Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 216

Especially during such a festive time.

Why were they a happy family of three, while her mother... Oh, wait. It was actually a family of four.

Sienna was probably off on a date with Dante right now, wasn’t she?

They had ruined her mother’s life so completely, destroyed everything she had, and yet their own family of four was thriving. Laughing. Celebrating.

It was laughable.

Xavier squeezed Elodie’s hand tighter but didn’t say anything.

He’d known for a long time that their family was different from others.

For them, New Year’s wasn’t a time of joy. It was a time of pain.

Because going to the nursing home to visit their aunt was painful. But not going was just as painful.

Every visit brought their past into agonizing focus. It made it harder to find peace. Letting go hurt. But not letting go hurt just as much.

Their family’s life had always been... okay. Not too good. Not too bad.

But then that woman’s daughter had reappeared after all these years and taken her ex-husband away. And now they’d all moved to the capital, just to add more weight to the burden they were already carrying.

Hugo noticed the change in Elodie and Xavier’s expressions.

He excused himself from his friends and jogged back over.

"Sister, what’s wrong?"

Before Elodie could answer, Xavier glanced in Logan’s direction and said quietly, "Those people talking to Harry are from the Brown family."

Hugo’s face went stiff. His jaw tightened.

He didn’t say anything. Just stood there, his fists clenched at his sides.

——————-

Harry and Logan had already exchanged pleasantries. When Harry finally turned around, he noticed that Elodie and Xavier were gone.

—————

The Miller family didn’t have a habit of staying up late.

By the time Elodie and Xavier got home, Old Lady Miller and Helen were already asleep.

Elodie went upstairs to her room. It was just past midnight now.

Her phone buzzed repeatedly.

New Year’s messages were flooding in.

Johnny. Harry. A few colleagues from Cole. Even Reed Hardin and some other business acquaintances.

Elodie read through them one by one, replying to each with a polite, and yet brief message.

She replied to Harry’s too. Then she took the initiative to send New Year’s greetings to Professor Nolan and Cara.

A moment later, Reed sent another message.

[Do you have time in the next few days? I didn’t get a chance to properly thank you for your help last time because of work. But I’m free now. I’d like to invite you to dinner.]

Elodie stared at the message for a moment, then typed back a polite response.

After chatting with Reed Hardin for a few more minutes, she set her phone down and headed into the bathroom to take a shower.

The hot water felt good against her skin. She stood there for a long time, letting it wash over her, trying to let the tension drain away.

But it didn’t.

Because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop seeing Logan. Janice. Landon. Smiling. Laughing together.

While her mother lay in a nursing home, barely aware of where she was anymore.

Elodie closed her eyes and let the water run down her face.

She didn’t cry. She was too tired to cry.

_____________

Visiting Sally at the nursing home was a painful experience for the Miller family.

Especially during the New Year.

But on such an important day, they could hardly avoid it.

Every year on the first day of the New Year, Elodie and Old Lady Miller would prepare a feast for Sally and bring it to the nursing home. Dishes she used to love. Recipes passed down through the family.

This year was no different.

So early on New Year’s Day, Elodie woke up.

When she came downstairs, Old Lady Miller, Helen, and Xavier were already up, moving quietly around the kitchen.

The moment Old Lady Miller saw her, she walked over with a small red envelope in her hand. Helen did the same.

Old Lady Miller gently touched Elodie’s cheek, her expression soft and full of warmth.

"In the new year," she said with a kind smile, "may our Elodie be smooth and successful in everything."

Elodie smiled back, her chest tight. "Thank you, Grandma."

After a simple breakfast, Elodie and Helen went into the kitchen to start preparing the ingredients.

Old Lady Miller and Xavier were both decent cooks, but when it came to cooking for Sally, they could only assist. Because Sally could taste their food. And if she did, it could easily trigger her and send her spiraling.

So in the early years, this task had been handled mainly by Helen.

Later, when Elodie learned to cook, she started helping. They divided the work between them.

Elodie had wanted to learn to cook for Sally when she was very young. But Old Lady Miller had stopped her.

She didn’t want Elodie to take on that burden so early. Didn’t want her childhood weighed down by the past.

Elodie’s childhood had already been hard enough.

Old Lady Miller had hoped desperately that she could have at least a few more years of peace. Of joy. Without being constantly affected by what had happened to her mother.

——————

Two hours later, the table was covered in beautifully prepared dishes.

Xavier and Hugo helped pack everything carefully into containers, making sure nothing spilled.

Along with the food, they’d prepared New Year’s red envelopes and small gifts for the doctors and nurses who took care of Sally.

The Miller family of six set off for the nursing home.

———————

Sally still looked the same.

Thin and frail. Her eyes were vacant, staring at nothing.

Elodie and the others stood in a corner of the room where Sally couldn’t see them, watching quietly.

The doctors brought in the gifts first. Flowers. A small stuffed animal. A red envelope from Old Lady Miller.

Sally barely glanced at them.

