Chapter 20
Adrian Valehart
The entire day had been hell.
I signed papers, sat through meetings, barked out orders, got fake smiles from secretaries who only wanted my attention, and gave a half-ass grin for some bullshit photos that’ll probably end up in one of those glossy magazines for “influential businessmen.”
But inside…
Inside, I was falling apart.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
The way her eyes filled with tears — like I’d ripped a piece straight out of her chest with what I said.
And maybe I did.
Bravo, Adrian.
You were a fucking masterpiece of an asshole.
Still, I couldn’t just let it go.
What she told me… that she only did it out of desperation, to save her father, to stop him from dying — fuck.
I kept replaying every word, every second of that moment, like a goddamn punishment loop I couldn’t escape.
And for the first time in a long time, I couldn’t justify my actions.
Not even to myself.
It’s not like I owed her anything.
It’s not like I should be apologizing.
At the end of the day, she’s just a stranger, right?
But that day... I wanted to.
I spent hours thinking about how.
Then I remembered — HR.
Called them during a break. Asked for her number, her address, her ID, her blood type — everything.
I needed to know if her story was real before I did something reckless.
Valeharts don’t apologize on a whim.
Once I had everything, I contacted one of the family lawyers — not a human, of course. One of ours.
He seemed a little confused when I told him to run a background check on her. But he didn’t ask questions. He knew better.
And, surprisingly, it didn’t take long.
By sundown, everything was in my inbox.
Sofia Bliss.
A small-town girl, born and raised in the countryside.
Daughter of Serena Hines Bliss and Joseph Bliss.
Mother — werewolf. Died in a car accident.
Father — human. Currently hospitalized after a suicide attempt… by hanging.
Fuck…
She was a hybrid. Just like I suspected.
And she wasn’t lying about her dad either.
I gripped the phone in my hand, staring at the email.
I must’ve read it ten times. Still couldn’t believe how much of a goddamn idiot I’d been.
This…
This wasn’t something I could fix with a phone call.
I had to see her.
But I couldn’t just show up at her place.
Not after everything I’d said.
She’d probably call the cops on me — and she’d be right to.
So maybe…
Maybe going back to that bar was my only shot.
Honestly, I didn’t want to set foot in that shithole again.
But I needed one more chance to look her in the eye.
To explain — or at least try to.
If she showed up tonight, good.
I’d talk to her.
If not... maybe that was fate telling me it was time to let go.
And I would.
Or at least I’d try.
After work, I went home.
Got changed — slowly. Too slowly.
Took me almost ten minutes just to pick a damn shirt.
That’s not like me.
I never gave a shit about what I wore.
But this time...
I didn’t want to look like the same man who hurt her.
Idiot.
As if changing shirts could fix anything.
Still, I wore black.
Black always worked.
Driving there was... uncomfortable.
It messed with my head.
The memory of that place — the scent of the room, the red light bleeding through the shadows, the fucking collar tightening around my throat...
It should’ve disgusted me.
But it didn’t.
It still lit something inside me.
And I hated that.
I parked in the darkest corner, far from the entrance.
I didn’t want to go in.
Hell, I didn’t even want to be seen.
I got out and leaned on the hood. The wind was picking up.
I fidgeted with my phone, trying to look casual, but my eyes swept the street every damn second.
And then...
A taxi pulled up.
My heart skipped a beat.
She stepped out.
But she wasn’t the same girl from this morning.
Not the crying one. Not the scared little thing curling into herself under my words like I was some kind of monster.
No.
This... this was something else.
She was stunning.
A simple dress hugging every curve, her hair loose — still damp from the shower, falling in soft waves around her face. The makeup was subtle, just enough to highlight those eyes... the ones that haunted my fucking dreams.
And that smile.
That damn smile.
Small. Controlled.
But it hit me like a punch to the chest.
I swallowed hard.
What the hell is happening to me?
Since when do I notice dresses and makeup?
None of it made sense.
Unless…
Unless she was 'mine'.
My destined mate.
But that was impossible, right?
She hadn’t even awakened yet. Didn’t have a clue about the blood running through her veins.
No.
This was all in my head.
Had to be.
Her face wouldn’t leave my mind.
The way she made me feel things I couldn’t explain.
The way I came… without her even touching me.
That’s when it hit me — I was completely screwed.
Because I hadn’t come here just to apologize.
I came… for her.
I exhaled sharply, angry at myself.
Fuck it.
This bond wasn’t going to happen anyway.
Not with a half-blood.
It was better to just get it over with.
I tried to move toward her.
I’m not the type to hesitate.
Never have been.
But right then… standing there with clenched fists shoved into my pockets, watching her talk to that other woman — Letícia, I think she said when she stepped out of the taxi —
I froze.
I felt it.
Hesitation.
Like a coward.