The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 162: Chapter 162

Rohan’s POV
I knelt by the gravestone, the wind sweeping through my hair, my eyes fixed on the little headstone as I pondered the right words to say. Josie had been right in that I needed to forgive and that I needed to let go of the past. It wasn’t right to let it continue to haunt me, to allow it to intrude on my future and my happiness. I trailed my fingers across the rough stone and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I could picture Renae in my mind’s eye and I gave a shaky smile, remembering her when she was young and loving before she had changed.
“Forgive me, Renae, for making you suffer. I was a fool not to realize the emotional turmoil I was putting you through and I should have given you the help you needed, not the help I thought you should have” I whispered, my throat closing up.
I should have listened to her more, to what she had to say, instead of ignoring her and pushing my own desires and wants on her. I should have given her the choice and respected her decision, no matter how much it would have hurt me. But it was too late to change the past and I would never know if she became like she was, because of me and my actions, or if she had always been unstable and the pregnancy was what finally broke what sanity she had left.
“I hope that you, wherever you are, are at peace now and that your soul is finally resting,” I told her thickly “I have found somebody who makes me happy and who I love with all my heart. She is the reason I look forward to each day and the reason that I find myself wanting to live. She’s pregnant, just like you were and I find myself fearful of the past, but it’s time to let it all go, Renae. It’s time for me to make my peace. For what it’s worth, I truly loved you. I will miss you” I whispered, beginning to stand “But this is my final goodbye” I added with finality.
I would not be visiting Renae’s grave again. She belonged in the back of my memory and Josie was my future. I heard a clapping sound behind me and turned my head, instinctively knowing who it was. I sighed. Of course, she would be here. It explained the fresh roses lying on the grave. I braced myself for the inevitable anger that was already protruding from her.
“Well done brother,” she said sarcastically “Beautiful speech you made just now, I must say. I have to admit, I was surprised to see you even bother to visit your ex- mate’s grave.”
Her tone was dripping with resentment. Her eyes were flashing with contempt. I struggled to remain calm.
“Sandra,” I said evenly, dipping my head “I’m not here to pick a fight,” I told her honestly.
She laughed, a bitter sound, her dress billowing in the wind. “Of course not” she sneered, her lip curling in derision “you’re here to say goodbye to Renae” she snarled “the mate you killed with your selfishness.”
I flinched from the pure venom in her voice. She had never forgiven me for her friend’s death and although I had tried to show my remorse for what happened, Sandra had always hated me from that day forward. She blamed me for what happened. Not once, had she ever considered that Renae was partly to blame as well.
“I made mistakes” I allowed, surprising Sandra who’s eyes widened “and I could have made different choices. I’m sorry that you lost your best friend Sandra” I said sincerely as she eyed me suspiciously “but that’s all in the past. Can’t you just find it in your heart to forgive me? I’m not sure how much more I can do to show you how awful I feel about it all.”
She glared. “You took the one good thing I had in my life, the sister I never had and you ruined her life until she couldn’t take it anymore. I will never, ever forgive you for that” she hissed.
“Renae is not innocent in all of this” I reminded her, annoyed by her continuing resentment of me “she made choices that resulted in people dying Sandra. She killed innocent people.”
“Because you wouldn’t listen” she screamed, her voice carrying across the wind “you never listened to her” she added as I stared at her “no matter how many times she begged and pleaded with you, it was like she was invisible. None of you cared one bit about her. You only cared about yourselves until she grew desperate enough to do something about it.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Did you know?” I asked quietly and she blinked, looking at me bewildered.
“Know what?” she said frostily.
“Know she was going to do something?” I asked suspiciously.
She looked at me with a smirk. “I had no idea, but even if I had, I wouldn’t have said anything. You didn’t deserve my loyalty, not with the way you were treating your chosen mate. I was the one she went to with her problems, I was the one whose shoulder she cried on” she sneered “you know nothing about Renae and what her life was really like, you son of a bitch.”
This was going nowhere. I ran a hand through my hair and glanced towards my car. Sandra continued to glower at me. I wondered, what her purpose was in coming here. What did she really want? Was it simply to visit Renae’s grave? It occurred to me that the anniversary of the day that Renae killed herself was coming up and I shivered. Had Sandra come back in memory of that day seven years ago? Why now? What had changed? She gave me a sadistic smile and I felt my chest tighten. Whatever her purpose was, it wasn’t good.
“Why did you come back, Sandra?” I asked shrewdly “why come back now, of all times?”
She giggled and flipped her hair, her mood changing as rapidly as Renae’s used to.
“Why brother, are you tired of me already?” she teased.
She was like a viper, conniving and manipulative. We had never been that close, not even growing up, but now the distance between us was vast, like a chasm that could never be crossed.
“Cut the crap Sandra” I growled, my wolf beginning to get irritated as well with her “just tell me straight. What the f**k are you doing back here?”
She hummed lightly under her breath. I waited, my arms folding across my chest. She seemed to be mulling over her answer, her facial expressions changing in rapid succession. It was almost fascinating to watch. I wondered if she was going to lie to me, or actually be daring enough to speak the truth.
Finally, she spoke, her voice filled with glee. “Well, I have to admit, that when I overheard that you had a new mate, I was filled with curiosity,” she said nonchalantly as I gritted my teeth “and I wondered if this woman knew about your past and how you had treated your poor, previous mate. I felt like it was my duty, to inform the poor girl about your past and Renae’s death so that she had all the facts at her disposal.”
“She already knows,” I said tightly “I told her everything.”
I thought that would have disappointed her, but if anything she just looked amused.
“I knew you would, but tell me Rohan, was it her idea that you come to the gravesite today? She seems to be a highly compassionate person, albeit a naive one” she gushed.
So what? She giggled some more “Oh Rohan” she trilled “isn’t it fantastic that being related, even if it’s not blood but still familial, you can’t use your alpha tone on me? Especially since we grew up together. I figure, since I’m here, why not get to know your precious mate, that’s taking Renae’s rightful place and who knows, discover for myself why she’s so misguided as to believe she’s in love with a bastard like you.”
“If you try and make trouble” I began to growl.
“You’ll what?” she interrupted smugly “hurt me? I’m sure that will make your mate even more wary of you,” she said as I realized she was right “besides Rohan” she tsked, shaking her head and looking at me spitefully “if this Josie woman loves you as much as you claim, then nothing should split the two of you apart, should it? Unless your bond is not as strong as it should be, in which case, that’s really not my problem, let alone my fault” she chirped and then turned and sashayed away, leaving me seething, my hands clenched tightly into fists, my eyes darkened as I glared at her back with hostility. She was going to try and get between Josie and I, and I was not about to let her, This time, things were going to be very different.