Chapter 173: Abandoned Hopes
Nova's POV
As I stood there, my hands tucked nervously in the pockets of my coat, I found my gaze constantly drifting back towards the Packhouse.
It was as if a part of me was desperately waiting for something - or someone to emerge from those familiar doors.
I knew it was a foolish hope, one that I should have long since abandoned. Drystan had made it painfully clear that we had no future together, that our bond as mates couldn't also change that. Yet, a stubborn part of me clung to the wish that he would come rushing out to beg me to stay.
Mentally, I scolded myself for this lingering, foolish hope. I had already made the difficult decision to leave, to forge a new path for myself, away from the pain and rejection that had become my reality here. Why was I still torturing myself, hoping against all logic that Drystan would change his mind?
With a renewed determination, I forced my gaze away from the Packhouse, focusing solely on the driveway where the car that would whisk me away from this place would soon appear.
I couldn't afford to be foolish to cling to the false hope that Drystan would somehow change his mind and come running to stop me. I had to move forward, to find the courage to embrace the unknown that lay ahead.
I'm still just twenty-three years old; there is plenty of time for me to search for my second chance, mate. Once I found him, I will no longer have to think of this again.
I let out a shaky breath when I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. Looking straight back to the Packhouse, I saw a familiar figure standing and looking at me.
My eyes widened when I recognized Drystan, who looked at me with desperation in my eyes.
My heart pounded inside my chest. Did he come here to stop me? If he did, then I will no longer leave.
If he asks me to stay and if he takes back everything that he said, then I'll willingly forgive him and be glad to become his mate again.
If he regrets everything, then I'll give him another chance. I know he was just scared and surprised to find out that I was his mate. I hope that this time, he already realized that I and I still have hope and that we can make this work together.
I stepped back when a car suddenly stopped in front of me. It was the car that I had been waiting for, which was supposed to take me away from here.
However, instead of getting inside the car just as I had initially planned, I left the bags and the luggage I packed and went past the car to see Drystan again.
With renewed hope, I looked back inside the Packhouse, wanting to approach him this time. However, my smile faltered when I didn't see him. Drystan suddenly disappeared.
Where did he go?
I blinked as I searched around the doorway with my eyes. I swear I saw him standing there; we even locked our gazes on each other. "Did I see it wrong?"
"Miss, are we still leaving?" I jumped in surprise when the driver talked behind my back, startling me.
Straightening myself, I slowly nodded my head. "Yes, we are going," I answered him.
I turned around again, hoping to see Drystan this time, but there was no one inside the Packhouse.
I scoffed as I felt angry with myself. It turns out my mind was just playing tricks with me. Why would Drystan even come here? I was so desperate to see Drystan that my mind played tricks on me.
Drystan never came, confirming what I had always feared - he truly didn't care for me. He was just fulfilling a promise that he made to his sister by taking care of me.
If he had truly cared, he would have
come even to just ask questions. He didn't have to come here to stop me, to apologize or to take back his words. He could have just come because no matter what, we still had
been friends, and we'd been together
гор
years.
I know Drystan must have heard by now that I was leaving. Astrid is always by his side, and there is no way she wouldn't have mentioned that I'm leaving.
Yet he never appeared to just bid me farewell.
The realization cut me like a knife, twisting in my gut and igniting a blaze of rage that threatened to consume me. All this time, I had clung to the foolish belief that
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maybe, just maybe, there was a part
of him that still cared.
But now, faced with his utter indifference, I could no longer delude myself.
It was all for my sister, and he took care of me. He had also made his choice, and it was clear that I, his supposed mate, meant nothing to him. He had chosen Astrid over me.
I clenched my fists, my nails biting
into the soft flesh of my palms. I
swear I'm not coming back here again until I find my second chance, mate, don't need him. I don't need to rely on anyone. He no longer has to be bound by the promise he made tomy sister.
With a heavy heart, I settled into the car seat, my eyes fixed resolutely on the road after all my things were placed inside the car.
As the car engine rumbled, I wondered what happiness and fulfilment would await me out there