After I left Alpha father and son went crazy with regret

Cole.

In his hands, he held a bouquet of white moonflowers, their petals glowing softly in the golden sunset.

Behind him, Abby, dressed in a crisp white dress, smiled and waved at Nora.

"Auntie Nora, we've come to pick you up."

Their appearance drew the attention of countless people.

But Cole's gaze was locked on only one person.

He walked toward Nora without hesitation. Then, with a small, knowing smile, he held out the flowers.

"Welcome home, Nora," he said quietly.

Nora took the flowers from Cole, her fingers brushing against his for the briefest moment. The scent of moonflowers wrapped around her, soft and delicate, carrying with it the feeling of something new.

A slow, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips, and for the first time in a long while, her eyes softened...no longer guarded, no longer carrying the weight of the past.

She had spent years building herself back up, layer by layer, learning how to exist without the pain that had once defined her.

Now, standing here with Cole, Abby tugging at her sleeve, she felt something she hadn't dared to hope for.

She felt like she had a place to return to.

Alex, who had been standing quietly, suddenly shifted on his feet. His hands clenched at the hem of his shirt, and after a moment of hesitation, he lifted his head to look at his mother.

His voice was uncertain.

"Is he your current... mate?"

The question hung in the air.

Nora glanced at Cole, who remained silent, his expression calm, waiting for her to answer on her own terms. She turned back to Alex and, with a gentle honesty, replied, "Not yet, but probably... soon."

Alex lowered his gaze, processing the words. His mother's answer wasn't forced or hesitant...it was simple, truthful. That alone reassured him.

Then, with a deep breath, he looked at Cole again and asked, "Can I call you Uncle?"

Cole's lips curled into a warm smile. He crouched down, bringing himself to Alex's eye level, his tone both playful and sincere.

"I'd be honored if you would."

Off to the side, Abby, who had been waiting with bubbling excitement, grabbed Nora's hand and started bouncing on her feet.

"Great!" she cheered, her voice filled with unfiltered joy. "I finally have an aunt!"

Her happiness was infectious, and in that moment, the invisible wall that had existed between Alex and Abby...the quiet hesitation of two children who had been uncertain of where they fit... It was simply dissolved.

Alex's shoulders, once tense, eased slightly, and he glanced at Abby with something closer to acceptance.

For the first time in a long while,

Nora let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. And

for the first time in an

longene

time, she smiled...not a polite one, not one of obligation or reassurance, but one that came from deep within her. S

She had spent years surviving. Now, she was living.

...

A short distance away, Arnold stood alone, his hands buried in his coat pockets.

He didn't move. He didn't call out to her. He simply watched as Nora left with them.

She never once looked back.

Charles approached quietly,

stopping beside him. His eyesnoveldrama

followed the same path, watching as

the figures of Nora and her new

companions walked away... There

was a strange weight in his

expression, a quiet regret mixed with newfound admiration.

"I didn't realize she was hiding so deeply," Charles admitted, his voice carrying something between respect and disbelief. "We've underestimated her all along." Arnold didn't respond immediately. His face remained unreadable, but his gaze was unwavering.

Charles studied him for a moment before speaking again, his voice lower now. "You still can't let her go, can you?"

Arnold's lips pressed together, his usual stoicism cracking just enough for something real to slip through.

When he finally spoke, his words were stripped of pretense.

"Let go," he echoed. "Yes." He inhaled deeply, the night air cooling the warmth in his chest. "But

I won't stop loving her."

Charles didn't say anything. He simply listened.

Arnold's eyes remained fixed on Nora's distant silhouette, his voice turning softer, almost wistful.

"If one day... she's not happy anymore," he murmured, "I'll still stand my ground." His fingers curled slightly in his pockets. "But for now, she deserves better."

Behind them, Alex had turned his head slightly, watching his father with a quiet expression. He didn't speak right away, as if weighing his own emotions carefully. Then, after a moment, he whispered, "I want Mom to be happy all the time." Arnold glanced down at him, his heart clenching at the innocence in his son's voice. He reached out, resting a hand on Alex's head in a display of tenderness. "Let's wish her well together," he said.

And so they did.

Ahead, Nora, Cole, and Abby walked side by side, their figures illuminated by the silver glow of the moon. Their laughter light and

unburdened...drifted into the night, weaving into the quiet hum of the city.

The stars above shimmered like scattered diamonds, distant yet eternal, bearing witness to the ending of one story and the quiet beginning of another.

The past was behind her now. The scars, the regrets, the years of trying and failing and breaking...none of it had disappeared, but it no longer defined her. Because for the first time, the future belonged entirely to her. And she was walking toward it on her own terms.