Temporary Luna, Permanent Heartbreak - Chapter 79: Chapter 79

I opened my mouth, about to call out "Sterling," but the words got stuck in my throat.
"Oh, still trying to deny that you were following Sterling? What's this now?" Those cutting words cut through the air and instantly jolted me back to reality.
And just like that, the affectionate gaze that Sterling had in his eyes cooled down in a flash.
When I looked again, it was icy cold, not a trace of warmth left in it.
His expression had also turned as frosty as the winter wind.
That icy glint in his eyes and the chilling look on his face all made it clear that he was disgusted with me and was accusing me of something, just like he believed every word Robert had said.
"I'm sorry," I said, reluctantly pushing aside all the emotions that those memories had stirred up inside me. I spoke softly, almost in a whisper.
I was apologizing, but not because I admitted to following Sterling. No, it was because I'd let myself remember all those things about him even after our bond dissolution, even though I'd made up my mind to forget him forever and move on with my life.
After saying that, I just turned around to leave.
"Why did you come here?" Suddenly, I heard Sterling's voice from behind me.
I could feel his eyes boring into my back as he stared at me.
Just a moment ago, he'd mistaken me for that fifteen-year-old she-wolf.
My voice, it seemed, was a bit similar.
We'd been mated for four years, yet it was only just now that he'd really noticed my voice.
But my heart was already dead when it came to him, so there was no way I was going to tell him the truth. I simply replied, "To pick up some wolfsbane remedy."
With that, I walked out.
Third-person's POV**
Robert and Celeste stood together.
As she passed by Robert, she felt the heat of his glare and heard the snort of his disapproval.
There was contempt for her and sarcasm for her lies.
He swaggered over to Sterling, "Ah Sterling, she already admitted to following you, so why ask her why she came? Are you trying to give her a way out? No need for unnecessary gestures."
Sterling remained silent, lowering his head and falling into silence again.
Celeste pushed Robert away discontentedly and stood in front of Sterling. "Sterling, isn't this the place where your eyes were injured before? Why did you suddenly want to come and see it?"
"Don't you want to see it?" Sterling suddenly grabbed her hand and asked.
"This... I don't understand, but yes, I'm interested in any place you've been to," Celeste nodded.
Just... just like that?
A clear disappointment flashed in Sterling's eyes.
This place was not just where he had been, but also where he and she were reborn together.
At that time, he had experienced a car accident.
His father died protecting him, and he was also injured in the accident, losing his sight and unable to see anything.
At seventeen years old, during the prime of his alpha awakening, he suddenly couldn't see anything.
That was enough to make him collapse.
And his mother blamed his father's death on him, shaking him by the shoulders and accusing him, "Why didn't you die? It should have been you who died!"
In the end, his mother heartlessly abandoned him here.
He had thought that he would spend his entire life in darkness and guilt.
Until he met... her.
Two equally guilt-ridden individuals found solace in each other during the most painful period of their lives. She was stronger than him, whispering words of encouragement, urging him to eat, motivating him to move forward, advising him not to give up on himself, and encouraging him to rebuild his life.
Her nightingale-like voice echoed in his ears, "Sterling, though we may have our sins, we still have to live on. From now on, I am determined to treat my father with kindness and show him the respect he deserves as my elder. Sterling, you must also work hard. Only by becoming stronger can we redeem ourselves."
"If you don't eat, you'll starve. If you starve, your father won't come back."
"Don't think that just because you can't see, you can't do anything. There are plenty of things you can do. If need be, in the future, I'll be your eyes. I'll see things for you with my own eyes. I'll be your big eyes, forever!"
"Sterling, don't slack off, concentrate and listen to me!"
"Sterling, this one is really hard, I don't understand. Can you teach me?"
Sterling closed his eyes. The sound of the she-wolf with big eyes calling out "Sterling" echoed through his mind and lifted him out of the pit of guilt he had been dwelling in. He gradually returned to normal, willingly falling into her well-intentioned trap, answering her questions.
Knowing full well her tricks, he never exposed them, and whenever he heard her laughter after succeeding in her schemes, his chest would warm with joy.
Almost all the warmth in his life since he turned seventeen came from that she-wolf.
"Why don't you call me little Ster anymore?" Sterling opened his eyes again and asked, looking at Celeste.
Caught off guard, Celeste stammered, "Little Ster?"
Why did she use such a strange and inexplicable nickname for him? But seeing Sterling's serious expression, she didn't dare to respond rashly; she felt that there was something hidden in between, so she looked to Robert for help.
Robert walked over. "Ah Sterling, you're already so old, yet you still want she-wolves to call you such a childish name. Isn't Celeste childish?"
After saying that, he pulled Celeste away. "If you want to be crazy, go ahead and be crazy. We'll be waiting for you outside!"
Outside, Celeste finally dared to ask Robert, "What's with this 'Little Ster' thing?"
"I don't know." Robert scratched his head. "Wasn't it just a cute nickname between you two?"
Celeste ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "Didn't you notice that just now, Sterling's look at Zara was different?"
"What's so different?" Robert didn't think much of it. "She's been mated to him for four years, and he hasn't even given her a proper look. Even if she has some tricks up her sleeve, she can't stir up any waves."
Despite Robert's reassurances, Celeste still felt uneasy. She couldn't figure out what exactly was bothering her.
Especially after Sterling suddenly showed up here.
"I'm going somewhere!" Celeste said, not waiting for Robert's response, and hurriedly left.
Sterling stood in the pack hospital's garden for a while before going to the healer's office and making a large donation.
The head healer was overjoyed and wished he could kneel down to thank Sterling. This was a small hospital, and getting investments was not easy. They had trouble securing funding even for simple equipment.
But now, Sterling had donated 20 million dollars in one go, making him a veritable benefactor.
The head healer politely invited Sterling to visit the hospital, but Sterling declined.
In the end, the head healer could only ask Sterling to write his name on a plaque to hang on the new building.
Sterling's calligraphy was not bad, so he wrote a few words and signed his name.
"Ashford... Sterling?" The head of the pack healing department walked in at that moment, seeing the signature and looking at Sterling with surprise. "You are... the same Sterling Ashford who stayed in the hospital to treat your eyes in the past, right?"
Sterling raised his head, recognized the person, and nodded. "Dr. Grace Cooper."
Dr. Cooper was his former attending healer.
Time may have passed, but her appearance had remained surprisingly consistent.
Dr. Cooper nodded. "The young future alpha from back then has grown into an adult now. I almost didn't recognize you."
Sterling smiled politely.
His smile was faint but courteous, and obviously much deeper and more mature than back then.
Dr. Cooper was quite talkative and looked him up and down. "The she-wolf who always accompanied you back then, that lively little she-wolf, you must have mated, right? I thought you two were a perfect match, both talented and beautiful."
"...Not yet," Sterling said with a hint of embarrassment.
Dr. Cooper looked surprised. "Not mated yet? Such a good she-wolf, aren't you afraid of someone snatching her away?"