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"Sorry?" She lets out a bitter laugh. "What am I supposed to do with your apology? My hands are empty, Adam. I have nothing. Nothing was ever mine in the first place. It was all yours. Your charity, your money, your job. You just put a different leash around my neck."
When I look at her, her eyes are wet and she looks devastated, and my heart clenches into a painful ball. "You took everything from me, and now I feel small. I feel useless and incompetent. I feel like a fool. Do you understand that? I feel like a fool. You broke my pride. You broke my wolf."
My own wolf whimpers in agony at the sight of my shattered mate.
"Tell me how to fix this?" I whisper, my voice hoarse. "I'll do whatever it is you want."
She looks at me, and then her gaze turns away. "I don't know. I don't know if you ever can."
My heart sinks.
What have I done?
CHAPTER 29
Cynthia
My wolf doesn't want to heal. It doesn't want to do much. And now, it's beginning to infuriate me.
"You sure you're ready to go home?" Lydia asks. It's been a couple of days since my talk with Adam.
"I am." I feel physically weak, but I have no plans for laying in this infirmary bed for the next two lifetimes.
"Your wolf isn't completely––"
"It's being a brat," I hiss, my muscles aching with the movement. "But I'm the one in charge, so it had better get with the program."
Lydia gives me a pleased look. "Good. Keep facing forward and it will have no choice but to pull itself back up. What do you plan to do now?"
"Adam will come to visit Riya," I reply, following her outside. "But he's going to give me space. I'm not going to resign from my job. I'll also keep the apartment. Nothing's going to change, I guess. I considered switching jobs, but what's the point? It's not like I'm not working there as well. With Kofo gone," my voice catches at the memory of my sweet-natured assistant, "there will be a higher workload."
"I'm sorry about your assistant." Lydia opens the car door for me. "Adam told me."
I try to smile, but my heart is too heavy.
"I heard it Riya's birthday is in a few days," Lydia changes the topic, probably sensing my grief.
"Oh, yeah." The thought cheers me up.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I was planning to take her to an amusement park that just opened up with Maya and Tony, but I think it'll just be the two of us now. It's also going to be Adam's first time celebrating Riya's birthday, so I'm thinking of doing a small dinner at the apartment later on. I'll be inviting Tony and Maya as well. You should also come."
Lydia studies me, her expression a little sad. "Honey, you can stop referring to it as the apartment and call it home."
I give her a bitter smile. "But it's not home, is it? It's just the place where I'm raising Riya. It's not mine even if Adam put my name on the deed. Everything I have belongs to Adam."
Lydia looks torn. "He's your mate, Cynthia. Everything he has is yours."
I just give her a wan smile, knowing she won't understand. As long as I didn't build it with my own two hands, as long as I didn't seize the opportunity on my own, it's not my achievement.
Adam is waiting at the apartment for me, Riya hanging from his neck like a little monkey. As soon as she sees me, she jumps off his back. "Mommy!"
She rushes into my arms and, despite how weak my body feels, I pick her up. "Look at you! Have you been a good girl? Did you behave yourself?"
She nods her head fervently. "Papa and I got you a surprise."
She wriggles out of my hold while I try to come to terms with the title of 'Papa' for Adam. When I look at him, he gives me a sheepish look. "It's from one of her books. I've been reading her bedtime stories, and she liked 'papa' better than 'dad'."
