SOPHIA’S POV
I had barely made it ho when my phone rang.
The mont I saw the caller ID, I frowned.
Klara was calling.
A five-year-old usually didn’t call adults unless sothing was wrong. The only tis she used the phone her parents gave her was strictly for ergencies only. Nothing else.
My heart started beating faster.
I answered quickly.
"Klara?"
The little girl’s voice ca through the phone, trembling badly.
"Aunt Sophia!"
I started to panic "What happened?"
"Ashley is sick. She fell!"
Everything inside froze. My wolf moved forward.
Fear slamd into so hard that I nearly dropped my phone.
"What do you an she’s sick and she fell?"
Klara sounded close to tears.
"We were playing outside at kindergarten. Ashley fell down. She’s crying. The teachers are here."
I was already grabbing my bag "Is she bleeding?"
"I don’t know."
"Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m coming."
I ended the call and rushed out.
My heart pounded wildly inside my chest.
My wolf whimpered anxiously inside .
The drive to the kindergarten felt endless. Every red light irritated . Every second felt too long.
By the ti I arrived, I was breathing hard. I practically ran through the school gates.
Several teachers were gathered near the playground. Children stood nearby watching curiously.
Then I saw Ashley. She was sitting on a bench.
The mont our eyes t, she imdiately started crying louder.
"Mommy!" she scread.
My heart clenched at the sight of her.
Without thinking, I rushed over.
"Ashley!" I said.
I knelt beside her. My hands quickly checked her arms, legs, head, and neck.
"Ashley, where does it hurt?" I asked.
She pointed dramatically at her knee, then her arm, then her stomach, then her ankle.
I blinked in confusion. I didn’t understand what she ant. The locations kept changing.
Sothing felt strange, very strange.
Still, I pushed the thought away. Maybe she was just confused as a kid and maybe due to the fall, she hurt her whole body.
"What happened?" I asked one of the teachers.
The teacher looked relieved to see .
"She fell while running." She explained.
"Did she hit her head?"
"We don’t think so."
Ashley started crying again.
"It hurts!" she whined.
My wolf growled nervously.
I didn’t want to take chances.
"Let’s go to the hospital." I said.
Ashley’s crying instantly stopped, for a split second. Then it started again.
I noticed that. My doctor instincts noticed as well but I ignored it. She was still my daughter. I had to make sure she was perfectly fine.
I picked her up carefully. Ashley allowed to carry her.
She even rested her head against my shoulder. The feeling almost made emotional. I hadn’t held her like this in a long ti.
I kissed the top of her head "It’s okay."
She remained silent.
The hospital wasn’t far away. Within thirty minutes Ashley was undergoing examinations, blood work, X-rays, neurological assessnts.
Everything.
As a doctor, I personally made sure every necessary test was done.
I sat beside her throughout the process, holding her hand and reassuring her.
Hours passed. Finally the results arrived.
I studied every page carefully, then I studied them again and again.
There was nothing wrong with her. Absolutely nothing.
Ashley was perfectly healthy. There wasn’t a single injury. Not even a minor bruise.
I lowered the reports. Across from , Ashley sat swinging her legs. She was eating candy, looking completely relaxed.
My wolf narrowed her eyes “She’s pretending”
I looked directly at her "Ashley."
She looked up innocently "Yes?"
"You’re fine."
She shrugged.
"I know."
I blinked "You know?"
She nodded. The candy continued moving between her lips.
Sothing inside cracked.
"Ashley... why did you pretend to be hurt?"
She rolled her eyes. She actually rolled her eyes.
She shrugged "I wanted you to co."
The answer shocked .
I stared at her in total disbelief. She continued chewing her candy....as if this entire situation was normal.
"You lied?" I repeated.
She shrugged again "So?"
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
"Ashley."
Her face suddenly beca stubborn "You’re always busy. You never co."
Her words made freeze. My throat tightened and for a mont, it felt like I couldn’t breathe.
But before I could say anything, Ashley continued.
"Aunt Tiffany cos when I call."
My heart shattered a little more.
"Aunt Tiffany buys toys." She said "Aunt Tiffany reads to ."
My wolf whimpered painfully.
Ashley crossed her arms "You’re an."
I stared at her.
Everything hurt. Every word, every comparison.
I knew Tiffany had been influencing her. I knew Damien had allowed it. But hearing it from Ashley’s own mouth was different. It was far more painful.
I took a deep breath “Ashley, I’m your mother."
She looked away "I don’t care."
Sothing inside snapped.
At this point, it was everything – the pressure, the exhaustion, the divorce, my illness, the betrayal, the constant rejection. Everything suddenly exploded together.
