CHAPTER 149

Alex's POV

She barely looked at me.

Scarlet shifted away the moment she woke up, curling into herself like she couldn't stand being near me. The rejection was like a knife twisting in my chest, but I couldn't even blame her.

I did this.

I was the reason she flinched when I reached for her, the reason she refused to meet my gaze. I sat on the edge of the bed, watching as she pushed herself upright, her fingers gripping the blanket like it was the only thing holding her together.

"I need to leave," she muttered, eyes locked on the wall.

"No." The word came out rough, raw.

Her head snapped toward me, her expression unreadable. "You don't get to tell me what to do, Alex."

I clenched my fists. "I know."

Her lips parted slightly, caught off guard by my response. I was always fighting her, always demanding control. But not this time. Not with this.

She took a slow breath. "Then let me go."

The panic hit instantly. My wolf clawed at my chest, growling in protest. I forced myself to stay still, to keep my voice steady. "I can't."

Scarlet let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Why? Because I belong to you? Because you think you own me?"

"No." I leaned forward, elbows resting on my knees. "Because I love you."

She stilled, her body going rigid.

"I love you," I repeated, my throat tight. "And I know I don't deserve to say that. I know I've hurt you more than anyone ever has. But Scarlet, if you walk away from me, I don't think I'll survive it."

Her jaw clenched, her fingers digging into the blanket. "You should have thought about that before ruining my life."

She was right.

She was always right.

I had no excuse for what I'd done. No way to make up for it. But I couldn't-wouldn't-let her leave thinking I didn't regret every damn moment of it.

"I was wrong," I admitted, my voice hoarse. "Everything I did… I thought I was doing the right thing. For my mother. For revenge. But I see it now, Scarlet. I see the damage I've caused. I see the pain I put you through."

Her breath hitched, but she didn't speak.

"I thought I had to hate your family," I continued, forcing the words out before she could stop me. "I thought I had to hurt you, because it was the only way to make things right for my mother. But I was blinded by my father's lies. And now-" I swallowed hard. "Now, I just want to fix this."

Scarlet's eyes flickered with something-anger, hurt, maybe even disbelief.

"You can't fix this, Alex," she whispered.

I shifted closer, desperate, aching. "Then let me try."

She flinched, and it killed me.

"You think saying sorry is enough?" Her voice cracked. "You think telling me you love me changes anything?"

I shook my head. "No. But I need you to know that I am sorry. That I would take back everything if I could. That I would die before letting anyone hurt you again."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and I reached out instinctively. She jerked away before I could touch her.

"You already hurt me, Alex," she whispered. "You broke me. You broke us."

I couldn't breathe.

Her words shattered something inside me.

"Please, Scarlet," I rasped. "Don't do this."

She wiped her face, her expression unreadable. "I want to break the bond."

My stomach dropped. My wolf let out a vicious snarl inside my head, panic clawing through me.

"No," I choked out.

"Yes." She met my gaze, her eyes filled with finality. "I don't want to be tied to you anymore."

My chest tightened, my breath coming too fast. "Scarlet, please."

She pushed off the bed, her legs wobbling slightly. I stood immediately, ready to steady her, but she held up a hand.

"Don't touch me."

I froze.

She took a shaky breath. "You don't get to beg now, Alex. Not after everything you did."

I swallowed hard, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

"I can't live without you," I admitted, my voice raw. "If you leave me, I will lose my mind, Scarlet. I swear to God, I won't survive it."

Her lip trembled, but she shook her head. "You'll be fine."

I stepped closer. "I won't.""Scarlet, please," I whispered, my chest aching.

Nothing.

Not even a flicker of emotion.

I stepped closer, hesitating when she tensed. "I know I don't deserve it, but I'm begging you. Don't do this. Don't shut me out."

She inhaled sharply but didn't speak.

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration bubbling beneath the heartbreak. "I'll fix it, Scarlet. I swear to you, I'll fix everything. I'll make it right. I'll do whatever it takes."

Finally, she moved.

Not toward me.

Away.

She turned her back, shoulders stiff, refusing to acknowledge me.

It felt like a knife to the gut.

"Say something," I pleaded. "Anything."

She took a slow breath. "Leave, Alex."

My chest tightened, panic creeping in. "No. I'm not leaving you. I can't leave you."

"You already did," she murmured. "You left me when you destroyed my family. You left me when you chose revenge over us."

I swallowed hard. "I made mistakes-"

"You ruined everything!" She spun around, her eyes blazing. "You expect me to just forget? To pretend it never happened? That you didn't rip my life apart?"

Guilt slammed into me.

I had never felt so helpless.

"I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you," I vowed. "I don't care how long it takes, Scarlet. Just… don't do this."

She turned back around, ignoring me completely.

I knew what that meant.

She was done.

I stood there, staring at her back, my heart hammering against my ribs. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be the end.

"Scarlet…"

She didn't move.

Didn't speak.

Didn't acknowledge me.

I felt something inside me break.

Without another word, I turned and walked out the door.

