Chapter 47
Adeline West.
As we walked inside Killian’s mansion, the weight of the day pressed heavily on me, no matter how I tried to clear my mind, I couldn’t. The meeting had left me raw, my nerves frayed, and my heart pounding with anger. The evidence we had painstakingly gathered–the truth that 1 knew deep down in my soul–had been dismissed. Laurel had won once again, manipulating the situation to her advantage. It felt like every step I took was met with a dead end, every truth twisted into something unrecognizable.
Sebastian walked beside me. He gently squeezed my hand, his touch warm. “It’s going to be okay,” he said softly, his voice filled with the calm 1 desperately needed but couldn’t quite grasp.
I nodded, offering him a small, strained smile, though my thoughts were a storm of anger and frustration. The words I wanted to say to him caught in my throat, too tangled with the biteness that Laurel’s triumph had left behind. Instead, I pulled my hand from his grip and headed toward my children’s room, the one place I could usually find solace.
As Lapproached the door, I could hear their soft laughter from within–a sound that usually brought me comfort but now only served as a cruel reminder of the innocence that I had to protect in this venomous world. I paused, hand on the doorknob, trying to gather myself. My children didn’t deserve to see me like this and feel the weight of my anger.
But before I could push the door open, I heard a voice behind me–deep, familiar, and laced with anger.
“Adeline,”
Iturned slowly, my heart sinking, as I saw Killian standing there His presence alone was enough to ignite the ange simmering just beneath the surface. But it was the look in his eyes that made my blood boil.
“We need to talk,” he said, his voice cutting through the quiet hallway like a blade
I glanced at the kids’s room and back at him. “Okay, but not here I said and turned around. We walked to my room. I opened the door and turned to him.
“Come in.” I said. He walked inside, and I shut the door. I know he shouldn’t be in my room, and I shouldn’t talk to him like this after everything that happened between us. I didn’t care. I can’t let my kids listen to our conversation, whatever it is.
“What is it, Killian?” I asked, my voice was sharper than I intended. I wasn’t in the mood for one of his lectures, not after the day I’d had. He turned to me. His presence was like a shadow, dark and imposing, and the moment our eyes met, I knew this wah going to end badly.
He didn’t waste time. “Now that it’s clear Laurel had nothing to do with the attack on your children, I hope you’ll stop accusing and blaming her.”
His words were like a slap in the face. The sheer audacity of his accusation sent a rush of anger through me, hot and fierce. I could feel my hands clenched into fists at my sides; the urge to lash out was almost overwhelming.
“Blaming her?” I repeated, incredulous. “You think I’ve been balming, Laurel? I’ve done nothing but try to protect my family
from her.”
“Laurel didn’t do it,” he said bluntly, as if that simple statement could erase the mountain of evidence I’d brought forward. “She’s not the kind of person who would attack someone. Just accept it. You’re wasting your time and energy accusing her.”
His words were like gasoline on a fire. The anger I’d been trying to suppress roared to life, a blazing inferno that demanded
release
“Are you serious right now?” I spat, my voice trembling with rage. “After everything I’ve shown you and everything I’ve uncovered, you still think she’s innocent? Do you honestly believe that Laurel is some kind of saint incapable of doing any wrong?”
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Chapter 47
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Killian’s eyes narrowed his jaw tightening as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I know her better than anyone. She’s not a monster, and she wouldn’t do something like this. You’re blinded by your hatred for her, and it’s clouding your judgment.”
His words hit me like a slap in the face. Blinded by hatred? Was that really how he saw me? A bitter, vengeful woman, so consumed by jealousy that I couldn’t see the truth? The thought made my stomach churn with a mixture of hurt and fury
“Blinded by hatred 1 echoed, my voice rising with every word. I’m the one blinded by hatred. What about you, Alpha Killian? You’ve been siding with her from the beginning, ignoring everything that doesn’t fit your perfect image of Laurel You refuse to see her for what she really is because you’re still in love with her!”
His expression darkened, and he took a step closer, his voice lowering to a dangerous growl “What I feel for her is none of your concem. Adeline.” He said he took another step forward, his voice rising “Don’t pretend you know her. You don’t know anything about our relationship or what she’s capable of”
“Oh, don’t I?” I shot back, my voice trembling with rage. “Is that why you’re so eager to protect her, even when the evidence is staring you in the face? Maybe if you weren’t so wrapped up in your own delusions, you’d see that she’s the one playing you.”
His gaze darkened, and he advanced on me like a predator, with a sudden, frightening intensity. Before I could react, he grabbed my arms, his grip like iron, and shoved me against the door. I cried out in pain as my back hit the hard surface. The sting was sharp and immediate.
Killian’s face was inches from mine, his breath hot against my skin as he caged me in between him and the door. “You think you know everything, don’t you? You think you’re so righteous in your little crusade. But you’re nothing but a whore who’s been sleeping around like a cheap fucking slut You slept with Sebastian and had kids with him. You’ve always been a liar, a cheat,” he said, his tone dripping with hatred. “And all this while pretending to be the wronged woman. It’s pathetic.”
His words were a punch to the gut, each one a stab meant to wound. The anger inside me flared violently, and I fought against his grip, my heart racing as my hands pushed against his chest.
“Get off me!” I shouted, my voice trembling with fury.
With every ounce of strength I had, I shoved him back, my hands finally breaking free of his grasp. In the heat of the moment, I lifted my hand and slapped him across the face, the sound of my palm meeting his cheek echoing in the quier
room
“Get out,” I spat, my voice shaking with rage.
Killian’s head snapped back from the force of the slap, and for a brief moment, his expression was one of stunned disbelief. But his eyes quickly hardened again, his eye color changing from golden to gray, like he was trying to control his wolf, his rage simmering beneath the surface. He took a step back, his breathing heavy and ragged, struggling to control the anger.
“I hate you, Killian Volkov.” I said, my tone filled with utter hate. Get out! I don’t want to see you again.”
Without a word, he turned on his heel and stormed away, leaving me standing there, trembling with rage and frustration. I watched him go, my heart pounding in my chest and my mind racing with everything I wanted to say but couldn’t.
As I stood there, alone in the dimly lit room, the reality of the situation began to sink in. No matter how hard I fought, no matter how much evidence I brought forward, I would never convince Killian or anyone of the truth. He was too blinded by his feelings for Laurel, too unwilling to see her for who she really was. How she hurt my children, the children who he has grown close to
And that realization hurt more than anything else, and I don’t know why. I shouldn’t be bothered by him believing it or not. I shouldn’t, but why can’t I just ignore his blind belief in Laurel? Why does it still hurt inside?
The tears I’d been holding back finally began to fall. I wiped them away angrily, refusing to let them consume me. There was no time for weakness, no room for regret. I don’t care what he of anyone else thinks about me. I had to stay strong–for my children and for myself.
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