Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 192
Elodie’s POV~
Exactly at 11:30 AM, I was buried in work when Grandma called.
"The surgery went really well."
Relief washed over me. I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
I’d barely hung up when my phone rang again and saw it was Dajtw.
I stared at the screen for a second, then let it go to voicemail.
A moment later, a text came through.
Dante: We’re going out for lunch soon. Want to join us?
I didn’t reply.
He’d figure it out. He wasn’t stupid.
Sure enough, no more messages came.
But around noon, my phone buzzed again. This time it was Cara.
"Mag! I just saw your husband... wait, sorry, your future ex-husband... helping your grandmother up the stairs at a restaurant!"
Before I could get a word in, she gasped.
"Hold on. Did you two get back together without telling me?!"
"No." I flipped through some paperwork on my desk, keeping my voice neutral. "Nonna had a fall. She’s in the hospital. We went to visit her, and he’s just... being polite. Thanking us."
That’s why he’d shown up this morning to take Grandma to the hospital too.
Cara sounded disappointed. "That’s it?"
"Yeah."
The more polite and considerate Dante was being, the clearer it was... he didn’t want to owe me or my family anything. Everything he did was just his way of keeping things clean. Drawing a line.
Only someone completely delusional would think he wanted to reconcile.
---
That evening, I got off work later than usual. By the time I made it to the hospital, it was past seven.
As soon as I stepped out of my car, I saw Sienna. She was leaning against the side of her car, her arms crossed, staring right at me.
I met her eyes for half a second. She didn’t say anything. Just stood there, lips pressed into a thin line, glaring.
I shut my car door, grabbed the flowers I’d brought, and walked past her without a word.
---
The VIP floor was quiet. Peaceful.
I pushed open the door to Nonna’s room and stopped.
Dante was inside. So were Harry and Levi.
All three of them.
After running into Sienna downstairs, it clicked. The four of them must’ve come together.
Whether Sienna had actually gone inside to see Nonna, I had no idea.
Levi smirked the second he saw me.
Harry stood up from his chair.
But it was Dante who walked toward me.
"You’re here."
I didn’t answer him. Just looked past him to Nonna, and caught her gaze, and smiled.
"Hi, Grandma."
Dante held out his hand. I had no choice but to pass him the flowers.
I didn’t look at Levi or Harry. Just walked over to Nonna’s bedside.
"How are you feeling?"
"Still hurts a little," she admitted. She already looked exhausted from the surgery. "But I’ll be fine."
She reached out and took my hand in hers. "You’ve been working all day, haven’t you? Are you tired? Have you eaten? Why don’t you stay and have dinner with Dante and the others?"
"I already ate at the office before I came," I said gently.
Nonna paused, clearly hoping I’d stay. But she didn’t push.
I stayed for a little while longer, chatting with her until I could see she was getting too tired.
When I stood to leave, Nonna asked Dante to walk me out.
Since the others were planning to grab dinner anyway, we all headed downstairs together.
In the elevator, I felt eyes on me. I glanced over only to see Levi was staring at me like I was some kind of puzzle he was trying to solve.
I turned my head and said flatly, "Seen enough?"
He blinked, caught off guard. "...Almost."
I ignored him and stepped out the second the doors opened.
Dante and the others followed.
__________
Elodie was already two or three steps ahead when Levi leaned toward Dante and dropped his voice.
"Her whole vibe toward you has totally changed. Think she’s actually over you?" He paused, skeptical. "I just don’t buy it."
Dante watched Elodie’s back as she walked away. Didn’t say a word.
Harry, who hadn’t caught what Levi said, glanced over. "What?"
Levi repeated himself.
Harry fell silent too, his eyes following Elodie as she moved farther down the hall.
When they reached the hospital entrance, Dante called out.
"Liora’s at your grandmother’s house."
Elodie paused mid-step. She didn’t turn around. Didn’t say anything.
Then she kept walking toward the parking lot.
That’s when she noticed Sienna was still there.
The second Sienna saw them coming out, she started walking toward them.
Elodie didn’t even glance her way. Just headed straight for her car.
Dante, Harry, and Levi veered off toward Sienna.
Elodie got in, started the engine, and drove off without looking back.
---
When she got to Grandma’s house, Liora was on the floor playing with Xavier and Hugo.
She looked up the second the door opened. "Mom! You’re back!"
Elodie shut the door behind her, closing out the cold, and started peeling off her coat. "Yeah."
Liora dropped her tablet and ran over, wrapping herself around Elodie’s leg.
"Mom, Dad said I can stay with you for the next two days! And tomorrow after we visit Great-grandma, can we go skiing?"
Before Elodie could answer, Xavier and Hugo jumped in.
"Yeah! Let’s all go together!"
Elodie let out a soft sigh. "...Okay."
Liora’s face lit up. "I’m gonna call Dad and tell him!"
She grabbed her phone and ran off, already dialing.
Elodie didn’t stick around to listen. She headed upstairs.
---
The next morning at the hospital, Sienna was nowhere to be seen.
But Dante was there, buried in paperwork.
When Elodie and Liora walked in, he was scribbling notes on some document, completely focused.
"Dad!" Liora shouted.
Dante didn’t look up right away, but Liora’s attention had already shifted.
The table next to him was loaded with fruits. Pastries. Drinks. Bubble tea.
"Whoa! So much stuff! And bubble tea!" Liora ran over, her eyes wide.
"Mm," Dante said. "I had them bring it when I heard you were coming."
He glanced at Elodie as he said it.
She ignored him completely.
He shifted his attention to Xavier and Hugo, giving them a nod. "Sit."
Dante had that kind of presence that made people listen without question. After greeting Nonna, Xavier and Hugo sat down without hesitation, digging into the snacks Dante and Liora handed them.
Once the kids were settled, Dante held something out to Elodie.
"Want some?"
Nonna was watching.
Elodie reluctantly took it. "Thanks."
She took a sip. And realized it was strawberry. Perfectly sweet. Exactly how she liked it.
When Nonna heard they were going skiing, she turned to Dante.
"You should go with them. Skiing’s dangerous, and it’ll be too much for Elodie to handle three kids on her own. I’ve got the housekeeper and Aunt Garner here. I’ll be fine."
Elodie opened her mouth to protest, but Dante beat her to it.
"Alright."
Liora’s face exploded with joy. "Yes! Dad’s coming too!"
---
A little while later, when it was time to leave, Dante finished cleaning up the table and followed them out.
They drove separately. Liora, Xavier, and Hugo piled into Elodie’s car.
When they got to the ski resort, Dante crouched down to help Liora adjust her jacket and goggles.
Then his phone rang.
He stepped a few feet away to answer. After a short conversation, he said, "I’ll be there soon."
Liora looked up at him. "Who was that, Dad?"
