novelraw Chapter 108: Find Myself
Chapter 108: Find Myself
Scarlett’s POV
Ethan’s words were everything I had ever wanted to hear from someone: to be chosen, to be loved, and to be seen. Ethan was handsome, wealthy, and powerful; he was the kind of man any woman would give anything to be with. But my heart twisted painfully in my chest.
I looked at him, my vision blurring as the cold water mixed with fresh tears.
"Ethan," I whispered, my voice trembling. "You are... you’re every woman’s dream. Elara is a fool for how she treats you. Truly."
A small, hopeful spark lit up his tired eyes, but it died just as quickly when he saw the look on my face. "There’s a ’but’ coming, isn’t there?" he asked, his voice thick with dread.
"Yes," I said, leaning my head back against the cold tile. "I’m scared, Ethan. The mate bond... it’s sacred. I don’t know if I can just walk away from it without it breaking me. And besides that... I’m twenty years old, and I have nothing. I have no degree, no career, no life of my own. I’ve spent the last two years of my life as the traitor’s daughter...I need to find myself."
I reached out and turned off the shower. The sudden silence was jarring. I grabbed a towel, wrapping it around myself with shaking hands, feeling his eyes on me the whole time. This was the one thing I had always respected about Ethan—his maturity. In this moment, he had completely pushed his own desires aside. He wasn’t demanding; he was just listening.
"Tell me what you want, Scarlett," he said quietly. "Just say it."
"I want to paint again," I said, the words feeling heavy and real as I finally spoke them out loud. "I want to get a degree in fine arts. I want to stand on my own two feet. And... I want to travel. I want to see the world outside these pack borders."
Ethan nodded slowly, taking in every word. "Is that all?"
"For now," I replied.
"Then I can wait," he said.
My eyes widened. I looked at him, shocked by the sincerity in his face. "Wait? Ethan, you shouldn’t—"
"I’m not asking you to marry me today, Scarlett," he interrupted, stepping closer but keeping a respectful distance. "We don’t have to be ’together’ right now. You go, you study, you travel. You find the woman you were meant to be. And when you’re ready, I’ll be there. If you still want me, I’ll be waiting."
Tears filled my eyes again, but this time they weren’t from pain. No one had ever offered me freedom before.
He reached out, his thumb catching a tear on my cheek. "So... what do you say? Do you want to leave the triplets and come home with me? I can start preparing your visa tomorrow. We can get you to France. They have the best art schools in the world there. You could be in Paris by the end of the month."
The thought of it—Paris, the museums, the art school—felt like a dream. But then I thought of the triplets. I thought of the way Liam looked at me, the way Leon fought for me, and the way Leo had held me through the ice of the poison. Could I really leave them behind for a life with Ethan?
"Can you really get me out of here?" I asked, my voice filled with dread. "The triplets... they won’t just let me walk away..."
"Let me worry about them," Ethan said, his jaw tightening with a new kind of determination. "Just tell me you want to go, and I’ll make sure no one stops us."
I looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation, but all I saw was a man who was confident in what he wanted. The thought of the triplets made my heart ache with a heavy, confusing pull, but the thought of France—of a life that belonged only to me—felt like oxygen to a drowning person.
"Yes," I whispered, already feeling excited. "I want to go with you, Ethan."
A big, bright smile spread across his face, the kind that made him look younger, stripped of all that Alpha weight. He leaned down, and for a second, I thought he was going for my lips, but he stopped. He pressed a tender, lingering kiss to my forehead instead.
"I’ll make you so happy, Scarlett," he promised against my skin. "I’ll make sure you never have to look over your shoulder again."
I managed to smile back, though my chest still felt tight. He pulled away, checking my expression, his own expression turning serious again. "I have to see Elara. There are things that need to be ended today."
My heart skipped. "Ethan... are you really going to do it? You’re going to break your bond with her? Because of me? Please... don’t do that. I don’t want to be the reason you lose your mate. That’s a pain I don’t want on my conscience."
He let out a short, dry scoff and shook his head, looking at me with a soft, knowing gaze. "Scarlett, look at me. I’m not breaking my bond with Elara because of you. I’m doing it for myself. I’ve realized she isn’t the woman I want by my side, and she definitely isn’t the Luna I want for my pack. I deserve better. And so do my people."
He leaned in one last time, kissing my forehead again, his touch lingering as if he were trying to memorize the moment. "See you later."
He turned and walked away, his stride full of a new kind of confidence. I watched the bathroom door click shut, leaving me in the silence of the dripping shower.
I stepped in front of the mirror, wiping the steam away with my palm. I looked at my reflection—at the girl who had almost died last night, the girl everyone called the traitor’s daughter.
This is the right decision...right? I asked silently, reaching deep into my mind to find the one part of me that truly knew me.
My wolf stirred, her spirit calm.
"I support you, Scarlett," she whispered. "Whatever you decide, wherever we go... I am with you. We deserve to be free and happy."
I let out a breath I felt like I’d been holding for a lifetime. I was leaving. I was finally leaving. I gripped the edge of the sink, staring at my reflection and trying to imagine myself on a street in Paris, far away from the triplets and my past. For the first time in two years, I was excited for my future.
The bathroom door suddenly creaked open behind me.
I didn’t even turn around, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Did you forget something, Ethan?" I asked softly, my heart feeling lighter than it had in years.
There was no answer. Only the sound of heavy footsteps that didn’t match Ethan’s stride.
A cold shiver raced down my spine. I started to turn, my mouth opening to scream, but I wasn’t fast enough. Two large men in guard uniforms were already on me. Before I could even draw breath to call for help, a thick cloth was pressed firmly over my nose and mouth.
The smell was sharp and chemical, stinging my lungs. I thrashed, my weak hands clawing at their iron-grip sleeves, but my strength was already gone. My knees buckled, hitting the floor with a dull thud I couldn’t even feel.
The last thing I saw was the cold, emotionless eyes of the guards as the world dissolved into a thick, suffocating darkness.