Chapter 325: Your Fault

​Rebecca’s POV

​"It’s your fault," I said again, louder this time.

​"Rebecca..." Mother tightened her arms around me, but I pushed myself away from her.

​"Rebecca, wait. You shouldn’t be standing."

​I didn’t listen. I moved to the edge of the bed and forced myself onto my feet. Pain immediately pulled through my lower stomach, and my knees almost gave out, but I grabbed the bed for support.

​"Rebecca, please," Mother said, reaching for me again.

​Kaden took a step forward when he saw me struggling, his hand lifting instinctively.

​I slowly made my way toward him. Every step hurt, but I didn’t care. By the time I reached him, my whole body was shaking, and I couldn’t even tell anymore whether it was from weakness, grief, or anger.

​I looked up at him.

​"Are you satisfied now?"

​Kaden’s lips parted, but nothing came out.

​"Rebecca..."

​"Are you?" I shouted.

​"Please." His voice broke. He shook his head quickly as fresh tears rolled down his face. "God, no. Rebecca, I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry."

​My hand moved before I even thought about it.

​I slapped him.

​The sound filled the room.

​Kaden’s head turned to the side, and everyone went quiet. He didn’t touch his cheek. He didn’t look angry. He didn’t even try to stop me when I hit his chest next.

​"It’s your fault!" I screamed, hitting him again. "It’s your fucking fault!"

​Kaden took every hit without moving.

​"If you hadn’t been fighting with Callum, I wouldn’t have rushed down those stairs!" I hit his chest again, but there was barely any strength behind it now.

​"I’m sorry."

​His words only made me cry harder.

​"Sorry!" I shouted. "You’ve destroyed my life."

​The words had come from somewhere deep inside me, from a place filled with months of pain I thought I had started putting behind me.

​"You hurt me, then you were sorry. You accused me, then you were sorry. You put that choker around my neck, then you were sorry. You hid the truth from me because you were afraid I would leave, and then you were sorry." My voice cracked as I stared at him. "And now my baby is gone, and you’re standing here telling me you’re sorry again."

​Kaden lowered his head.

​"I’m tired of your apologies."

​I grabbed the front of his shirt. "You don’t know what this feels like!"

​His eyes came back to mine.

​"You’re right," he whispered. "I don’t know what it feels like for you."

​For some reason, that answer hurt even more than if he had argued with me.

​"But I lost a child too, Rebecca."

​I froze.

​Kaden’s lips trembled as he struggled to continue.

​"I know you don’t want to hear that from me right now. And I’m not asking you to feel sorry for me." He swallowed hard. "But I wanted that baby too. I loved our child too."

​"Stop talking!"

​I shoved him away from me, and Kaden immediately stepped back.

​"This is it."

​Kaden stared at me.

​"This is the end."

​His expression changed immediately. "Rebecca..."

​"Whatever was left between us is gone." I wiped my tears angrily, but they kept coming. "I don’t want this anymore. I don’t want you. I don’t want this bond."

​Fear appeared in his eyes.

​"I want you to reject me."

​"No."

​"Reject me, Kaden."

​"No." He shook his head. "Rebecca, please. You’re grieving. You’re hurt. Please don’t make this decision right now."

​"I already made this decision!"

​I grabbed his shirt again and pulled him toward me.

​"Reject me!"

​"Rebecca..."

​"Say the words!"

​"I can’t."

​"Why?" I screamed. "Why can’t you just give me one thing I ask for? Haven’t you ruined my life enough?"

​Kaden closed his eyes.

​"What else do you want from me?" I cried. "You took my freedom. You took months of my life. And now I’ve lost my baby because you couldn’t control your jealousy for five fucking minutes!"

​"Rebecca..."

​"What else do I have to lose before you finally let me go?" My voice cracked.

​"Do I have to die too?"

​Kaden’s eyes flew open.

​"Would that finally be enough?"

​"Don’t say that," he pleaded.

​"Then reject me!"

​Mother finally came between us, taking hold of my arms.

​"Rebecca, enough. Please."

​"No, Mother!"

​"Your body is weak. You’re still bleeding. You need to lie down."

​"I don’t care!"

