Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 86: Would He Ever Come Back?

I walked through the garden for a few moments, looking around the bigger hedges and bushes, trying to f

ind Ethan, but I didn‘t see him anywhere.

It was like he had vanished from my life again.

With a hand over my baby, I walked back home and went inside, closing the door behind me.

It seemed so lonely inside now. Not

long ago, Soren and I had been sitting at the table eating dinner, laughing, and having a good conversati

on about our day. Now, the entire house seemed still and quiet.

“What was Ethan even doing here?” | asked myself aloud. I had no idea.

He said he‘d come there to see me, but why?

How did he even figure out where I was?

I wanted to talk to Ethan

again. I wanted to find him and make him sit down and answer a thousand questions.

But that wasn‘t going to happen.

I lay backward on my bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering if I‘d ever even see him again. There w

as a chance he would just go back home. Perhaps all he wanted was to see me, and now that he had, n

ow that he knew that I was alive, he

would just turn around and head right back to Madalynn‘s open arms.

Madalynn… and her ring.

I decided there was nothing more I could do, so I got ready for bed.

However, In my restless dreams, I kept seeing Ethan again but not being able to speak to him.

When I woke up, I couldn‘t stop thinking about him.

Seraphine was there to check my vitals, and Lola was tidying

up the cottage. We were all friends, but I knew | couldn‘t talk to them about this. I couldn‘t risk them

finding out the truth about my past.

Thad left that all behind.

Or at least, I thought I had.

“Ro?” Seraphine asked as she put her stethoscope back in her midwife bag. “Are you okay? I‘m done ch

ecking the baby, and you usually ask me a thousand questions. Today you‘re just staring off into space.”

“Oh. I‘m sorry.” I shook my head, smiling at her. “I guess I‘m just distracted this morning.”

“Everything all right?” she

asked me, and I knew from the twinkle in her eye that she was prying. “I know you had dinner with Soren

last night.”

I made a face at her.

“We‘re just friends,” I reminded her. I ran a hand over my belly. “Everything is okay with the baby?”

“Yes, of course,” she said. “It really won‘t be that long now.”

I didn‘t know how that made me feel. Was I ready to give birth?

An image of me lying in bed, pushing out my child with Seraphine‘s help, came to mind.

The fuzzy form of a man next to me came into view, but I wasn‘t quite sure who he was–

was it Ethan, or Soren?

I imagined that the experience would be very different based on who it was next to me. Soren would be

so supportive. He‘d probably manage to make it fun. Ethan, on the other

hand… would he even be paying attention to me?

“Don‘t worry, dear,” Seraphine said, sitting down next to me. “I know giving birth

is never easy, but you‘ll be just fine. I‘ll be there with you every step of the way. Do you have questions a

bout how it will go?”

I blinked a few times, trying to get the images out of my mind. “Oh, no. I think I‘ll be alright.”

“Well, if you have questions, let me know. Your baby is healthy, and you‘re young and strong. I‘m sure thi

s will be a perfectly normal birth where everything will go as planned, and before long, you will

have your child with you to cherish and enjoy.”

I smiled at her, and she got up to go finish packing her bag. I knew she had some other patients to see th

at day. I had other things to do as well.

Soren had business, and I needed to check the house.

I was also working on a baby

blanket that I needed to hurry and finish, or it wouldn‘t be done in time for the arrival.

When evening fell, I went outside to pick some flowers. At least, that was what I told myself

I was doing… but honestly, I was looking for him..

I was looking for Ethan.

I chastised myself for even leaving the comfort of my own home. How had

he managed to reduce me to this state again? I had come so far, only to be thrust back

into this foolishness!

I was like a teenage girl, pining after a boy.

“Ethan?” I called a few times, but he didn‘t answer. Sol cut some flowers and went back inside.

Lola was still there. She smiled at me as I came in. “Do you need a vase, Miss Ro?”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you,” I told her, still distracted.

Why had he even bothered to come here if he wasn‘t going to talk to me?

“Here you go,” Lola said, and I thanked her as I took the vase full of water from her.

My eyes were focused out the window as I went to set the vase on a table. It slipped from my hands and

shattered all over the floor, spilling water all over my shoes.

“Oh, no!” I said as Lola also cried out. “I‘m so sorry.”

“It‘s okay, Miss Ro. Let me get a broom and mop. Pregnancy can make your grip weaker than normal.”

She hurried off to get the tools she needed to clean up my mess, and I backed away

from the glass and water.

When Lola returned, I reached for the broom. “Let me help.”

“No, no,” she said, waving me off. “You could hurt yourself. I’ll get it, Miss Ro.”

I didn‘t want to injure myself, though I felt awful that I’d created such a mess for her to have to clean up.

I just wasn‘t thinking straight. I was a danger to myself and others..,

as

Another night passed, and I still didn‘t see Ethan.

I spent the next day in the garden, looking for any sign of him while I pretended to prune the trees, but I d

idn‘t see any trace. No footprints, no lingering scent, no evidence that he‘d come back.

I was beginning to think that perhaps he hadn‘t actually come to see me at all.

By the third day after he‘d shown up in my garden, I had decided I just needed to get on with my life. Wh

atever it was that had brought Ethan back into my life

for those few fleeting moments, he‘d gotten it. Now that he had what he wanted, he was gone again.

I sat in the baby‘s nursery, sewing the blanket, staring at nothing as Seraphine organized the drawers of

clothing we‘d purchased.

“I just love baby clothes,” she said from her spot on the floor. She was humming a lullaby, one I loved to p

I didn‘t say anything in response. Her words barely registered.

“You know, I‘ve helped a lot of first–time mothers over the years, and it always turns out just fine.”

I looked at her and smiled, but I couldn‘t bring myself to make even the smallest pleasant remark in respo

“One time, I was tending to a young

mother a few years ago, and she was so nervous! She was a couple years younger than you, but not nea

I imagined that was Seraphine‘s nice way of saying this mother hadn‘t been through as much as I had. My

as I acknowledged I understood.

“That mama was so scared to give

birth, she was practically ready to push before she even acknowledged that she

was in labor! Her husband thought she was going to give birth on

the living room floor because she wouldn‘t go to the bedroom!” She laughed at the memory and patted he

she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.”.

“That‘s nice,” I said, just trying to be polite.

I wished I could be more in tune with

what Seraphine was saying, but I just couldn‘t focus. I kept thinking about Ethan, wondering why he had c

to speak to me.

With my mind on other things, the needle slipped, and the point went into my finger.

“Ouch!” A few bright spots of blood rolled off. I moved my finger just

in time to keep them from falling onto the blanket.

“Let me get you a bandage,” Seraphine said, getting up. “Dear, you really are distracted.” “Thank you, Ser

With the bandage on, I decided I was done sewing for the time being.

I was also done wondering about Ethan. Even if I spent a thousand years trying to figure out what the man

It was like he‘d just come back for a little more torture– one more knife to my heart.

“Miss Ro,” Lola came back and asked me, “Mr. Soren is coming back tomorrow night. Do you need me to

I sighed and decided to look forward to that. I spent the day thinking

about what I would make him for dinner.

However, after everyone had gone home at night, I went about my normal nighttime routine, and just befo

at least, that was what I told myself.

The air was chilly for the island, and the night sky was overcast. I stood by the porch

for a moment, just staring off into nothing, like I had been for most of the last three days.

I was just about to go inside when I heard rustling in the bushes.

I didn‘t even dare to say his name. Rather, I walked over

and took a closer look, peering between the branches. But there was nothing there.

Frustrated, I turned around to walk inside.

And ran headfirst into a wall, which smelled musky.