They Chose Her Over Me, So I Chased My Own Future Chapter 08
I retreated to my dorm, only agreeing to leave Ronan’s
number saved to get them to back off.
My dorm room was far nicer than I’d imagined–the school
had assigned me a private single suite just for me.
After showering, my cheap secondhand phone buzzed
nonstop, a flicker of disgust darkening my eyes. All three
of them had blown up my messages. Ronan’s texts flooded the screen first.
[Rhea, I’ve spent all day thinking everything over. I need to
say I’m so sorry. I never realized how much I hurt you.
Please give me a chance to make this right, I’m begging you.]
[We haven’t left the Southern Territories. Let’s sit down
and talk properly tomorrow. I’m begging you, Rhea.]
I skipped over the rest of his apologies and pleas. Words
meant nothing to me now. Once, a tiny cake would’ve been
enough to win the old Rhea over, but that girl was long gone.
Next came Mom’s messages.
[Rhea, I think I finally see how wrong I’ve been. Ever since
Malcolm brought Sienna into the Silvermoon Pack ten
years ago, I fixated on soothing his fragile pride, and that’s
why I doted on Sienna so fiercely.]
[I forgot you’re the exact same age as her.]
[I always told myself you had me, Ronan, and Damien-
that as the Silvermoon princess, you lacked nothing. So I
poured all my attention into Sienna instead. But when I
look back now, I see every mistake I’ve made.]
[All these years, the rest of us circled around Sienna,
leaving you completely alone.]
[I’m so sorry, Rhea. Mom begs your forgiveness.]
I stared blankly at the screen for two heartbeats, then
deleted every message. Fake crocodile tears–the mere
thought of them made my skin crawl.
Last was Damien.
[Can you ever forgive me, Rhea?]
I rolled my eyes hard. I’d forced myself to read through
Ronan and Mom’s messages, but Damien’s texts were
nothing but garbage cluttering my inbox.
A sharp, bitter laugh escaped me. As if a single, hollow apology could erase every wound they’d inflicted.
Even so, I showed up at the meeting spot Ronan had
named the next day, I didn’t come to reconcile–I came to
draw a permanent line, to make them swear never to intrude on my life again.
They were already waiting, craning their necks for me to arrive. “Rhea.”
I sat across from the three of them, still clutching my beat–up secondhand phone. Even with fifty thousand in
scholarship funds deposited, I had no intention of wasting money recklessly.
Mom’s eyes flooded with guilt when she spotted it.
Her own biological daughter, the rightful Silvermoon
princess, forced to use a beat–up used phone. Meanwhile
Sienna, unrelated by blood, lived in unbridled luxury with
everything the pack could offer.
How could she have overlooked such a glaring imbalance
for a decade? She dug her nails into her palms, eyes red as
if stained with blood, drowning under a tidal wave of remorse.
Ronan felt the same crushing regret. He dropped his gaze
to hide his tear–glistening eyes, a hollow ache settling
deep in his chest.
I couldn’t care less about their guilt. I just wanted this
conversation over as fast as possible. “Say whatever you’ve
come to say, and then we’re done for good.”
All three stiffened simultaneously. Ronan spoke first,
sliding a bank card across the table without daring to meet my eyes.
“There’s fifty million in this account. It’s four full years of
university living expenses for you. The PIN is your
birthday. I’m so sorry, Rhea,”
I didn’t reach for it. Mom stood up, pressed the card
straight into my palm, her fingers trembling violently.
“If this isn’t enough, call me anytime for more. This is just
the start of making amends, Ronan will transfer fifty
thousand into this card for you every single month from
now on.”
I stared at the plastic card in my palm, a cold, hollow laugh escaping my lips.
“Fifty million. A week ago, I couldn’t even afford a taxi ride.
home. I spent two hours crammed on a public bus, only to walk in and see you all hauling armfuls of luxury gifts for Sienna.”
Their faces drained of all color. I snapped the card in half and tossed the broken pieces straight into a nearby trash can–the same fate my original acceptance letter had suffered at Mom’s hands.
“I don’t want your money. I’m nothing like that useless
Sienna. I can earn my own living, and I’ll build a good life entirely on my own merit.”
I stood to leave, tossing one final sentence over my shoulder. “Leave me alone, please. I’m begging you.”
I turned and walked away without looking back.
The three of them sat motionless for a long time, until quiet sobs broke from Mom, Ronan watched my retreating silhouette, his jaw tight, a single hot tear splashing onto his knuckles.
We never spoke again after that day. Word drifted back to
me later that Mom had severed her mate bond with
Malcolm, restored Sienna’s original surname, and cut all
ties with her stepdaughter entirely.
None of it mattered to me.
Four years later, the wide, free life I’d fought so hard for was only just beginning.