I took a deep breath. I understand. I need to truly learn to let go.”
“Start today. Don’t follow his affairs anymore, don’t let yourself get pulled back into his life. You deserve happiness that’s truly your own.”
Scarlett was right, but emotions don’t follow rational commands. I knew Caclan was with Elena, that they were expecting a child, but when I’d seen his pain, every instinct screamed at me to comfort him.
I recognized that I needed to genuinely let go, but it was proving much harder than I’d imagined.
After hanging up, I sat at the dining table staring at my barely touched pasta. A few minutes later, my phone chimed with a text notification.
Three messages from Caelan appeared in succession:
“Did you get home safely?”
“It’s raining hard out there. I hope you didn’t have any trouble driving.”
Today… thank you for staying with me.”
I stared at the messages, my finger hovering over the screen. I started typing: “I’m fine, you should take care of yourself too…”
Halfway through, I deleted it.
I tried again: “My condolences. If you need anything…”
Deleted that too.
Then: “Don’t worry about me, you should be with Elena now…”
I deleted that as well and ended up sending nothing.
Setting the phone face-down on the table, I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths.
At 9:15 PM, my phone rang.
Caelan’s name appeared on the display. I stood frozen at the kitchen sink, watching the screen as soap suds dripped from my hands.
The ringtone seemed to echo forever in the quiet apartment. I almost reached for it as the call was about to go to voicemail, but ultimately let it ring through.
Seconds later, a voicemail notification appeared.
After a long internal debate, I finally played it:
Caelan’s voice, tired but gentle: “Sabi… I know you might not want to take my calls, but I just wanted to make sure you really got home safely. Get some rest. Good night.”
After listening, tears I hadn’t realized were building spilled down my cheeks. I leaned against the kitchen counter, feeling utterly alone.
The next morning, after getting up, I went to the 45 shop to pick up my serviced car, and then drove to the hospital. The car radio delivered breaking news:
“The Blackwood family issued an official statement yesterday, confirming Marcus Blackwood died of illness. The statement also announced that the traitor Lucian and his associates have been completely eliminated.
“Lucian had long organized illegal groups attempting to harm His Majesty the King’s beloved.
Hearing the word “beloved made my heart skip. Why would Caelan still reference his beloved’ in official statements when he already had Elena?
The news continued with more details:
The statement made no mention of Lucian and Marcus’s true relationship, nor did it reveal the actual circumstances of Marcus’s
::: death. It focused on Lucian’s crimes-forming rebel organizations, threatening royal security, attempting to harm the King’s beloved.
The statement concluded by assuring the public that all threats had been eliminated and citizens could rest easy.
I realized Caelan was protecting both his family’s reputation and Marcus’s legacy.
Part of me felt relief knowing the threat was finally over-I wouldn’t have to live in fear of Lucian’s revenge anymore. But another part felt the melancholy of things changed forever.
Caelan had moved on with his life, and I needed to learn to face the future alone. I finally understood that we would truly never be together again.
I arrived at the hospital and threw myself into the familiar rhythm of patient care.
At noon, a nurse knocked on my office door. “Dr. Crawford, your lunch has arrived.”
“Thank you, just set it on the desk.”
Opening the container, I found today’s menu was particularly special: creamy mushroom soup (still steaming, clearly meant to warm someone who’d been caught in yesterday’s rain), roasted chicken breast with rosemary potatoes, Caesar salad, dinner rolls with butter, and a small cup of hot honey-lemon tea (perfect for soothing the throat).
Most unusually, the soup had been decorated with carrot bits and cilantro to create a crying face-two dots for eyes and a downward curve for the mouth.
I stared at the crying expression, puzzled. Why this particular design? How did Mary know I was upset? How did she know I’d been caught in the rain yesterday?
Just as I finished eating, someone knocked on my office door. Expecting a nurse, I called out: “Come in.”
The door opened to reveal Rodrigo in a dark suit, his expression serious.
“Dad? What are you doing here?” I stood up in surprise.
He closed the door behind him. “I came to see you.”
Is something wrong?” Anxiety crept into my voice.
Rodrigo approached my desk, noticing the lunch remnants. “These meals… they’re still arranged by that person?”
“What do you mean? This is from Mary. Don’t you know?” I frowned in confusion.
Rodrigo sighed heavily. “Sable, we need to talk. There are some things you should know the truth about.”
I sat down, my palms suddenly sweaty. “What truth? Dad, you’re making me nervous
Rodrigo took the chair across from me. “About Caelan.”
I stared at him, confusion clouding my thoughts. “Dad, you want to say what?”
Rodrigo clasped his hands together on the table. “Sable, I’ve been thinking about how you’ve been lately.”
I frowned. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
He let out a heavy sigh. “No, you’re not fine. I can see right through you-you’re barely holding it together. You’re my daughter. I know you better than anyone.”
“Dad, if you’re trying to comfort me about Caelan’s new relationship, you really don’t need to. I’ve already accepted it.”
Rodrigo shook his head slowly. “No, sweetheart. The problem is… what you’ve accepted might not be the truth.”
My heart started racing. “What do you mean? What truth?”
His voice carried a weight that made my stomach drop. “About your breakup. About… so many things.”
Rodrigo’s face contorted with an internal struggle I’d rarely seen before.
“This morning, I saw the news. Lucian was eliminated. Marcus… jumped from the hospital.”
I nodded. “I know. It was horrible, but at least the threat is over.”
He looked at me with such intensity it made me shift in my chair. “You know what? When I saw that news, my first thought wasn’t relief. It was guilt.”
“Guilt?” I leaned forward. “Why would you feel guilty?”
Rodrigo squeezed his eyes shut, pain etched across every line of his face. “Because I realized I might have made the biggest mistake of my life.”
“Sable, do you really know what kind of man Caelan is?”
“Of course I do. He’s the Lycan King. Powerful. And now he has a new girlfriend…”
“No! The word exploded from him. “That’s not it at all! You have no idea what he’s done for you!”
His sudden outburst startled me. “Dad, what’s wrong with you? Why are you defending him?
Rodrigo stood up abruptly, pacing to the window. “Because I’ve seen the truth. And I… I almost destroyed a man who truly loves you.”
The words hit me like ice water. I gripped the edge of my desk. “What are you talking about?
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