I couldn't sleep.

I couldn't think.

I sat in my office, staring at the whiskey glass in front of me, untouched.

I had lost her.

I had lost everything.

But I wasn't going to let it end like this.

I pulled out my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I reached the name I had avoided for so long.

Scarlet's father.

I had spent years hating him. Believing he was responsible for my mother's death. For my father's suffering.

For everything.

But I knew the truth now.

I knew I had been wrong.

And I was ready to make it right.

The next morning, I walked into the company building, ignoring the stares, the whispers.

I deserved them.

Every last one.

I walked straight to the office, pushing open the door without knocking.

Scarlet's father looked up, his expression turning to stone the moment he saw me.

Ryan stood beside him, arms crossed, fury radiating from him.

Scarlet wasn't there.

A small mercy.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ryan snapped.

I ignored him, my gaze locked on their father.

"I need to talk to you," I said.

He leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "You've done enough talking, Alex. We have nothing left to say to each other."

I exhaled slowly. "I was wrong."

Ryan scoffed. "No shit."

I clenched my jaw but kept my focus on their father. "I accused you of something you didn't do. I believed my father's lies. And because of that, I destroyed your company, your name… your family."

His expression didn't change, but I could see the tightness in his posture, the tension in his jaw.

"You think an apology is enough?" he asked, his voice calm but sharp.

"No," I admitted. "But it's a start."

Ryan let out a bitter laugh. "You ruined everything, and now you want to stand here and act like you're suddenly a good guy? Do you think that's going to fix anything?"

I didn't flinch.

I deserved his anger.

"I don't expect forgiveness," I said. "I don't even expect you to listen. But I need you to know that I am sorry. And I will do whatever it takes to make things right."

Their father studied me for a long moment, unreadable. Then he shook his head. "You think fixing this company will fix what you did to my daughter?"

The air in the room grew heavy.

I swallowed hard. "I don't know how to fix that."

Ryan scoffed. "You can't."

He was right.

There was no easy fix for what I had done.

But I wasn't giving up.

"I know I can't undo the past," I admitted. "But I can try to change the future."

Scarlet's father leaned forward and not believing what I am saying, because no one will do after I did so many bad things with them. "And how do you plan to do that, Alex?"

I held his gaze, my jaw tight.

"I'm going to give everything back," I answered him and as a start with an apology infornt of everyone.

I stood at the front of the conference room, the weight of my past sins pressing down on me. The room was filled with executives, shareholders, and the very people I had wronged. Scarlet wasn't here-she refused to see me-but her father and Ryan stood in the front, their expressions cold and unreadable.

I deserved it.

I deserved their hate, their resentment, but that wasn't going to stop me.

I cleared my throat, forcing myself to meet their eyes.

"I called this meeting because there's something that needs to be done," I started, gripping the documents in my hand. "I took something that was never mine to take. And today, I'm giving it back."

Murmurs filled the room, confusion spreading among the executives. Ryan crossed his arms, his glare burning into me, but I didn't flinch.

I turned to their father. "These are the official transfer papers. The shares I stole from your company… they're yours again."

Gasps echoed around the room.

Ryan's father didn't react immediately. He simply stared at the papers as if trying to decide whether this was another trick.

"I don't expect you to believe me," I admitted, my grip tightening on the file. "I know I've given you every reason to doubt me. But this isn't a negotiation. It's done."

I handed the papers to the lawyer standing beside me. He nodded before stepping forward, presenting them to Scarlet's father.

Silence stretched as he took the documents, flipping through the pages, his expression unreadable.

"You're giving everything back?" he finally asked.

"Yes," I said. "Every last bit of it."

More whispers. More shock.

Ryan scoffed. "So what? You think this fixes everything? You think giving back what you stole erases what you did to my family?"

I turned to him, meeting his furious gaze. "No. I don't."

"Then why are you doing this?"

I sighed, my chest tightening. "Because it's the right thing to do. Because I can't live with myself knowing I destroyed you all for nothing."

Ryan's eyes darkened with rage. "It was for nothing. You ruined our lives based on lies. And now you think you can just walk in here, hand back some papers, and we'll all pretend it never happened?"

I clenched my jaw. "I don't expect you to forgive me, Ryan."

"Good," he snapped. "Because I never will."

His words sliced through me, but I didn't react. I had prepared myself for this.

Ryan's father, however, remained silent. He stared at the papers, then at me, his expression unreadable.

"You really mean this?" he asked.

"Yes," I said without hesitation. "I don't want anything from this company anymore. It belongs to you and your family. I want you to take it back."

Ryan let out a bitter laugh. "Then give up your shares too."

A heavy silence followed his words.

I frowned. "What?"

Ryan stepped forward, his hands clenched at his sides. "If you really want to make things right, then don't just give back what you stole. Give up your own shares. Cut yourself out completely. Never come back."

I felt my stomach drop.

The whispers in the room grew louder, people shifting uncomfortably as they waited for my response.

Ryan wasn't just asking for compensation. He wanted me gone.