Page 65 of Abandoned By My Alpha Husband

He nodded and sat down next to me. He picked up the burger and took a huge bite, cheeks bulging. I watched him eat, my heart sour and swollen.

Liam suddenly put down the burger and turned to look at me. Those gray eyes were full of hope.

"Can I... can I come with you?"

"I won't be a bother!" When I didn't answer, his tone grew urgent. His hands pressed on his knees, his body tensing. "I can help. I'll go to school. I'll take care of Anya—"

"Can I?" His voice was soft, carefully seeking confirmation. "Can I come with you? I'll be good."

My heart broke a little. Why did my son have to bargain like this for his own mother to take him away?

But I couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Liam."

His eyes dimmed instantly.

"Then..." He bit his lower lip. "What about him?"

I fell silent.

Anya didn't speak. She looked at me and kept drinking her soda. She was a smart, precocious little girl. She felt the tension.

My fingers clenched my skirt.

Lucifer.

The man who threw me out. The man who denied me in front of everyone. The man who let our bond break, who left me kneeling in the rain begging him to believe me, then walked away.

Five years.

For five years, I'd tried to forget all of it. Forget the pain, the humiliation, the despair. I'd built a new life in Silverthread Kingdom, found my value, and learned to be independent.

But now, when Liam asked "what about him," I suddenly realized—I'd never really forgotten.

Those scars were still there. Never healed.

"Liam," I said softly. "Your father and I... we're separated."

Liam's expression darkened.

"So you won't go back?"

"I..." I took a deep breath. "I have my own life now. I have Anya, the shop. I can't—"

"I get it." He cut me off, voice flat, but I heard the disappointment underneath. "You don't want to go back. Because His Majesty hurt you."

I said nothing.

"He never cared about me." Liam's voice started shaking. "He only knows work, dealing with those elders. I get bullied at school—he doesn't know. I fight—he just yells at me. I want him to have dinner with me—he says he's busy."

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"But Lina said you and those people hurt me together. I didn't believe it. I never believed it. I checked. I know you were framed. I know you saved me."

"Liam..."

"So can you take me with you?" He grabbed my hand. "Please. I don't want to stay there anymore."