Derek's POV
Tabitha reached out and pulled my fingers away from her wrist one by one. "Remember? You said I'd be the only love of your life. And you failed to keep your promise."
"I..."
She pulled my last finger away.
Then she turned around, leaving me nothing but her back. "Derek, don't come to me again. Whether I'm alive or not has nothing to do with you anymore."
After saying that, she ran off into the distance.
The cherry blossom petals were so many that it was like rain, engulfing her body bit by bit.
I wanted to go after her, but all of a sudden, I realized that I wasn't even qualified to do so.
So what if I caught up with her? What could I say?
Or maybe the more pressing question was, what could I change? The end was already written.
I covered my chest. Inside, my heart was beating violently. Weird. Why was I still this uneasy?
Tabitha's POV
I ran into the elevator, pressed the floor button, and gasped for breath.
At this point, why would he still be here? What was the point?
A crisp sound rang out.
The elevator doors opened. As I walked out slowly, I saw someone standing there.
I glanced at her and then turned around to go back to the elevator.
"Tabitha, wait."
It was Holly, the person I had missed even in my endless dreams. However, it hurt me to even look at her now.
Derek got engaged, and somehow, all the people I didn't wanna see showed up.
"Tabitha, I want five minutes. That's all."
"I don't have five minutes for you."
Unfortunately, my neighbor next door was about to open the door and go out. I didn't wanna be judged, so I had to open the door. Holly followed me in.
It was the first time she came to my place after she came back.
If it were in the past, I would have definitely been hospitable, but today, I wasn't.
I changed my shoes and fetched myself a glass of water.
"Speak."
Holly looked around. It wasn't exactly a spacious apartment, and she easily saw all the furniture and decorations at one glance.
"Tabitha, why don't you move back to the Silver Moon Pack? It's such a tiny apartment. I bet living here isn't comfy."
I put down the glass. "You've been pampered since you were little. You live in a villa, wear designer clothes, and have a fancy car. To you, an apartment like this is no different from a rescue shelter. How would you know what I've been through? You aren't me."
Holly came up and held my hand at once. "Tabitha, the Silver Moon Pack isn't exactly that strong, but it's already enough to provide for you. I had no idea it'd decline. If I had known, I would have definitely brought you to live with me."
I pulled my hand out. What did Holly know? She never had to worry about money. No matter what I said, she wouldn't understand.
"Drop the act. Be straight with me. What do you want today? Let me guess. Something to do with Daphne?"
It was quite sad that every time Holly, my biological mom, came to me, it was because of Daphne, her stepdaughter.
Holly wasn't sophisticated enough to hide her emotions. A hint of unease flashed across her face.
"I came to apologize for that day. I know I was a bit outta the line. But think about it. You know, I might as well be honest with you. I've been married to Mark for years, and though he's been nothing but nice to me, Daphne has never called me Mom. Even Alpha Justin doesn't like me. My life there isn't as perfect as you think."
She sighed, "I didn't do it for me. Derek and you have long rejected each other, right? Getting involved with him will do your reputation no good. By doing this, I get to help Daphne, and she won't find fault with me from now on. Meanwhile, I get to help you. You're young and will surely meet someone better. You've gotta make a clean break with your past, including your relationship."
How ridiculous! She actually thought she wasn't doing it for herself given all this speech?
I sneered, "So, for the sake of your happiness, you chose to sacrifice the reputation of me, your own daughter. All this is to secure your place there. Good for you."
"Tabitha, you're young, and there are a lot of things that you don't understand. It's also hard for me to choose. Believe me when I say I'm doing this for your own good, too. Though you've lost Derek, you now have the Amber's Eye Pack backing you up. You know, the members there have a lot of connections. It'll definitely come in handy someday."
"I guess I should thank you then."
Holly didn't catch the sarcasm in my words. "You'll know how great Mark is once you spend more time with him."
I looked at her without saying a word.
"Daphne is gonna be engaged to Derek tomorrow. Why don't you attend the party as her sister and then give them your blessing? OK? Can you do that?"
I didn't get it. Given Holly's age, she ought to know better. Yet she was still so naive.
"Why should I? I end up like this all thanks to Daphne. You want me to bless her? I should settle accounts with her instead! Holly, are you really listening to yourself?"
"I heard part of your stories. Tabitha, what happened to your baby was an accident. You can't blame her."
Daphne must have fed her with all kinds of ridiculous lies.
The saddest part was that no matter what Daphne said, Holly always believed her unconditionally and then put the blame on me.
"Leave. I'm done talking." I pointed to the door.
"Tabitha, I'm here to invite you to attend their engagement banquet sincerely. And this is how you talk to me? At this point, why can't you just let go? I'm your mom. Can't you be good? Stop giving me headaches."
Every word she said cut me like a knife, and it killed me even more that she had no idea how much pain I was in.
Daphne beat me completely.
She won Derek's heart and Holly's favor.
"Please leave, Mrs. Sutton. No point in wasting our time."
I didn't get angry. I simply treated her in the calmest way.
She sighed, placed the gift on the dining table, and left.