I ignored him, which caused him anxiety.
“Sabrina, what… what’s going on with you lately?”
His voice seemed uneasy.
But I did not turn around.
I simply reached out and gently pushed his hand away.
As I entered the lift, Maddox and Theo caught up and blocked my path.
“Amara is just young. She went too far this time, and she knows she was wrong. Don’t hold a grudge against her. We’ll make it up to you.”
I tugged at the corner of my mouth, feeling ridiculous.
I reached out to press the lift’s close button.
The heart that had always refused to give up was finally becoming calm, resembling stagnant water without ripples.
It appeared that I no longer felt sad.
As the lift doors closed, I said quietly, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Theo desperately reached out, probably hoping to stop the closing doors, but it was too late.
In my last look, I thought I saw panic and helplessness in their eyes.
A fleeting image before the lift doors closed completely.
It was probably just my imagination.
The next day, after leaving the military camp, I checked my luggage one last time.
As a farewell, I took a few labmates out to lunch around noon.
Maddox unexpectedly called me as I was leaving the restaurant.
I responded, but he remained silent for a long time.
I thought he had called by accident.
As I was about to hang up, he finally asked, “When are you coming home?”
I was stunned.
I couldn’t help wondering if he had intended to call Amara.
But I still replied, “The military camp has been extremely busy lately, so I will not be returning.”
Maddox refused to let it go: “What about tonight?”
I wasn’t sure what he was getting at.
But I still came up with an excuse: “I have plans with classmates tonight.”
There was another prolonged silence.
After a while, he awkwardly announced, “Today is Christmas.”
I was momentarily speechless. Since we all lost our parents, we’d spent every Christmas together. Colton was always preoccupied with pack affairs, Maddox with training warriors for the pack, and Theo with a carefree personality; none of them were particularly concerned with ceremony. I was the only one who planned gifts ahead of time and made time to spend with them each year.
But, this year…
I’d truly forgotten.
I wasn’t sure what to say. After much thought, all I could say was, “Sorry.”
A highly formal and polite word.
There was another long silence.
Maddox spoke again, his voice hoarse: “Come home for dinner. We’ve all made time to come back. All of us together.”
I did not really want to go.
He kept going: “Amara was taken by the healer for a physical examination. She won’t be home tonight.”
The cold wind in the street stung my face.
Finally, I responded, “Okay.”
This time, it would truly be our last meal together.
When I got home, Maddox was cooking in the kitchen. Theo was preparing Christmas presents.
In the early evening, Colton stood at the front yard’s iron gate, waiting for me.
As I approached, he gave me an awkward greeting.
I really had nothing to say to him anymore.
As I walked in, Maddox, holding dishes and utensils, poked his head out of the kitchen and said, “Wash your hands; dinner is ready.
