Chapter 40 ADVICE FROM A MOTHER
OLIVIA’S POV
The moment I slammed the door and collapsed to the floor, all the walls I had built up inside me shattered. No matter how many times I convince myself that he doesn’t deserve the love I have in my heart, with just one touch or one kiss, he manages to shatter all my delusions.
I have loved Dominic with all my heart and soul–so completely, so painfully–that losing him always feels like destroying a major part of myself. And I don’t think I will ever truly come back from that. But I also know now, in the deepest part of me, that he is not worth it anymore. Not the tears. Not the ache. Not the years I spent trying to be enough for a man who never saw me.
Still, it hurt. Gods, it hurt.
I hated how my heart still raced at the sound of his voice. I hated how, even when he broke me, I still wanted him to come back and fix it. It was like being trapped in a storm with no shelter–constantly hoping the lightning wouldn’t strike me, even as I stood out in the open.
Part of me wanted to scream. Another part wanted to disappear. But the cruelest part of all? It still wanted him.
I didn’t know how long I sat there, trembling with anger, shame, and pain, before the soft sound of hurried footsteps pulled me from the storm inside my head.
“Olivia?” my mother’s voice came from down the hall, laced with concern.
The door creaked open, and a warm hand touched my cheek. I didn’t lift my head. I couldn’t. I didn’t want her to see me like this -broken, shattered, crumbling into pieces after just one encounter with him.
But she did see.
“Oh, sweetheart…” she whispered.
She knelt beside me, her arms encircling me with that same familiar gentleness I’d once known as a child–the safety I used to run into when the world scared me. And in that moment, I was that little girl again.
“I-” My voice cracked before I could even form a sentence. “I tried so hard not to cry this time, Mama. I thought I was stronger
now…”
My mother didn’t say anything. She simply held me tighter, stroking my hair as if she could smooth away every ache buried in my heart.
“He gave me divorce papers,” I finally said, the words spilling out between gasps. “And then… he said I could never leave him. And then he he kissed me like none of it mattered. Like I didn’t matter, like my opinions, my individuality, my self–respect, nothing matters.”
Tears poured down my cheeks as the truth burned its way out of me. “Why does he do that, Mama? Why does he keep breaking me and then act like I’m the one who owes him everything? I have already given him everything and I don’t think I can do it anymore.”
My mother pulled back just enough to cup my face in her hands. Her eyes, warm and fierce, searched mine.
“Because he’s a man who doesn’t understand your worth,” she said softly. “But that doesn’t mean you have to keep giving him chances to prove it.”
I shook my head. “But I love him. I loved him for so long, Mama. And I hate that I still feel something when he touches me. It makes me feel weak.”
“No, Olivia,” she said firmly, wiping my tears with her thumb. “Loving someone doesn’t make you weak. Staying when they don’t love you back the way you deserve–that’s what breaks you.”
Her voice softened. “And I won’t let anyone break my daughter. Not him. Not Evelyn. Not even you.”
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Iblinked. “Me?”
She nodded. “You’ve been blaming yourself. For everything. For not being strong enough. For still loving him. But let me tell you what strength really is, sweetheart.”
She brushed a loose strand of hair from my face, her smile sad but full of pride.
“Strength isn’t about never falling apart. It’s about getting back up every single time you do. It’s choosing to keep walking even when you’re bleeding inside. And you, my darling girl, have done that over and over.”
“But I’m tired, Mama,” I whispered. “I don’t know how much more I can take.”
“You can,” she said. “Because you’re Beta Jason’s daughter. Because you were raised with pride and fire and loyalty. And because you have a child now–someone who will one day look to you and see everything they want to become.”
I looked down at my belly, where my baby rested–quiet and safe. I’d forgotten for a moment, in the chaos, that I was no longer just me.
My mother kissed my forehead. “Dominic may be an Alpha, but that doesn’t make him right. He had a treasure, and he let it slip through his fingers. That’s not your failure. That’s his.”
Her words soaked into my soul like a balm. And for the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself believe them.
I didn’t need a crown.
I didn’t need a title.
I just needed to be free–to protect my child and never again bow to a man who only saw my worth when it served him.
“I’m proud of you,” my mother whispered as she helped me to my feet. “Even if you don’t feel strong right now, that’s fine. Even the strongest warriors deserve a break… but I see it in you. You will rise.”
We walked slowly toward my room, her arm around me the whole time. But the moment we stepped inside, I stopped short. There, sitting neatly on my bed, was a large box wrapped in elegant white paper and tied with a silver ribbon.
My brows furrowed. “Did… you get this for me?”
I approached it slowly, cautious. Inside, nestled in layers of tissue, was a gown. Not just any gown. An exquisite one–silk, deep violet, embroidered with silver–threaded moons and stars. Regal. Graceful. Unmistakably expensive.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
