Semua Bab THE BIKER ALPHA WHO BECAME MY SECOND CHANCE MATE: Bab 41 - Bab 50

Chapter 40On a normal day, we would have laughed at his joke but right now, the raw honesty in his voice cut through me like a blade. That I had to press my lips together to keep myself from crying, from making this about my own guilt when he was finally opening up about his deepest wounds."Jess saved me," he said simply. "She helped me see that life could be more than the darkness I was drowning in. She was there when I needed someone most. She loved me, and I..." He paused, swallowing hard. "I loved her just as much."Something sharp lodged in my throat, making it hard to breathe. The tears I'd been fighting began building behind my eyes like storm, but I refused to let them fall. This wasn't about me. This was about honoring the woman who'd been there for him when his family couldn't be."After a year together, we got married."The words hits me like wave, sending ripples of realization through me. Four years ago. He'd already found love and made a commitment while I was still in

Chapter 42"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said, looking genuinely apologetic.I immediately turned my gaze away from him, staring at anything and everything except his face. The counter. The cabinets. The coffee maker. Anywhere but those eyes that had been looking at me so intensely last night."It's okay, just my reflexes," I said quickly, trying to sound normal and probably failing completely."How was your night?" he asked, and his voice sounded perfectly casual, like nothing had happened between us at all."Fine. Fine," I said way too quickly, trying to look busy with anything I could find.There was a pause, and then he asked, "What are you doing?"My heart stopped completely. This was it. He was going to bring up the kiss. He was going to ask me what the hell I thought I was doing yesterday. Or maybe say, what happened yesterday was inappropriate and that we needed to pretend it never happened. What was I supposed to say? That I'd temporarily lost my mind?I'm going to

Chapter 44The casual way he said it, like spending time with me was something he genuinely enjoyed rather than just tolerated, made warmth spread through my chest.Maybe lunch wouldn't be as awkward as I'd feared. Maybe we could just be siblings grabbing food together, like normal people did. Maybe I was overthinking everything."There's that new sandwich place down the street," I suggested. "Leah says their turkey club is amazing.""Sounds perfect," he said, then reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.I froze, shocked by the intimate gesture. My eyes widened as I stared at him, wondering what he was doing, why he was touching me so tenderly when we I thought we'd keep things simple between us.His eyes locked with mine for a moment that stretched too long, his fingers lingering near my cheek before he slowly pulled his hand back."The hair was bothering you," he explained quietly.I was surprised again, because Tristan hardly ever explained himself. He us

Chapter 46I could hear Tristan calling after me, his long strides echoing in the hospital corridor as he tried to catch up. L "Athena!" His voice carried that commanding tone he used when he expected people to listen.I didn't stop. I kept walking, faster now, my heels clicking against the polished floor. The fluorescent lights above felt too bright, too harsh, making everything look stark and ugly."Wait up!" I felt his hand grab my arm, spinning me around to face him.My face was burning with anger, my whole body trembling with rage I could barely contain. When I turned to look at him, I saw him flinch at whatever expression was on my face."What is it?" I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut glass.For a moment, he looked genuinely shocked that I'd screamed at him. Then he quickly masked his surprise, slipping back into that calm, controlled demeanor he always wore when things got difficult."Why won't you tell me what's going on?" he asked, his voice carefully measured.I folde

Chapter 48 Tristan's POVI watched Athena walk away from me, her shoulders rigid with hurt and anger, and I didn't move a single inch to follow her. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to chase after her, to fix this mess I'd created with my careless words, but I forced myself to stay rooted to that hospital floor.She needed space. She needed to be alone to process what had just happened between us. More importantly, she needed to prove to herself that she could handle difficult situations without someone rushing in to rescue her.It wasn't because I saw her as weak - far from it. I'd watched her transform over these past weeks, seen the strength building in her shoulders, the confidence returning to her voice. The way she'd started taking charge of her own life instead of waiting for others to make decisions for her was remarkable. Admirable, even.But she couldn't see it. When Athena looked in the mirror, all she saw was the broken girl who'd returned after five years. She