Chapter 139: Angel Cries

April

While we were on the boat speeding through the cold night air back toward the district port, Angel had been unusually quiet since the second we stepped inside. Dead silent, her eyes staring directly at the open sea as the spray of water splashed against the hull.

I sat down right close to her on the bench. I was under the clear impression that maybe she was having a bad episode of PTSD from the memory of her mother’s death.

I reached out and held her hand tightly. Angel slowly looked down at our joined hands, then looked back out at the dark, vast sea.

"I had no idea back then..." she muttered softly, her voice barely carrying over the hum of the boat’s engine.

"Huh?" I leaned in a little closer to hear her properly.

"I just wanted to go to that competition so badly," she began, her breathing turning heavy as the words spilled out. "And my mom told me that I shouldn’t leave the house that day. But I felt like I hadn’t done anything for myself in so long, and I told her that I had to go no matter what. Before I entered the car, she ran all the way out of the house and shouted, If you leave the mansion right now, you will never see me again. She had always said ridiculous things like that to me before, but that day, I was completely determined to go. So I went to the coast and returned later that evening... and she was lying dead in the pool."

Angel’s voice trembled violently as her grip on my fingers tightened.

"My mother left me all alone in this world..."

As Angel talked, her sharp eyes began to fill with tears that overflowed down her cheeks.

Angel looked directly at me. She was really crying, dropping every single guard she usually kept up.

"I only wanted one single day for myself, just to do the things I actually loved doing," she sobbed, her shoulders shaking with raw pain. "But then she died right after. I miss my mommy so much, April. I would do absolutely anything to rewind that very day and just stay by her side forever..."

Angel leaned over and began to cry loudly right against my shoulder, burying her face into the crook of my neck.

The other girls sitting on the boat could only watch the Alpha breakdown in total silence, respecting her grief without saying a word.

"I just want my mommy..." she wept into my shirt.

No matter how hard I tried to search my brain to find the right words of comfort, I was completely out of them. I honestly didn’t know what it felt like to lose a loving parent in such a terrible way. I didn’t know the full weight of what Angel felt when she lost the only person in her family she truly cared about.

I just stayed completely silent and let her cry her heart out against my shoulder, wrapping my arms around her waist to give her all the warm comfort she desperately needed right now.

Finally, after what felt like a long time, when Angel calmed down and her breathing evened out, she relaxed her head on my lap and closed her swollen eyes until our boat finally arrived at the district port.

While we were all busy unpacking our luggage onto the dock, Angel turned around and looked at me with a serious expression.

"I have something important to tell you, April..."

"What do you want to tell me?" I asked, pausing as I set my bag down on the floor.

"I am no longer a Morningstar," she stated firmly, her voice clear and completely steady. "I have officially cut all ties with my Alpha mother and whatever legacy she has built over her life. I am fully ready to leave this district and that mansion behind for good. I want to start all over from scratch. I really want to show that woman that I can become somebody great without her money or her influence."

She paused for a second, looking into my eyes to gauge my reaction.

"I don’t know if you actually want to come along with me on this journey. It’s completely your choice to make. I’m definitely not going to force you into anything."

I didn’t even hesitate for a split second. I stepped forward and immediately hugged her with all my strength, resting my head flat against her warm chest.

"You are the only person that actually matters to me in this world, Angel," I whispered, holding her tighter. "I want to build a real life with you, and I honestly don’t care where on earth we end up building our lives together."

I pulled back slightly and looked right into her bright crimson eyes.

"You said it yourself before, let’s build our own story together, free from our parents and completely different from the way they brought us up as kids. Wherever you decide to go, Angel, I will go right beside you.... And you have already marked me as your mate, so I already belong to you completely. We are our own family now."

I smiled up at her, feeling a warmth spread through my whole body.

"I love you so much, Angel Morningstar," I confessed freely to my girlfriend.

Angel stared at me for a moment before a soft, beautiful smile spread across her face. That sight really made me sparkle inside with pure joy. Seeing her genuinely smile after everything that happened made me so incredibly happy.

"I love you too, April January," Angel said, her voice full of affection. "Also, I am completely dropping that surname right now. I want to officially use my mother’s maiden name from now on."

"Aww, what is your mother’s maiden name?" I asked, tilting my head in curiosity.

"Del Rosario," she said, testing the sound of it on her tongue.

"That is really nice," I giggled softly. "April Del Rosario..."

"We are not married yet," Angel teased, bumping her shoulder against mine with a small smirk.

"I’m just testing out the name to see how it feels," I replied proudly. "And I really like it."

Angel smiled at me again, her eyes shining with hope for the future.

"So, April January, my future Mrs. Del Rosario... will you come to Mexico with me?"

"Yes, I definitely will," I answered immediately without any doubt.

"Good," Angel said, taking my hand in hers as we walked off the dock. "But first, I have to take you to a place. Right after that, we will go to Mexico together."

"Okay," I agreed, ready for whatever came next.