Piss Off, Alpha! You Lost Me Forever-Chapter 103 What Have I Done?

SOPHIA’S POV

The drive to Ashley’s school was quiet. Ashley sat in the back seat, staring out the window at the storm.

"Mommy?" she said after a while.

"Yes, baby?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Can we get blueberry pie tonight? The kind from that bakery near the hospital?"

I glanced at her in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were hopeful.

I smiled "Of course. And maybe some yogurt too?"

Her face lit up. "The strawberry kind?"

"The strawberry kind," I confirmed, and her smile made my chest warm despite everything. These small moments - these simple requests for pie and yogurt - were what kept me going.

When we pulled up to the school, I helped Ashley out and walked her to the entrance, holding Damien’s jacket over both our heads as a makeshift umbrella. The rain had started to slowly stopped. It was drizzling now.

"Have a good day, sweetheart," I said, kissing her forehead. "I’ll see you later."

“Bye mommy”

I hugged her one more time then left.

-

At two-thirty, I left the hospital early and drove to Klara’s school. The rain had stopped, finally.

I pulled into the pickup line and waited, watching parents move out with their children.

I heard a tap on my window. I turned to see Ashley there with a huge smile on her face.

I rolled down “Hi baby”

“Hi mommy! You’re picking me up today, right?" Ashley asked.

My stomach twisted. "Actually, baby, Franca is going to pick you up today. I’m here to pick Klara up”

Ashley’s face fell. "But you promised we’d get pie tonight."

"And we will. Franca will bring you back to the villa, and I’ll come by after I take Klara home. Then we can go get your pie together. Okay?"

"But why can’t you just pick me up?" Her voice was getting smaller.

"Because Klara’s school ends at the same time as yours, and I promised her I’d be there." I squeezed her hand gently. "It’s just for today, Ashley. Tomorrow I’ll pick you up again."

But Ashley’s eyes were already filling with tears. "You’re picking Klara instead of me?"

"I’m not picking anyone instead of you. I’m just-" I stopped, realizing how this must sound to a six-year-old. "Klara is my niece, and she asked me to pick her up today. It doesn’t mean I love you any less."

"But you’re choosing her." Ashley’s voice broke. "You’re choosing her over me."

"Ashley, that’s not-"

"You don’t want me anymore!" She suddenly pulled her hand away from mine. She had tears rolling down her face. "You gave me away to Franca because you don’t want to see me!"

"Baby, no, that’s not true at all-"

Before I could say anything else, Ashley ran away sobbing. The sight of her made my heart break in two.

I opened my door, wanting to go after he. Then I saw Klara. She was holding hands with her teacher, scanning the cars, and when she spotted mine, her whole face lit up.

"Aunt Sophia!" She ran over. Her backpack bounced behind her.. "You came! You really came!"

I got out of the car and caught her as she launched herself at me. "Of course I came. I promised, didn’t I?"

"I told everyone you were coming! I told them my aunt is a doctor and she’s super smart and really pretty and-" She was talking so fast I could barely keep up. "Come on, I want to introduce you!"

Before I could protest, Klara dragged me toward where a group of children and parents were gathered near the school entrance. Her teacher smiled and followed.

"Everyone!" Klara announced proudly. "This is my Aunt Sophia! She’s a doctor at the big hospital! She saves people’s lives!"

The other children looked at me with wide, impressed eyes. "Wow, a real doctor?" one little boy said.

"The best doctor," Klara said firmly. "And she’s picking me up today because she loves me and wants to spend time with me."

My heart swelled. This was what unconditional love looked like. This was a child who was excited to see me, proud to know me, happy to be with me.

Why couldn’t Ashley feel this way about me?

As if summoned by my thoughts, I looked across the playground and saw her.

Ashley was standing at the fence that separated the kindergarten section from the elementary section. Her hands were gripping the chain-link. She was watching us.

Even from this distance, I could see the tears on her cheeks.

Our eyes met across the playground, and the devastation on her face made my breath catch. She looked betrayed, like she was watching her mother love someone else’s child more than her.

I started to raise my hand, to wave but Ashley turned away. She walked back toward her classroom with her shoulders hunched and her head down.

"Aunt Sophia?" Klara tugged on my hand. "Are you okay?"

I looked down at my niece and forced a smile. "I’m fine, sweetheart. Let’s go home."

We got in the car, and Klara chattered the whole way to Sky Manor about her day, about the omelet she’d made, about the painting she wanted to show me. I listened and responded, but part of my mind was still on that playground, on Ashley’s face pressed against the fence.

When we arrived at Sky Manor, Patricia met us at the door. She took one look at my face and pulled me aside while Klara ran inside to show Grandma her painting.

"What happened?" Patricia asked quietly.

"Ashley saw me picking up Klara," I said, sighing. "She thinks I chose Klara over her."

Patricia’s expression softened with sympathy. "Oh, Sophia."

"I feel terrible”

"Don’t. You were just keeping your promise to Klara. Ashley will understand eventually."

"Will she?" I asked bitterly. "Or will this just be one more thing she adds to the list of ways I’ve failed her?"

Before Patricia could answer, my phone rang. It was Franca.

"Mrs. Stone," Franca’s voice was tight with stress. "I’m at the kindergarten, but Ashley won’t stop crying. I’ve tried everything, but she just keeps saying she wants her mother or Miss Tiffany. She won’t calm down."

My heart clenched. "I’m on my way."

"Wait-" Franca’s voice dropped lower. "Mrs. Stone, I think you should know what she’s saying. She keeps repeating that she doesn’t want a mother like you and that you abandoned her for someone else. She said that Miss Tiffany would never do this to her."

Each word was a knife in my chest.

“I’m coming” I muttered.

“You know what?” Franca said “Don’t bother. Ashley doesn’t want to see you. It’s making her cry more. We’ll see you at the manor, take care”

Before I could say another word, she hung up.

I stared at my phone in disbelief, thinking of all the things Ashley had said.

What had I done?