From Substitute To Queen Chapter 199

"Why..." My voice cracked. "Why did things have to turn out this way?"

I pressed my hands to my face, shoulders shaking with violent sobs. "I thought I'd finally found true love... thought we'd grow old together... but reality is so cruel..."

"Why did it have to be you?" I cried out in anguish. "Why did I have to fall in love with my enemy? Why would the Moon Goddess give us such a trial?"

I sank to my knees, arms wrapped around my head. "It's all my fault... I'm so stupid..."

Stroking my belly, I spoke to my unborn child through my tears. "Mommy's sorry... I'm so sorry, baby. Mommy disappointed Grandma... Mommy married the man who killed her... and now I'm carrying his child."

My voice shattered with each word. "How can I face you? How do I explain that your father might have murdered your grandmother? How do I make sense of any of this?"

"I hate myself... I hate this world... I hate this cursed fate."

Seeing me cry so brokenly, Caelan crawled toward me despite his injury, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

He reached out with blood-stained fingers to wipe my tears. "Don't cry... please don't cry. Seeing you cry hurts worse than dying... I'd rather endure a thousand wounds than watch you shed a single tear."

"If my existence only causes you pain... if living only reminds you of terrible things... then we'll do as you said."

Tears mixed with blood on the floor. "I wanted to give you a fairy-tale ending... wanted to make you the happiest woman in the world... but instead I became your worst nightmare."

I forced myself to stop crying and looked at him with steely determination. "Break our Mate Bond immediately, Caelan. We're finished. You need to stop fantasizing—we can never go back. I will never be with my mother's killer."

"Sabi, you're pregnant. Breaking the Mate Bond risks miscarriage." Caelan pressed his hand to his bleeding chest. "Can we wait until after you give birth? Please give us one chance—I promise I'll find the truth about what happened. I would never murder Isabella."

"I can't bear having your mark on me for another second." My voice was ice-cold. "I know that as Lycan King, you must have ways to sever the bond without harming the baby. If you refuse, then I'll take the baby with me when I die."

Caelan bowed his head in silence for a long moment. When he finally looked up, defeat filled his eyes.

"Fine. I agree."

His voice came out ragged. "Tomorrow I'll arrange for a doctor to give you medication to protect the pregnancy."

"Then... then you'll be free. You can start a new life... find someone truly worthy of your love."

"I'll protect you and the child from a distance, but I won't appear before you again. I'll live like a stranger until you completely forget me."

He made one final plea, his voice barely audible. "But Sabi... before we break the bond... could you let me hold you one last time? Consider it... our final goodbye to what we once had."

His eyes held desperate longing. "I want to remember your warmth... remember your scent. That way, in the long days ahead, I'll have some fragment of happiness to hold onto."

"I know I have no right to ask anything... but this is my last wish. If you're unwilling, I won't force you."

Though my heart was bleeding, I remained resolute. I wiped my tears and turned away from him.

"No."

Pointing toward the door, my voice trembled but stayed firm. "Now please leave. I don't want to see you anymore."

**Third Person POV**

Caelan stared at Sable's back, memories of their happiest moments flashing through his mind.

*I remember the first time you smiled and called my name... remember when you curled up in my arms and told me you loved me...*

*I thought we'd watch our daughter grow up together... have several children... grow old side by side... walk through life together. I never imagined this would be our ending...*

Fighting through his agony, he struggled to his feet. "Maybe... maybe separation is better for you. At least you won't suffer anymore."

He took one last, long look at Sable, trying to memorize every detail.

"Sabi... whether you believe it or not... I love you. I'll love you for the rest of this life and beyond. If there's a next life, I hope we can start over."

"Take care of yourself... take care of our daughter. Tell her... tell her Daddy loves her very much, but he can't stay by her side."

Clutching his wounded chest, he slowly stood and walked toward the door. At the threshold, he hesitated for a long time, his hand on the doorknob but unable to turn it.

He looked back at Sable's silhouette one final time, words forming on his lips before dying away. Finally, he whispered, "I... I love you. Forever and always."

The door closed with a soft click. Outside, he leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, crying silently.

Inside the room, Sable collapsed completely when she heard the door shut, sobbing uncontrollably as her body shook.

She caressed her belly, speaking to her unborn child through broken whispers. "Baby... I'm sorry. Mommy made you lose your daddy... but Mommy had no choice. Mommy couldn't betray Grandma."

Both of them felt the mate bond's torment—each other's grief amplified through the connection that still bound them.

Sable felt Caelan's despair, but she forced herself to ignore it.

Caelan sensed Sable's anguish and wanted nothing more than to burst back through that door and hold her, but he knew it would only increase her pain.

Two hearts that loved each other were separated—so close physically, yet infinitely far apart emotionally.

As night deepened, Caelan remained in the hallway, watching the bedroom door and unwilling to leave.

Occasionally, Sable's muffled sobs drifted through the walls. He raised his hand to knock multiple times, desperate to see Sable once more, but each time his hand fell away.

In the end, he spent the entire night in that corridor, standing guard over the love he was about to lose, until dawn broke over the horizon.