you?” | shook my head, the weight of all the things she had hidden frompressing
against my chest like a crushing force.
“You kept secrets, Mother. You built an entire life on them. Crystal, your mother, your sister-you never told me
about any of them. You letwalk around thinking | knew my own family when I didn’t even know half of it.”
She let out a slow, shuddering breath, but still, she didn’t speak.
“And then there was the curse,” | whispered, my voice shaking now, but not from sadness. From rage. “You let
never even warned me. Never prepared me.”
Finally, she turned to me. Her eyes were glossy, her expression almost hollow. But | didn’t care. Not right now.
“You madehate who | was,” | whispered. “Because | didn’t have a wolf. You letbelieve | was less. You
watchedstruggle, you watchedquestion myself, and you said nothing.”
Her lips parted slightly, but I didn’t stop.
“I spent my entire life feeling like | had to earn your love. Like | had to be more for you to accept me. And you
just— you just let me.”
She inhaled sharply like my words physically hurt her, but good. They should hurt.
“You and Father pushedright into Damien’s hands.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThis time, her breath hitched.
“You madetrust him. You madeprefer him. | let him into my life, let him take up space where my father
should have been, and all the while, he was a psychopath. And you-" my throat burned, my vision blurred
slightly. “You let it happen. You both did. You letturn to him instead of you.”
A silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. And then she finally whispered, “I didn’t know.”
That- that broke something in me.
“You didn’t know?” | repeated, my voice cracking. “You knew everything, Mother. You always knew everything.”
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Chapter 257
She exhaled shakily, closing her eyes for a brief moment before looking atagain.
“I didn’t know it would end the way it did. | didn’t know he was like that. | didn’t know-" She stopped, pressing a
hand against her forehead. “I thought | was protecting you.”
| let out another bitter laugh, my chest aching with the weight of everything between us.
“You weren't protecting me,” | said. “You were controlling me. There's a difference.”
She flinched again. This time, she didn’t try to hide it.
| looked at her now, really looked at her, and | saw something I never thought | would.
She looked defeated.
Her hands were shaking slightly in her lap. Her posture wasn’t that of the strong, unyielding mother | had always
known. She looked... small. Even smaller.”
FD
“And the worst part?” | whispered. “Even now, when you sit here looking so lost, so hopeless, you still make me
feel like I'm the one who's wrong for being angry.”
Her breath caught.
“Even now,” | continued, my voice thick with emotion, “you makefeel guilty for feeling this way. For wanting
answers. For hurting.”
| turned back to the lake, my hands gripping the fabric of my pants to keep them from trembling.
“I never wanted to hate you,” | murmured. “I never wanted to resent you. But you made it so easy.”
For a long time, she didn’t say anything. The only sound was the soft rustling of the wind, the distant ripple of
the water against the shore.
And then, after what felt like an eternity, she whispered, “I was afraid.”
I blinked. Afraid?
She let out a shuddering breath. “Afraid that you would turn out just like my mother or my sister. | thought that if
| kept the truth from you about everything. | thought if | kept you safe-if | kept you controlled-then maybe, just
maybe, | wouldn't lose you. Just like | had lost your sister.”
| turned to her slowly, my stomach twisting at the rawness in her voice, “But | did lose you, didn’t I?” she
whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Not in the way | feared. But | lost you anyway.”
I swallowed hard. My throat felt tight, my chest aching with something I didn’t know how to name.
“You should have just been there,” | said hoarsely. “You should have letbe a daughter instead of a project.”
She nodded slowly, her hands gripping the fabric of her sweater. “I know.”
Another silence stretched between us. This time, it didn’t feel so suffocating.
I let out a slow breath, tilting my head back to look at the sky.
“I don’t know if | can forgive you,” | admitted, my voice quiet. “Not yet.”
She nodded again. “I don’t expect you to.”
For once, she didn’t try to justify herself. She didn’t try to make excuses. And somehow, that felt like the first
honest thing
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Chapter 257
between us in a long time.
We sat there for a while, staring at the water. And for the first time, | didn’t feel like | was suffocating under the
weight of her presence. | didn’t know if this was a step toward healing. But maybe-just maybe-it was a start.
She was the one to break the silence first.
“My sister,” She said, almost like she was testing the non her own tongue. “Rosaline. She askedto come
back to Italy... to stay with her for a while. | don’t want to leave your father, but I just can't-"
| took a slow breath, steadying myself before speaking, “I'll check on him. And everything else.”
Her head lifted, her eyes searching mine like she wasn’t sure she had heardright.
“You should go,” | continued. “Raina-Grandma.” | tested the name, felt its weight on my tongue too, and then
said it again, stronger, “Grandma is leaving. Maybe you can leave with her. Maybe you can start fixing things
from the very beginning.”
She stared at me, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence. And then-just one tear. A single drop sliding
down her face, catching in the moonlight, | wish it didn’t have to get to this,” she whispered. “To lose both my
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmchildren. I'm so, so sorry. Ava
| closed my eyes, my throat tightening as | felt my own tears slip free, “We know Crystal is a lost cause,” |
admitted. “But you haven't lost me. And | don’t want to hate you.”
| swallowed hard, forcing myself to say the rest. “I don’t have a chance with Father.” The words burned, but they
were the truth, “But | want to know what it’s like to have a real parent. One by blood. So if you're really sorry,
then try. Fix this. Fix us.”
Her shoulders shook, more tears falling, and before | could second-guess myself, | moved.
| pushed forward, wrapping my arms around her.
She froze, rigid against me, as if she had forgotten what it felt like to be held. And then, slowly-so slowly-she
gave in. Her body slumped against mine, her fingers clutching ontolike she was afraid to let go.
And she cried.
Not the composed, silent tears. Not the kind of crying that could be hidden behind a turned back or a quiet room.
No, this was different. This was raw. Open. Real.
“We can’t change the past,” | murmured, my voice raw, “but if you want to fix this, you have to prove it.”
She nodded against my shoulder, her fingers clinging to the fabric of my sweater. | exhaled slowly, then
whispered the
words that made her stiffen in my arms, “Because if you don’t, Mother... I'll walk away for good.”
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