All Chapters of The Alpha's Bargain: Chapter 151

(Catherine POV)The woman who'd arrived at this castle months ago felt like stranger whose choices I could barely remember making. She'd been so afraid—of the unknown, of losing whatever identity she'd managed to claim, of being consumed by forces beyond her understanding or control.That Catherine had seen captivity where I now saw sanctuary, had felt trapped by circumstances where I'd learned to find freedom in connection that honored rather than diminished who I chose to become.I thought of Mother's letters, of family obligations that had once seemed like chains binding me to life that had never quite fit properly. The guilt I'd carried about choosing my happiness over their immediate comfort had faded as I'd come to understand that love sometimes meant trusting people you cared about to build their own paths toward whatever fulfillment they could find.Father would recover from the guilt that had been consuming him—Kieran's gold would ensure their material comfort, and time would