Chapter 5: You don't have to stay

BEATRICE

Bailey’s face is what breaks me.

She tries to smile as she lets go of the bow, but her eyes are glassy.

“I understand,” she says quietly.

Tears well up in my eyes. My pup shouldn’t feel like she’s only second best to her father.

Enzo doesn’t say a word. He just turns away like nothing happened.

That’s his only response to his daughter getting humiliated. Is that it?

So this is what he thinks being Alpha means. Turning his back on his kid like it’s nothing.

I feel like I’m being suffocated in my own house. I need to take a breather, and I’m taking Bailey with me.  

I reach for Bailey’s hand and squeeze gently. “Let’s go,” I say, my voice low.

She looks up, confused. “Go where?”

“Out,” I tell her, already guiding her toward the door.

Enzo frowns from across the room. “Where are you going? It’s late.”

I turn to him. “Do you really care?”

He waves a hand. “Whatever.”

Typical.

I don’t say another word. I open the door, and Bailey follows me out.

*******************

Once we’re in the car, I try to push it all down. The anger, the helplessness — everything I felt back in that house. Bailey doesn’t need to carry any of that tonight.

We need to forget for a little while.

I glance at her from the driver’s seat. “What do you want to eat, baby?”

She shrugs. “Anything’s fine.”

But her eyes are still dull. That just won’t do.

“How about that burger place you like? With the smiley face fries?”

She gives me a soft smile. “Okay.”

Okay. It’s not much, but it’s something.

We drive in silence. Bailey is trying so hard to stay brave. I see it in the way she stares out the window like she’s deep in her thoughts.

I then try to tell a few jokes to cheer her up. It doesn't work that well, but I can see her shoulders are not as tense anymore.

By the time we’re seated in the booth, waiting on food, she’s perked up just a bit. 

She takes a bite of the fries. “Mmm, so yummy,” she says.

Somehow, I’m relieved she’s enjoying her food. I can’t help but just watch her.

Thalia and her brat didn’t just humiliate me. They also made my daughter feel small. 

And Enzo? He let it happen, as always. He hasn’t changed since the day we mated. He gives us shelter and money like we’re just some obligation. 

He never really love us.

I think about divorce again. Just for a second — and then I push that thought away again.

Because I think of Bailey. She’s about to start the training course soon. And besides, she’s almost old enough to start school.

If I leave now, what happens to her future? I don’t have a job. No income. Even if I found something, it wouldn’t be enough. 

So, I sit here and eat fries with my daughter while trying to swallow everything else.

She scoots over and sits beside me instead of across from me. 

“You’re not eating,” she says.

I smile. “I will in a bit.”

She stares at me. “Are you sad?”

“What?” I laugh a little. “No, sweetie. Why would you think that?”

“You look like you want to cry.”

Damn.

Kids always see more than you want them to.

“I’m okay,” I tell her again. “I just want you to be happy. That’s all I care about.”

She frowns, then wraps her arms around me. “But I want you to be happy too, Mommy.”

I press my lips together and hug her tightly. “Thank you, baby,” I whisper. “That means everything to me.”

She’s quiet for a moment. Then she asks, “Mommy… is it hard to be with Daddy?”

My heart stops.

I never thought she’d ask me that. I thought she was too young to understand how broken we really are.

I look at her. “It’s not easy. But I don’t care about that. I care about you.”

“But I want you to be happy too,” she says, looking up at me. “If Daddy keeps making you sad… maybe you don’t have to stay.”

I’m caught off guard. She understands more than I ever gave her credit for.

She’s so smart. And I’m so damn proud of her.

“Bailey…”

She looks at me seriously. “Would it be bad if you weren’t with Daddy anymore?”

My throat tightens. “Would you be sad?”

She thinks about it. “Maybe a little. I still want a dad sometimes.” Then she leans into me. “But if I get to stay with you… I’d be okay.”

I don’t know what to say. My brave little girl gets me.

Maybe I’ve been lying to myself this whole time. Telling myself staying with Enzo was for Bailey’s sake.

But what good is a family if it only exists on paper?

Enzo doesn’t care for me and Bailey. He said so himself.

He shows up when it’s convenient and disappears when it matters most.

Somehow, he makes me feel like I’m the problem. Like I’m always making a big deal out of little things.

Fucking exhausting.

I kiss Bailey’s forehead and smile. “Want dessert?” I ask.

She grins. “Yes!”

I wave down to the waiter and order the biggest sundae they have.

And as she digs in, I make a silent promise.

I’m done letting him hurt us.

Next time I face Enzo…

It won’t be as his Luna.

It’ll be as the woman who’s finally taking her life back. The courage my daughter gives me—I will make good use of it.