Before I could stop myself, I slapped her across the cheek.
The room beca silent.
Ashley froze. I froze in shock. My hand froze.
I didn’t an to do that.
For several seconds neither of us moved. The red mark on her cheek appeared slowly.
Shock filled her eyes then it turned to rage.
My wolf recoiled “What have we done?”
I started feeling regret instantly.
"Ashley-"
Before I could finish speaking, she lashed out. Her little leg kicked forward violently straight into my abdon. It was directly where my injuries had barely healed.
Pain exploded through so hard that I gasped. My entire body folded.
The force wasn’t that much but it landed exactly in the wrong place.
Hot pain shot through my stomach and for a mont, I couldn’t breathe.
I stumbled backward then I fell to the floor.
Ashley started screaming "Help!"
Tears poured down her face as she spoke "Mommy hit !"
The door suddenly opened and Damien walked in.
My heart sank. Perfect timing. Absolutely perfect.
I’d ssaged him earlier to let him know Ashley was sick.
Damien’s eyes imdiately landed on Ashley, then the handprint on her face, then .
"Daddy!"
Ashley ran toward him. Damien caught her instantly.
"What happened?" he asked.
Ashley buried her face in his chest. She pointed at .
"Mommy hit !"
I stared at my daughter in shock. Ashley wouldn’t even look at . The betrayal hurt more than the injury.
Damien’s expression darkened.
He looked at "You hit her?"
I opened my mouth. "Damien-"
Ashley interrupted imdiately "She was angry!"
Tears stread down her face now as she cried out "She doesn’t love !"
Every word stabbed deeper. The pain I felt wasn’t much compared to this.
Damien’s eyes beca colder and colder.
He didn’t ask questions. He simply believed her.
My heart broke again. Of course, he did.
"Sophia." He growled "What is wrong with you?"
I stared at him. "You aren’t even going to ask what happened?"
"Ashley is five."
I scoffed "As if children don’t lie?"
His jaw tightened "Not about this."
I laughed. It was a broken laugh, a painful laugh. It was the kind that ca when soone had already given up.
Of course he believed her.
My wolf lowered her head sadly “He never chooses us”.
The realization hurt because it was true.
Ashley buried her face deeper into Damien’s shoulder.
He comforted her and stroked her hair. He whispered gentle words.
The sight shattered sothing inside .
I looked at my daughter. I looked at my husband.
And suddenly I felt tired.
"Ashley." I called.
She refused to look at .
"Ashley." I called again.
Nothing.
The rejection hurt.
I swallowed hard, then the words escaped. They were words born from pain and heartbreak.
"I regret it." I whispered,
The room beca deathly quiet.
Damien slowly looked up "What?"
Tears filled my eyes.
"I regret giving birth to Ashley."
The mont the words left my mouth, everything stopped. Even my wolf gasped.
Ashley’s eyes widened. Damien looked horrified. For several seconds nobody moved.
Then Damien exploded.
"Enough!" he growled.
The roar echoed through the room. Everyone outside imdiately turned to look.
His wolf pushed forward and Alpha dominance filled the air.
"How dare you say that?" he growled. His voice shook with fury. "Do you know how much she loves you?"
I laughed bitterly. "Really? Because all I see is a child who hates ."
"She’s a child!"
"It’s because of you!"
We were both shouting now.
Years of resentnt filled every word. Years of pain and disappointnt.
Damien’s face beca darker "You’re her mother."
I smiled sadly "And what are you?"
He froze. For one brief second guilt flashed across his face then it disappeared.
Ashley clung tighter to him. The answer was right there. He chose her. He chose her version. He chose everyone except .
Finally Damien picked Ashley up.
"Co on." He told her.
Ashley nodded. They left together. He didn’t even look back, not once.
The room beca silent.
My wolf curled up inside , feeling broken.
I stood there alone. For several seconds I didn’t move.
Then even more pain exploded through my abdon.
I gasped, holding the spot. My whole body was filled with pain. My vision blurred.
Sothing was wrong.
I grabbed the edge of the bed. The room spun violently.
My legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor.
I could hear voices echoing nearby as I laid on the floor. Then suddenly another voice broke through.
"Sophia!"
My eyes fluttered open. It was Zade.
He looked terrified as he dropped to his knees beside .
"What happened?" he asked.
I couldn’t answer. The pain was overwhelming.
Tears slid down my cheeks.
"Sophia." His voice shook. "Stay awake."
Zade picked up and carried toward ergency treatnt with panic written all over his face.
That was when darkness finally swallowed whole.
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