The Right Alpha Found Me

Synopsis

One hundred percent scent compatibility. That was the binding force, the chemical inevitability that had locked me in marriage to Julian Sterling. But he didn't love me. Every day, I would select the most perfect, dew-kissed rose from the florist's shop and place it in a crystal vase on our dining table. More often than not, the fragrant bloom would end its day alongside Julian's untouched, congealing dinner, both unceremoniously dumped into the trash. He was impeccable in all things, except in his affection for me. I clung to the fragile belief that his nature was simply reserved, that persistent warmth could eventually thaw such glacial composure. His birthday shattered that illusion. Standing on the balcony, the sharp bite of a rose thorn breaking the skin of my palm, I overheard the conversation at the front door. Julian, smelling of wine, was being steadied by his oldest friend. "Roses are so damn tacky. They just wither into something dusty and dull. So boring. Just like her," he said. The words, casual and cruel, pierced through me with the precision of knives. How ironic that the longest sentence I'd ever heard from him was one that hollowed out my heart. Much later, he found me, his eyes bloodshot and desperate, his fingers clutching at the hem of my coat with humble desperation. "Evelyn, please. Let me buy you roses from now on. Every day. Please." But by then, my hand was firmly entwined with another's. I looked at him and gave back the very words he had gifted me. Then, I turned away, without a single glance back.