Chapter 11
Ryan spent days searching for Tessa, but there was no trace of her.
It was as though she had vanished without a trace.
His worry gnawed at him day and night, desperately hoping for any news of Tessa.
But all he received were waves of disappointment.
He sat in silence in that house, refusing to answer the calls from Chloe.
A feeling of disgust now filled his eyes whenever he thought of her.
If it weren’t for her, Tessa would never have left him.
Turning off his phone, Ryan shut himself off from any news about Chloe.
He rummaged through every drawer, searching for something–anything–that Tessa might have
left behind.
But there was nothing.
The only item he found was a medical report, crumpled and tossed into the trash.
His gaze fixed on the marks on the paper, and it hit him–Tessa had given six vials of blood.
He knew that Tessa couldn’t handle pain.
The doctor had once told him that because of the abuse she had suffered at the hands of pack
members when she was younger, her pain tolerance was far lower than most, making even small pains feel excruciating.
Ryan’s grip tightened around the report, his breath coming in short, frantic bursts.
His mind replayed the scene from that day.
Tessa had known by then.
She had known everything.
She must have hated him so much–enough to leave without a single word, without even a trace.
Not even a message.
He remembered when he and Tessa first acknowledged each other as mates, when he vowed to protect her for life and shield her from any pain.
Now, all of Tessa’s pain was because of him.
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He admitted it–he regretted it all.
Meanwhile, Chloe called Ryan again and again, but once her calls went unanswered due to his
phone being off, she snapped.
In a fit of rage, she hurled her phone onto the floor.
“All because of Tessa? He won’t even pick up the phone for days!”
Furious, she stormed into Tessa’s old room.
Still clinging to the fear that Tessa would return, she packed up everything left behind, cramming it into a box.
“Burn it! Get rid of it all!”
As the maid carrying the box passed Audrey, she immediately recognized it.
Without needing to ask, Audrey knew it was Tessa’s.
Days had passed, and still, there was no sign of Tessa.
Even Audrey, who had always been indifferent toward her, couldn’t shake the growing sense of dread in her heart.
She grabbed the maid’s arm.
“Leave it there. Don’t touch it.”
Audrey had grown numb to Chloe’s tantrums by now. She didn’t feel the need to comfort her anymore.
Instead, she turned to open the box, wondering what was left behind by Tessa.
She remembered that Tessa had packed her things once before–she should have taken everything with her.
What could possibly be left?
Curiosity piqued, Audrey opened the box. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw what was inside.
Old ragged dolls and stuffed animals, along with a diary.
As she flipped it open, she saw crooked handwriting scrawled across the pages.
The date at the bottom indicated it was written when Tessa was just ten years old.
“Mom lied to me again. And Chloe… she took my doll from me…”
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As Audrey flipped further through the pages, the entries continued until Tessa was fifteen.
“Mom and Dad don’t believe me anymore. But I’m their real daughter. Why don’t they like me?”
“I understand now why Chloe keeps asking me about my past–it’s so she can make Mom and Dad
believe her…”
Audrey read the words, the bitterness and pain leaping off the pages.
It was as if she was just now getting to know the daughter she had abandoned.
And then, she spotted something else in the box: a full moon–shaped necklace.
Her hands trembled as she picked it up, her breath catching in her throat.
She could barely hold back the tears as memories flooded back.
When Tessa was born, Audrey had personally placed this necklace around her daughter’s neck.
It was something she had almost forgotten–until now.
Audrey recalled how Tessa would stand before her, trembling, always too afraid to speak up.
So many times, Tessa had tried to offer her something, but Audrey had dismissed her, interrupting her each time.
Now, looking at the necklace in her hand, Audrey realized the truth–Tessa, the one she had pushed away, was her real daughter.
When Tessa turned eighteen, Audrey had stopped giving her an allowance. Every cent Tessa earned, she did so on her own, working tirelessly day and night.
Audrey had seen Tessa come home at three in the morning, seen her finish her work at five.
Yet, at the time, Audrey never once cared.
Now, as the weight of her neglect crushed her, Audrey could hardly breathe.
All of Tessa’s suffering–the pain, the loneliness–had been caused by her.
Audrey collapsed onto the floor, her tears falling uncontrollably.
Each time she thought of how Tessa had tried to speak, but Audrey hadn’t listened, regret overwhelmed her.
“Why didn’t I ask? Why didn’t I listen?”
“I’m sorry, my daughter…”
