Chapter 90: You Don’t Deserve to See Her
Chapter 90: You Don’t Deserve to See Her
(Ethan’s POV)
“I want to see Lily!” I demanded, my amber eyes fixed intensely on Olivia.
My voice carried the unmistakable authority of an Alpha King–I wasn’t asking, but stating my intent. The command reverberated through the small confines of her cottage at Maple Grove,
my Alpha aura filling the space.
Olivia’s slender frame went rigid. Her emerald eyes, once soft with love, hardened into glittering stones as she stared back at me.
“Ethan Stone, how dare you ask to see Lily?” Her voice was ice, each word precisely delivered
like the strike of a blade.
I took a step forward, confused by her vehemence. “She’s my daughter too, Olivia.”
“Your daughter?” Olivia laughed, a hollow sound devoid of humor. “The same daughter you neglected for years? The same daughter whose birthday you missed to attend Emma’s school
event?”
Her words stung, but I pressed on. “I have the right-”
“You have no rights!” she snapped, her voice rising. “You forfeited any rights to Lily when you
chose Victoria and Emma over us time and again.”
I felt my patience wearing thin. “This isn’t about the past. I want to see my daughter now.”
Olivia’s face contorted with an emotion I couldn’t quite place–rage mixed with something
deeper, more painful.
“You don’t deserve to see her,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Not after everything you’ve
done.”
I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. Why was she being so difficult? Why couldn’t she understand that I needed to make things right with Lily?
“Olivia, I’m trying to fix things. I’ve seen the security footage from the Moonlit Reflection Pool
incident.”
Her eyes widened slightly, the first c***k in her icy composure.
“I know now that Lily didn’t push Emma,” I continued, my voice softening. “I was wrong to
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<Chapter 90 You Don’t Deserv….
blame her without investigating properly.”
+15 Points
Olivia’s breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she processed my words.
“I want to apologize to her,” I explained, taking another cautious step forward. “I’ll make it up to her–whatever she wants. A trip to that amusement park she always talked about, new toys,
anything.”
I expected relief, perhaps even gratitude that I was finally acknowledging my mistake. Instead,
Olivia’s face drained of color, her expression morphing into one of absolute horror.
“Make it up to her?” she repeated, her voice barely audible. “With toys and trips?”
Her mind seemed to drift somewhere else, her eyes unfocused as if seeing a different time, a
different place.
“Do you remember that day, Ethan?” she asked suddenly, her voice hollow. “The day after the
pool incident?”
I frowned, trying to recall. “What about it?”
“Lily was standing alone by the Moonlit Reflection Pool,” Olivia said, her voice distant. “She
was burning with fever, tears streaming down her face after you punished her.”
The memory came back to me in fragments–Lily’s small form shivering despite the warm
day, her face flushed with fever as she stood where I had ordered her to remain as
punishment.
“She kept saying she was innocent,” Olivia continued, her voice growing stronger with each word. “She begged you to believe her, but you walked away to comfort Emma instead.”
Shame washed over me as I recalled my coldness that day. I had been so convinced of Lily’s guilt, so determined to show her that actions had consequences.
“I didn’t know she was sick,” I said weakly.
“You didn’t care enough to notice!” Olivia’s voice cracked with emotion. “And now you think you can make it all better with apologies and gifts? What good are your apologies now,
Ethan?”
Her words hung in the air between us, heavy with accusation. I struggled to find a response
that wouldn’t sound hollow or self–serving.
“I’m trying to make things right,” I finally said. “Isn’t that what matters?”
Olivia’s laugh was bitter. “Make things right? You can’t make this right, Ethan. It’s too late for
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< Chapter 90: You Don’t Deserv…
that.”
+15 Points>
I felt my frustration mounting. Why couldn’t she see that I was trying? That I wanted to be a
better father to Lily?
“What do you want from me, Olivia?” I demanded. “I’ve admitted I was wrong. I want to
apologize to Lily personally. What more can I do?”
Her emerald eyes locked with mine, burning with an intensity that made me take a step back.
“What about Emma?” she asked, her voice dangerously quiet. “What happens to her now that
you know the truth?”
I blinked, caught off guard by the question. “This is between me and Lily. Emma doesn’t need
to be involved.”
“Doesn’t need to be involved?” Olivia’s voice rose incredulously. “She lied about being pushed!
She let Lily take the blame and punishment!”
I shook my head, defensive instincts kicking in. “She’s just a child, Olivia. Children lie
sometimes. They make mistakes.”
“And Lily? Wasn’t she just a child too?” Olivia’s eyes flashed dangerously. “A child you
punished without hearing her side. A child you left standing in the sun with a fever while you
comforted her bully.”
I felt my temper rising, my Alpha aura flaring in response to her challenge. “What do you want
me to do? Punish Emma now? Would that satisfy you?”
“I want justice for Lily,” Olivia insisted, standing her ground despite my intimidating presence.
“I want Victoria and Emma to acknowledge what they did.”
My patience snapped. “This is ridiculous. Emma made a childish mistake years ago. Victoria
had nothing to do with it.”
“Victoria has everything to do with it!” Olivia shouted, her composure finally breaking. “She’s been poisoning you against Lily and me from the beginning!”
I felt my Alpha aura expanding, filling the small cottage with my anger and frustration. The windows rattled slightly, and I saw Olivia flinch despite her defiance.
“Enough!” I growled, my voice deepening with the influence of my wolf. “I came here to make peace, not to listen to your accusations against Victoria and Emma.”
Olivia didn’t back down, her own anger matching mine. “Of course you defend them. Even now,
when you know the truth, you shield Emma while Lily suffered your harsh punishment.”
< Chapter 90 You Don’t Deserv
“What do you want from me?” I demanded again, my voice echoing off the walls.
+15 Points >
“I told you–justice for Lily,” Olivia repeated, her voice steady despite the tears gathering in her eyes. “Victoria and Emma should acknowledge what they did. They should face consequences just as Lily did.”
I felt my control slipping, my wolf pushing against the surface of my skin, demanding release. “So you won’t be satisfied until Emma suffers the same as Lily? Is that it?”
(Olivia’s POV)
“Shouldn’t she?” I retorted, my voice sharp with years of pent–up resentment.
I could feel my body trembling with the force of my emotions, my emerald eyes burning with unshed tears. The injustice of it all–Lily’s suffering, Emma’s immunity from consequences,
Victoria’s manipulations–threatened to overwhelm me.
“Victoria Frost and Emma should beg for Lily’s forgiveness,” I declared, my voice breaking slightly on my daughter’s name. “They should kneel before her and admit what they did.”
Ethan’s face contorted with rage, his amber eyes glowing with the intensity of his wolf. The air around us grew heavy with his Alpha power, pressing down on me like a physical weight.
“You’re being unreasonable,” he growled, his voice barely human. “Emma is a child. She made
a mistake. It doesn’t warrant this level of vengeance.”
“Vengeance?” I echoed incredulously. “Is that what you think this is? I’m not asking for
vengeance, Ethan. I’m asking for accountability.”
He shook his head dismissively, already turning away from me. “This conversation is
pointless. You’re too blinded by your hatred for Victoria and Emma to be rational.”
The accusation stung, but I refused to back down. “And you’re too blinded by your infatuation
with them to see how they’ve manipulated you.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking visibly as he fought to control his temper. “I’m done
with this discussion. I came here to see Lily, and I will see her–with or without your
permission.”
He stormed toward the door of Maple Grove, his broad shoulders rigid with anger.
