Moana
We headed upstairs after the police officer dropped us off. When we arrived, Selina and the maids were sitting on the couch and immediately jumped up when they heard us coming.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Selina cried, rushing toward me and pulling me into her arms. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
I shook my head, then put my finger over my lips and pointed at Ella, who was still sleeping on Edrick's shoulder. Selina nodded and wiped her tears away. Edrick took Ella back to her room without a word, leaving me alone with Selina and the maids.
"Moana, what happened?" Amy asked, keeping her voice low. "We were worried sick."
"I'll explain everything tomorrow," I said. "But we're okay. We're safe."
This didn't seem to fully satisfy the maids. Lily opened her mouth to ask me more questions, but Selina hushed her and sent them both off to her room. Selina left, too, but not before giving me another tight hug that took me just as much by surprise as the first one. As she hugged me, I couldn't help but relax a bit into her arms, feeling comforted by the old housekeeper's touch. When we pulled away, there were tears in both of our eyes. Selina looked like she was about to say something, but she seemed to decide against it and instead simply patted my hand gently before leaving.
A few minutes later, Edrick returned to the living room. He looked exhausted, and his clothes were torn and filthy. Mine were just as dirty, no doubt from being dragged at some point while I was unconscious.
Neither of us spoke as we cleaned ourselves off and changed into clean pajamas. We climbed into bed and laid there motionless in the darkness for a long time, but I knew that neither of us would be able to sleep - and I couldn't keep my story in any longer. I felt as though it was best to get it out now, before it was too late.
"I ran away," I admitted, feeling a lump form in my throat as I stared up at the ceiling. "This is all my fault. For weeks, I've been talking to Olivia; she convinced me that you were going to take my baby from me, and that you're just using me to get another Alpha heir. I found out that you were putting those drops in my coffee, and then I decided to run away with Ella."
Edrick was silent for a long time. The entire time I felt as though my heart would burst out of my chest, wondering what he was going to say. I wondered if he would yell at me or kick me out. Was it possible to denounce a mate?
But he didn't do any of those things. In fact, he did quite the opposite.
In the darkness, Edrick reached out for me. I felt his arms wrap around me and he pulled me close to him, so close that all I could feel was his warmth and his scent enveloping me. He stayed silent for a long time after that before he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry that I made you feel like you needed to run," he whispered. "I should have been honest with you from the beginning. About everything; Olivia, your lineage, the serum. I thought that I was protecting you by keeping the truth from you, but it turned out to put you in more danger in the long run."
As Edrick spoke, I shook my head and looked up at him.
"I know you're going to tell me that it's not my fault," he said before I could say anything. He sat up then and swung his legs over the bed, standing and walking over to the closet. "But it is. All along, I've been hiding so much from both you and Ella. It's time that the truth comes out."
Edrick began to rifle through his closet as he spoke. I sat up and turned on the bedside lamp to see him coming back with a shoebox in his hands.
"Let me tell you what really happened with Olivia," he said. He set the box down, then sighed and passed his hand over his tired face. "She's a liar. I'm sorry that she manipulated you; there was a point in time when she manipulated me, too. She had me convinced that we would live a happy life together and that she loved me. I knew that she wasn't my fated mate, but I didn't care. When she got pregnant, I was overjoyed. And when Ella was born, and I held my little girl for the first time, I knew that Olivia was brought into my life specifically to bring Ella into the world. But things got bad after that."
He opened the shoebox to reveal what looked like a bundle of letters folded up, and started to pull them out. There weren't just letters inside, I realized; there were photos, too. Photos of Olivia with other men, photos of her passed out on the floor, photos taken through windows of her screaming at Edrick and pointing her finger in his face.
"What is all of this?" I whispered.
Edrick shook his head grimly and swallowed. "As soon as Ella was born, Olivia changed. The doctors told me that it was postpartum depression, but it never got better. Months went by, and she just got worse; she started drinking and taking drugs, and I found her with other men on multiple occasions. I finally hired a private investigator to get all of this evidence so that I could win the custody battle for Ella, because I realized that Olivia was dangerous. But the thing is, during the custody battle she didn't even try to keep Ella. She only ever wanted the money; Ella was just a means to an end for her. So I gave her the money that she wanted, under the sole condition that she stay out of Ella's life forever. I told Ella that her mother died because I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth."
My eyes widened as Edrick told me his story. What Olivia had told me was so different... How she had fought so hard for her baby, and Edrick stole her. But now, Edrick's side of the story painted Olivia out to be a horrible mother, and he had evidence to prove it.
"Every year, Olivia starts up with trying to get more money out of me," Edrick continued. "That's why she calls nonstop around Ella's birthday. She uses it as an excuse and tries to pretend like she's just calling to check on Ella or send gifts, but that's not the case. She's just begging for more money to fuel her lavish lifestyle, and I stupidly give it to her so she won't tell anyone the truth about Ella."
I didn't realize it at first, but as Edrick spoke I was slowly standing, and now I was standing in front of him. Without a word, I put my arms around him and hugged him tightly. He stiffened for a moment before relaxing and wrapping his arms around me, and I felt his chin rest on top of my head. We held each other like that for a long time, neither of us speaking.
I felt like such a jerk for listening to Olivia over him... I should have just talked to him. But now, I knew that I wouldn't do anything like that ever again. Edrick was a good father who cared about Ella... Who cared about our baby... Who cared about me.
Finally, when we pulled away, I looked up to meet Edrick's gaze.
"I think you should tell Ella the truth," I whispered. "I think it's time."