Alpha King Chases Abandoned Luna

I sat at Lily's small study desk, my fingers tracing the worn edges of her notebook. The room felt frozen in time, preserved exactly as she'd left it. Her scent-a delicate mix of baby powder and moonflowers-still lingered faintly in the air, a ghost of her presence that both comforted and tortured me.

With trembling hands, I opened the notebook, revealing Lily's Amusement Park Family Drawing. Three stick figures stood hand in hand-Lily in the middle, Ethan and me on either side. Above us, she'd drawn the colorful rides of Moonlight Fair with careful attention to detail, right down to the cotton candy stand she'dnoveldrama

been so excited to visit.

My heart constricted painfully in my chest. I knew the truth behind this innocent drawing. Ethan had broken his promise to Lily, leaving our daughter waiting for him in vain on her birthday.

Each crayon stroke represented not reality but Lily's imagination-scenes of happiness with her father that had never materialized. The bright colors and smiling faces were dreams on paper, dreams that died with her.

Tears blurred my vision as I pictured Lily standing at the entrance of Moonlight Fair, her small face lighting up each time someone approached, only to fall when

it wasn't her father. Hours passing, her hope fading with the daylight.

I remembered how she'd insisted on waiting "just a little longer" despite the freezing cold, despite her weakening condition. Her unwavering faith in her father had been heartbreaking.

"He promised, Mommy," she'd said, her voice small but certain. "Daddy never breaks his promises."

But he had. And worse than breaking his promise to Lily, he'd been at Disney that same day-with Victoria and Emma. I'd seen the pictures on Victoria's social media. Ethan carrying Emma on his shoulders, buying her the Crystal- Embroidered Ice Princess Gown that Lily had begged for but been denied

My tears fell onto the drawing, smudging the bright crayon colors. I wiped them away quickly, desperate not to damage this precious remnant of my daughter's hope.

"I'm so sorry, baby," I whispered to the empty room. "I'm so sorry he didn't come."

The sound of footsteps in the hallway pulled me from my grief. I recognized Ethan's heavy tread immediately but didn't turn around. I couldn't bear to look at him while holding physical evidence of his betrayal.

I heard him pause in the doorway, felt his presence behind me. The scent of the herbal tea he carried wafted through the room-