Chapter 190

Chapter 190
Sophia's POV:
I returned to the castle directly from the medical center, my body exhausted from the day's events.
I pushed open the heavy doors to my chambers and immediately kicked off my shoes, letting out a long breath.
The soft carpet beneath my feet was a welcome relief, and I sank into the plush armchair by the window.
As I sat there in the quiet of my chambers, memories of my time at Starlight Pack flooded my mind.
Three years of trying to be the perfect Luna, enduring Elena's constant criticism, Isabelle's cruelty, and Lucas's growing distance.
The cold mornings when Lucas would leave our bed without a word, the lonely dinners where I ate alone while he attended to "pack business," the countless nights I spent wondering what I had done wrong.
All of it—the humiliation, the heartbreak, the slow erosion of my self-worth—it was finally, completely over.
For the first time in what felt like years, I felt... lighter. As if some invisible weight that had been pressing down on my chest had finally lifted.
But then why were tears still sliding down my cheeks?
I touched my face, surprised by the wetness there.
Maybe these tears weren't of sadness, but of something else entirely. Maybe I was crying for the woman I used to be—grateful for her journey, even if it had been painful.
Perhaps we need to experience the wrong things to grow, I thought, wiping away the tears with the back of my hand. Maybe those three years of suffering had been necessary to teach me my own worth, to show me what real love should look like.
But that didn't mean I should keep dwelling on those wrong things, holding onto them like precious memories.
Lucas, Starlight Pack, all of that—it was my past. A chapter that had taught me valuable lessons, but the important thing is that the experiences and lessons have never been the people in the story.
I gently placed my hand over my stomach, where my precious child was growing safe and strong. "We're finally going to have a new beginning," I whispered softly.
The buzzing of my phone against the side table.
I glanced at the screen. Twelve missed calls from Lucas, all since I'd left the celebration.
"Don't answer it," Amy warned sharply through our mind link. "He's lost the right to speak with you. Block his number and be done with it."
But then I shook my head, my resolve hardening.
"Running away won't solve anything, Amy," I said quietly, my voice steady. "I don't owe him anything, and I don't need to hide."
I continued, "But I owe myself closure. I need to make it absolutely clear that we're finished, once and for all."
" It's time to end this properly."
I swiped to answer, putting the phone to my ear with a steady hand.
"What do you want, Lucas?"
"Sophia." His voice was rough, desperate. "Are you really decided to be with Michael? I—"
I interrupted coldly. "Did you watch the press conference?"
There was a pause. "Yes."
"Good. Then you should know that everything between us is officially over. I'll be accepting Michael's courtship rituals when I'm fully recovered, and we'll be announcing our formal mating in due time." I kept my voice businesslike, professional.
There was a long pause on the other end, and when Lucas spoke again, his voice was strained, almost broken.
"Sophia... do I really have no chance at all? Not even the smallest possibility?"
I closed my eyes, steeling myself against the raw pain in his voice.
This was exactly why I'd avoided his calls—because part of me, the part that had loved him so deeply, still responded to his suffering.
"Lucas—"
"I know about the baby," he interrupted suddenly.
My heart stopped, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. My breath caught in my throat as panic flooded my system.
"I know the baby is Michael's," Lucas continued.
The relief that flooded through me was so intense I nearly dropped the phone.
He didn't know. He had no idea that this child growing inside me was actually his. The secret was still safe.
I had no intention of correcting his assumption. Let him believe what he wanted to believe.
"And?" I said carefully, keeping my voice neutral. "What are you trying to say, Lucas?"
There was a pause, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer, almost resigned. "I don't blame you for it, Sophia. I know how appealing fatedmate can be."
I felt a surge of speechless irritation.
"You're absolutely right, Lucas," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Fated mates are incredibly appealing. The bond is undeniable, isn't it?"
"Since you understand so well," I continued, my tone becoming more businesslike, "then we're in complete agreement. The best outcome for everyone is for each of us to be with our destined partners. I wish you and Aria all the happiness in the world, and I hope you can extend the same courtesy to Michael and me."
Another long silence stretched between us, and when Lucas finally spoke again, his voice was strained, as if each word was being pulled from somewhere deep and painful inside him.
"If... if being with Michael will truly make you happy," he said slowly, seeming to struggle with every syllable, "then I won't interfere with your life anymore."
I blinked in surprise, caught completely off guard.
After months of his persistent pursuit, his refusal to accept our divorce, his constant attempts to win me back—I'd never expected Lucas to simply... give up.
For a moment, a complex mix of emotions swirled through me. But as the initial wave of complicated feelings settled, what remained was overwhelmingly relief.
It was the lightness that comes when both people decide to stop hurting each other, to stop clinging to something that was already dead.
"We're both finally letting go," Amy observed quietly. "He's releasing you, and you're releasing him."
The weight that had been pressing on both our shoulders seemed to lift simultaneously, leaving behind something that almost felt like... peace.
"Thank you, Lucas," I said quietly. "I'm glad we can finally be on the same page about this."
There was a long pause before Lucas spoke again, and when he did, his voice was thick with bitter resignation.
"Yeah, well..." He let out a hollow laugh that held no humor. "I guess this is what it's come to—the only way I can make you happy anymore is by staying out of your life completely."
"I'm sorry, Sophia. For all the pain I caused you, for all the times I hurt you when I should have been protecting you. "
I felt my throat tighten at the sincerity in his words, but I remained silent, listening quietly.
"I want you to be happy, Sophia. Truly happy. And if Michael..." He stopped himself abruptly, and I could almost see him shaking his head. "No. No more 'ifs.' You deserve happiness, period."