The nurse gently placed the red envelope in her hands, but Sally let it drop to the floor without a second thought.

Then the food was brought in.

A full table of dishes, that was beautifully arranged, still warm, filled with the scents of home.

But Sally didn’t react.

She didn’t seem to have any appetite. The nurse had to coax her, putting small portions into her bowl, guiding the spoon to her mouth.

Sally took a few bites. Mechanically. Like she didn’t even taste it.

Before she could try all the dishes, she lost interest. She set the spoon down and withdrew into herself again, staring blankly at the wall. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The nurse sighed quietly and took the food away.

————————

Elodie’s eyes had turned red a long time ago.

But she didn’t let it show. She didn’t let the tears fall.

She was afraid of affecting everyone else’s mood.

But the truth was, Old Lady Miller and the others felt the same.

They just hid it better.

After staying at the nursing home for almost half an hour, they finally left.

It was close to noon now.

The sun was bright. The streets were filled with people celebrating. Laughter echoed from nearby houses.

But inside the car, no one spoke.

They just sat in silence, staring out the windows, each lost in their own thoughts.

Elodie pressed her forehead against the cool glass and closed her eyes.

This was always the hardest part.

Not the visit itself. But the leaving.

Because every time they left, it felt like they were abandoning her all over again.

_____________

They didn’t feel like cooking lunch at home.

Honestly, no one really felt like eating at all.

But food had to be eaten. Life had to go on.

Elodie broke the silence first. "Let’s eat outside."

Old Lady Miller nodded quietly. "Alright. You pick the place, Elodie."

---

At the restaurant, after they parked and got out of the car, they saw the Brown and Green families.

They were also there to eat.

Just as they arrived, someone, a middle-aged man in an expensive suit, recognized Sienna and Logan. He approached them enthusiastically, smiling wide, clearly hoping to score an invitation to join them for lunch.

The Brown and Green families noticed the Miller family at the same time.

Old Lady Green sneered openly, her lips curling in disdain.

Janice glanced at them once, then looked away like they were beneath her notice.

Sienna did the same. She didn’t even acknowledge their existence.

At that moment, the restaurant manager came rushing out, practically tripping over himself to greet Sienna.

"Miss Brown," he said, bowing slightly, "the private room that Mr. Bellini always reserves has been prepared for you. Please, follow me."

Sienna nodded gracefully. She didn’t spare a glance for the Miller family.

She turned to the man who’d been trying to join them. "I’m sorry, Mr. Liam. Today is a family gathering. Let’s have a meal another time."

Mr. Liam immediately backpedaled, nodding quickly. "Of course, of course. I won’t disturb you, Miss Brown. Enjoy your time."

Sienna didn’t look at him again. She just followed the manager inside, her family trailing behind her like an entourage.

---

Elodie hadn’t expected to run into them.

She held Old Lady Miller’s hand a little tighter, hesitating for just a moment.

Old Lady Miller patted her hand gently. "Let’s go in."

Elodie nodded. "Okay."

They stepped toward the entrance.

But before they could get inside, a staff member appeared in front of them, blocking their path.

"I’m sorry," the staff member said stiffly, not quite meeting their eyes. "Our restaurant’s private rooms have all been reserved, and there are no available seats. Please leave."

Elodie had been to this restaurant before.

It was rare for them to have *no* available seats. Especially on a weekday like this.

So...

Elodie’s jaw tightened.

She immediately suspected the Brown and Green families were behind this.

It wasn’t just her. Xavier and Old Lady Miller had clearly come to the same conclusion.

"Miss Miller."

Elodie turned around.

Standing a few feet away was Jimmy Hall.

She nodded politely. "Mr. Hall."

Jimmy glanced at the increasingly uneasy staff member, then back at Elodie.

"What happened?" he asked. "Why aren’t you going in?"

Elodie’s tone was calm. Light. Like it didn’t bother her at all.

"The staff said all the private rooms are reserved. They asked us to leave."

Jimmy’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes sharpened.

He looked directly at the staff member. "Oh? Is that so?"

The staff member paled.

They clearly recognized Jimmy. More importantly, they knew that Jordan Hall, Jimmy’s father, was currently dining in their restaurant.

Seeing that Jimmy was ready to speak up for Elodie, the restaurant manager came rushing out again, his face flushed.

"We’ve just received word," he said quickly, practically stumbling over his words, "that one of the reserved tables will no longer be coming. A private room has opened up. Please, come in."

Elodie didn’t move.

She looked at Old Lady Miller instead.

Old Lady Miller’s voice was quiet. "Let’s go to another restaurant."

Elodie nodded. "Okay."

She turned back to Jimmy and gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Mr. Hall."

Jimmy shook his head. "No need to thank me."

He paused, then greeted Old Lady Miller and the others politely.

The Miller family turned and left.

The staff and manager stood there, watching them go, unsure whether to feel relieved or ashamed.

Jimmy stayed a moment longer, his gaze lingering on the restaurant entrance.

Then he turned and walked back inside, his expression unreadable.