Chapter 96
Just as I feared, her entire demeanor changed. Her body stiffened, and she went into that defensive posture I was beginning to get familiar with.
“No. I’m not talking about that.”
“Yve, please…”
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“I said no. I explained everything to the police. I told the psychiatrist everything they needed to know. If Aaron has any sense, he’ll leave me the hell alone and let sleeping dogs lie.”
“But he can’t just let it go. He needs to understand what happened. He needs to know why…”
Her nostrils flared as she sniffed me angrily, like when a wolf was sizing up their enemy. “Because I was his mother. I had every right to pick up my own child from school.”
“But it wasn’t your day,” I pressed gently. “Aaron was supposed to pick him up. You two had a schedule…”
Yve’s composure finally cracked.
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“I lost a child too!” she snarled. “Do you think I don’t know that? I made a stupid, impulsive mistake and I’m paying for it every goddamn day of my life!”
There was raw pain in her voice; pain I hadn’t expected to hear.
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Chapter 96
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“But Ethan is gone,” she continued as her voice dropped to a whisper. “He’s gone, and what Aaron is trying to do isn’t going to bring him back. Nothing is going to bring him back.”
She was crying now, tears streaming down her face. Yve didn’t seem aware of them either. Her whole body was shaking.
“I can’t…” She stopped, pressing her hands to her face. When she looked up again, her eyes were glowing. “Tell Aaron that if he doesn’t stop this…if he doesn’t leave me alone, I’ll file a restraining order. I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect what’s left of my life.”
Without another word, she jumped out of the frail chair and walked out of the cafe, leaving me sitting alone with my untouched burger.
I sat there for a long time, staring at the empty booth across from me, her words replaying in my mind.
The waitress eventually came to clear Yve’s plate, shooting me a sympathetic look. I was too shocked to react. I paid for both meals and left.
I was still thinking about Yve as I walked back to my car. Contrary to everything I’d thought and felt, all the anger I’d had towards her began to slip away against my will.
I couldn’t find it in me to harbor negative thoughts about her. She’d just seemed so sad, like the pain of losing Ethan was still fresh. I’d never considered that maybe Yve had been hurt too by the loss of their child.
And she was right, she did lose him.
In a way, she answered my question. She didn’t deny anything. She admitted her guilt, owned her pain, and pointed out that there was no need to dig into the past.
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Lucky whined softly. She felt it too, agreed even.
This isn’t about finding answers or closure anymore. It’s about Aaron needing to find a way to move on, she said.
And she was right. So was Yve.
I didn’t expect Yve to be the one to open my eyes to the hard truth- Aaron had to let go.
The sun had just gone down by the time I walked back into my house. It was empty, save for the household staff who looked just as busy as my mind.
There was something very important I had to do–call Aaron. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it yet.
I felt Lucky, pacing restlessly, silently bracing herself for the unavoidable conversation. I knew I couldn’t cop out of the call, but I made a strong attempt.
I made coffee I didn’t want, reorganized mail that didn’t need sorting, even considered shifting into my wolf and going for a run.
But eventually, I found myself retreating to the privacy of my room, curled up in bed, now in my pajamas with the phone pressed to my ear.
“Jane?” His voice was eager. It was obvious he’d been waiting for this call. “What did she say? Did you get anything useful?”
The hope in his voice made my chest tighten. I closed my eyes, drawing strength from Lucky, and told him everything.
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“That’s exactly what I expected! Yve always treats herself like the victim. She only cries when she has an audience, trust me.”
I took a deep breath. “Maybe Yve is right.”
“Come on, Jane! Whose side are you on?”
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