Chapter 198 Apologize
Third-Person POV:
As Arabella grew, Angela slowly found a reason to smile again.
She had never imagined that raising a child could bring her so much happiness. There were sleepless nights, endless laundry, and days when Arabella cried for hours without Angela understanding what was wrong. But she never lost patience with her daughter.
When Arabella learned to crawl, Angela followed her around the cottage, laughing whenever the little girl tried to squeeze herself beneath the furniture. When she took her first steps, Angela was there with open arms, encouraging her to try again each time she fell.
And when Arabella began talking, Angela became her favorite audience.
She listened to every half-formed word, answered the same questions dozens of times, and patiently taught her daughter how to hold a spoon, put away her toys, and say thank you.
Rick, on the other hand, remained a stranger to the little girl.
He never held Arabella, never asked about her health, and barely acknowledged her presence. Yet he continued providing for both of them. There was always food in the kitchen, money for clothes, and whatever else Angela needed for the child.
Angela had stopped expecting anything more from him.
By the time Arabella turned two, she had become a cheerful little girl who followed her mother everywhere.
Then, one rainy night, she fell terribly ill.
Angela woke to the sound of her daughter whimpering beside her. When she touched Arabella’s forehead, she immediately sat up. The little girl’s skin was burning, and her breathing was unusually fast.
She tried cooling her down and gave her the medicine prescribed by the healer, but Arabella’s fever continued to rise.
With her daughter wrapped in a blanket, Angela hurried to Rick’s bedroom. “Rick, wake up. Arabella is sick.”
Rick made an irritated sound and pulled the blanket over his face. “Give her some medicine.” His muffled sound came from inside the blanket.
“I already did. It’s not helping. Please, I need you to take us to the hospital.” She said, kissing her daughter’s burning face.
“It’s raining outside, Angela. Wait until morning.”
Angela looked down at Arabella, who was lying weakly against her shoulder. The little girl had stopped crying and was barely responding when Angela called her name.
“Rick, please. She’s burning up.”
“Then call a healer!” he snapped without opening his eyes. “I’m not getting out of bed in the middle of the night for a fever.”
Angela looked at him for a moment before giving a casual shrug. “Fine.”
Instead of leaving the room, she walked over to the window and pushed it open. Rain blew against her face as she spotted a familiar figure crossing the courtyard with an umbrella.
“Willow!” she called loudly.
The man stopped and looked up. Willow was a senior assistant assigned to Beta Rick, and he was rarely far from the cottage.
“Yes, ma’am? Do you need something?”
“I’m taking Arabella to the hospital. Could you do me a favor and arrange for some kerosene to be taken to the cottage near the Blackthorn border?”
Willow looked confused. “Kerosene, ma’am?”
“Yes. There’s a woman living there with her illegitimate son, and I thought—”
“ANGELA!”
Rick’s roar came from behind her. Before she could finish, he rushed across the room and slammed the window shut.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded. Angela merely adjusted the blanket around Arabella.
Rick opened the window a crack and shouted down, “Willow! Forget what you heard. There’s nothing to worry about. Go back to your duties!”
“Yes, Beta!” He shut the window again and turned on Angela.
“Have you completely lost your mind?”
She had seen the fear in his eyes before he managed to replace it with anger. For once, Rick had moved faster than she had ever seen him move.
Angela tried to hide her smile as she gently patted Arabella’s back. “Now that you’re awake, dear, could you please get the car ready? Our daughter needs a doctor.”
Angela stood beside his bed for a moment, watching him turn away.
Two years ago, she might have cried and begged until he agreed. Tonight, she didn’t have time for that.
She carefully adjusted Arabella in her arms.
As soon as Rick left the room, Angela looked down at Arabella’s unconscious face and smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Mama’s here.”
She held her daughter a little closer, the smile fading as she looked at her daughter’s pale face.
The little girl in her arms had no idea that, simply by coming into this world, she had given her mother the courage to stand up for herself again.
***
By now, Rick had realized that Arabella had changed Angela. She was no longer the timid woman who silently endured his insults. When it came to her daughter, she was willing to stand up to anyone, including him.
At pack parties and formal gatherings, Angela often crossed paths with Vikki. She knew exactly who the woman was and what she meant to Rick, yet she always greeted her with a polite smile, never once bringing up their affair.
Angela had chosen to leave Vikki alone, and Vikki had been wise enough to do the same. Until one day, that unspoken understanding came to an end.
***
It happened during a pack gala when three-year-old Arabella accidentally bumped into Victor, spilling her juice all over his expensive clothes.
Vikki immediately grabbed the little girl’s arm. “Watch where you’re going, you little brat! Look what you’ve done!”
Arabella began crying, frightened by the woman’s anger. Angela, who had been speaking to another guest nearby, hurried over when she heard her daughter’s cries.
“Let go of her, Vikki.”
Instead of releasing her, Vikki tightened her grip. “Perhaps you should teach your daughter some manners. Just because nobody knows who her real father is doesn’t mean she can behave like a little savage.”
Angela’s expression changed. She stepped forward, freed Arabella’s arm, and moved the little girl behind her. “Apologize to my daughter.”
Vikki laughed. “For what? You should be grateful Rick even allows that bastard to live under his roof.”