​I tried to pull away from her, but my legs were beginning to shake badly.

​"I want him to reject me. I don’t want to feel him anymore. I don’t want to wake up and feel him through this bond. I don’t want Laura calling for him. I don’t want any part of him inside my head!"

​"Lady Rebecca."

​I turned toward the healer.

​She had moved closer to us.

​"You cannot go through a rejection right now."

​"I don’t care."

​"I’m serious. Your body has just gone through a serious loss. You’ve lost blood, your wolf is grieving, and you’re physically weak. A rejection would put even more pressure on your body."

​"Then let it hurt."

​"Rebecca," Mother whispered.

​"I don’t care how much it hurts!" I cried. "I would rather go through the pain once than spend the rest of my life tied to him!"

​The healer shook her head. "I’m not talking about ordinary pain. Your body may not be able to handle it right now."

​For a moment, I just stared at her. Then I stepped backward, but my knees suddenly weakened. Mother caught me around the waist before I could fall.

​"Easy."

​I held onto her arm, breathing hard.

​"I want him gone."

​The room went quiet.

​Kaden looked at me for a long time. Tears were still on his face, but he didn’t wipe them away.

​Part of me knew this was hurting him too. Somewhere beneath all my anger, I knew he had just lost his child. I knew that when he came here this morning, he had come because he was worried about me. I knew he hadn’t pushed me down those stairs.

​But grief wasn’t interested in being fair.

​All I could feel when I looked at him was hate and anger.

​"Get out," I whispered.

​"Rebecca..."

​"Get out."

​He didn’t move.

​"Please, Alpha Kaden," Mother said quietly. "Leave. She needs rest."

​Kaden’s eyes remained on me.

​"I’m sorry," he whispered.

​That word again.

​Sorry.

​I couldn’t take it anymore.

​"Get out!" I screamed.

​Kaden flinched. Then, finally, he nodded.

​He looked at me one last time before turning away.

​I watched him walk down the hallway until I couldn’t see him anymore, then my legs gave out.

​Mother caught me and lowered me to the floor before I could hurt myself.

​"Rebecca."

​I buried my face against her chest and cried.

​When I first found out I was pregnant, I hadn’t wanted it. I had been scared. My first thought had been to hide it from Kaden because I was terrified he would keep me just because I was carrying his heir. I had worried about losing my freedom. I had worried about running. I had worried about everything except becoming a mother.

​But somewhere along the way, that had changed.

​I had started touching my stomach without even realizing I was doing it. I had started wondering whether my baby would have my eyes or Kaden’s. I had wondered whether he would inherit Kaden’s black hair, my powers, or perhaps something neither of us expected. I had imagined holding him for the first time.

​I had even started worrying about stupid things.

​Would I know how to hold him properly?

​Would he cry all night?

​Would Laura become ridiculously protective of him?

​Would Kaden spoil him?

​There had been so much time to find out.

​At least, I thought there had been.

​Now there wasn’t.

​My hand moved to my stomach again.

​It felt exactly the same beneath my palm.

​And somehow, that made everything worse.

​"He’s really gone," I whispered.

​Mother’s arms tightened around me.

​Before she could answer, hurried footsteps came from the hallway.

​"Rebecca!"

​My head lifted immediately.

​Stephanie.

​She appeared in the doorway, breathing hard as though she had run all the way there. Her eyes moved around the room before finally landing on me.

​She stopped.

​I watched the color leave her face.

​"Rebecca..."

​I didn’t know why seeing her broke me all over again.

​Maybe because Stephanie had been there when I first realized I might be pregnant.

​She had been the person I trusted with the secret.

​She had known my fear before anyone else.

​And now she was here for the end of it too.

​I pulled away from Mother and reached toward her.

​"Stephanie..."

​She rushed across the room and dropped to her knees in front of me. I threw my arms around her neck before she could say anything, and she immediately wrapped both arms around me.

​I held onto her as tightly as I could.

​For a few seconds, I tried to speak, but nothing came out except another sob.

​Stephanie rubbed my back. "I’m here."

​I squeezed my eyes shut.

​Then I finally forced the words out.

​"Stephanie..." My voice broke. "My baby is gone."