Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever-Chapter 134 – Heartless

Seraphine had never really understood what people meant when they talked about dating, like it was some kind of shared language everyone else spoke fluently while she stood on the outside, watching, trying to piece together rules that never made sense to her.

All her life, her world had revolved around one man, her attention fixed so completely on him that she never once stopped to consider the feelings of anyone else, never once cared about the hearts quietly breaking in the background, even when the one she loved gave her nothing in return.

Now that it was over in a way that left no room for illusion, something inside her had shut down, locked itself away behind walls she had no intention of lowering anytime soon.

Still, she wasn’t blind to what it felt like to love alone, to pour everything into someone who would never give the same back, and that understanding stirred a quiet, reluctant sympathy in her chest when she looked at Augustine. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But sympathy wasn’t enough, and she knew it never would be.

If anything, her own experience had taught her that dragging out something one-sided only made the eventual collapse worse, that it was kinder to end things before they even had the chance to grow into something fragile and false, which would only shatter under the weight of reality later on.

A faint, nervous smile curled her lips as she gently slipped her hand out of his, the warmth of his touch lingering for just a second longer than she wanted it to. She reached for her napkin, dabbing the corner of her lips more as a way to steady herself than anything else.

"August," she said softly, her tone careful but unyielding, "my answer hasn’t changed, and I need you to believe me when I say it’s not about you. I just don’t want to go down that road again."

Her words were calm, respectful, wrapped in a softness that didn’t take away from their finality, and she watched the change in his expression as something dimmed behind his eyes, like a light slowly being turned off.

"What is it about Alpha Ravyn?" he asked, his voice tightening despite his effort to keep it steady, frustration bleeding through in ways he couldn’t fully hide. "I could understand if it was Alpha Voren, at least that would make sense, but Ravyn?"

He let out a breath, shaking his head slightly as if even saying the name left a bad taste in his mouth.

"You gave him a chance when he didn’t deserve it," he continued, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made it hard to look away. "I’ve loved you for years, Sera, longer than you probably even realized, so why can’t you just give me the same chance to prove it to you?"

She smiled again, but this time it felt different, thinner, like something held together out of habit rather than feeling.

"If there’s anything my life should’ve taught you by now," she said quietly, her eyes steady on his, "it’s that loving someone doesn’t guarantee they’ll ever love you back."

There was no cruelty in her voice, just honesty, the kind that didn’t soften itself to spare feelings.

"What happens if I say yes?" she went on, her tone turning more serious, grounded. "What if we switch places, and I end up being to you what Ravyn was to me, someone who can’t return what you’re giving?"

She paused for a moment, letting that sink in before continuing, her expression tightening just slightly.

"I respect his choice," she admitted, her voice dipping lower, "but the reason I’m standing against him now has nothing to do with that. It’s about what he did to my child."

The words landed harder than anything else she had said that night, and she saw the immediate change in Augustine, the confusion, the tension, the way his brows pulled together as he tried to make sense of something that clearly didn’t match the image he had.

"What do you mean, what he did to your child?" he asked, his voice edged with disbelief. "I don’t understand, because from everything I’ve seen, he cares about Bryan more than anything."

"That’s exactly the problem," she replied, her tone steady even as something deeper flickered beneath it. "He switched my child and made me raise Bryan as my own."

She didn’t rush the next part, didn’t soften it, didn’t try to make it easier to hear.

"He gave Corvine the order to kill my daughter," she said, her gaze unwavering, "but I’m only telling you this because I trust you as a friend. Corvine didn’t go through with it, he let her live, but no one knows where she is now."

The silence that followed felt heavier than anything that had come before it.

Augustine’s expression broke in a way that was impossible to hide, the weight of her words hitting him all at once, leaving him staring at her like he was seeing her pain for the first time, like he finally understood just how deep it went.

"I’m so sorry," he said quietly, the earlier frustration gone completely, replaced by something softer. "I had no idea you went through something like that."

He hesitated for a moment before adding, his voice gentler now, "I’ll wait for you, Sera. However long it takes, I’ll wait until you’re ready."

Emotion flickered across her face, quick but unmistakable, and she shook her head slightly, cutting that thought off before it could settle into something real.

"Don’t," she said, her voice low but firm, carrying a certainty that left no room for misunderstanding. "Don’t wait for me, because I know who I am. When I want something, I go after it, and..."

She exhaled softly, her gaze softening just a fraction even as her words stayed unyielding.

"I’m sorry, August, but I don’t see you that way."

The truth hung between them, sharp and unavoidable, and even though it hurt, he could see it clearly in her eyes, that she meant every word, that there was no hidden doubt, no hesitation he could work his way through.

Before he could gather himself enough to respond, she spoke again, this time diverting the entire direction of the conversation in a way he hadn’t expected.

"For everything you’ve done for me," she said, her tone turning more formal, "I don’t want you to miss out on an opportunity I’ve been offering others."

There was a pause, brief but noticeable, as if she was giving him time to adjust before she dropped the next piece.

"I’m starting my own company," she continued, her gaze steady, "and I’m giving you a special chance to invest in it."

That was the moment everything clicked into place for him, the moment the illusion he hadn’t even realized he was holding onto cracked completely.

This wasn’t a romantic dinner, not in the way he had hoped, or convinced himself it might be.

It was business.

The realization settled in slowly but hit hard, leaving a bitter edge behind as his expression cooled, the warmth that had been there earlier fading into something distant, and guarded.

"Are you always like this?" he asked, his voice quieter now but edged with something sharper. "This... heartless?"