Lucian’s POV An ice cold feeling started within me, where my heart was, and stretched outwards along my limbs to the very tips of my fingers and the base of my toes. Aria and Matt used to date. Sick to my stomach, I couldn’t stand the sight of the picture anymore. I tucked it away in my pocket
Matt, especially, deserved better than the quarter of my heart I could maybe offer him. So distracted by my thoughts, I shampooed my hair twice and totally forgot the conditioner. By the time I stepped out of the shower, I had no idea if I was actually clean at all. Sighing, I toweled myself off
Sheila’s POV “Also on hand to give an interview was Dr. A’s mentor, Silas, the current president of the World Healer Association,” the news anchor on the screen said. Sheila hated everything about her. Her hair was overdone and her lipstick wasn’t bright enough. In fact, all of her makeup looked
Lucian’s POV Seeing Aria with Matt triggered a rage that burned inside of me. How many hours did I spend waiting at this door to speak to Aria, and now Matt just happened to cross paths with her first? That frustration, added to the knowledge that these two used to date, had me nearly lose my co
Aria’s POV My words stunned Lucian speechless. He stared at me wordlessly for several long moments, his mouth tightly shut. A muscle at the corner of his jaw ticked. “You…” he began, then stopped himself short. He tried twice more. “Aria… How…” Each time, he abruptly quieted. I had said what I
Aria’s POV The phone continued to ring. Being alone in the house meant there was no one else around to answer it. It had to be me. I had to face the consequences of what I’d done. “This is what you want,” I reminded myself, my heart pounding against my ribcage. Standing, I walked into the hallwa
Aria’s POV In a panic, I immediately swiveled back around, facing away from Lucian and the door. Grabbing my mask, I re-covered my face with shaking hands. Had Lucian seen me? Did he know I was Aria under this mask? My heart hammered in my chest, and my breathing was short in shallow in my pan
“I’ve made my decision,” he continued. With bated breath, I waited for him to continue, to share with me what he decided. Instead, he turned more fully toward the door. “If you will excuse me,” he said and stepped out of my office. Lucian’s POV My head was a mess, and no matter what I did, I
Lucian’s POV“Of course not,” I said at once, a bitterness rising up within me.Trusting Sheila had been the worst decision of my life. Not only had I been complicit in ruining Travis’s life, but I’d also allowed Sheila to come between Aria and I, enough to help destroy our marriage. I couldn’t blam
Looking past her, I motioned toward Ben, my Beta. “Take her away, Beta. I want her in lockup until the time for a trial can be arrange.”“A trial?” Sheila gasped.“Yes,” I said, looking at her. “You will face punishment for your crimes. I will personally see to that.”“But, Lucian –”“Do not say any
Lucian’s POV“I want the truth, Sheila,” I demanded.The longer Sheila looked at me, the more her wide-eyed nervous gaze shifted into one of fury. “You trust him over me?”“Give me a reason not to.”In the past, I had let my guilt over having introduced Sheila to Travis to fully critique her story.
Lucian’s POVWithout another word, Sheila pushed past Dr. A and her assistant and burst into the hallway.“Sheila!” I called after her, both annoyed and confused by her outburst. Must she act so erratically?I followed her into the hallway, with Dr. A and her assistant in tow.Sheila was halfway to
Lucian’s POVWhile I didn’t agree with Sheila that Aria should be totally forgotten, I could acknowledge, at least to myself, that my clinging onto the past wasn’t healthy. So, after installing a lock on Aria’s old bedroom door, I resolved to keep it locked and not visit it again.Every time I had s
She slammed the door to her room loud enough to echo through the hallways.Sighing, I wondered if I had any hope of detangling myself from Sheila and this guilt without marrying her.At this point, I just didn’t know.Aria’s POVPiper was on break and Cathy was in a different section of the hospital
Lucian’s POVAs I watched, Sheila’s entire demeanor shifted, from happy and curious to increasingly upset and alarmed.“That’s Aria’s room,” she said.“Yes,” I replied, seeing no need to hide it.“Why were you in Aria’s room?”It wasn’t any of her business, but I knew I couldn’t just say that to She
Weak with heartsickness, I peeled back the cover of the diary and began to read a later chapter, from nearer the end of our marriage.Dear Diary,Tomorrow is Lucian’s birthday. While he’s never been much for celebrating, I still want to do something special for him. With hope, maybe this will start
Aria’s POVAt work, Cathy, Piper, and I gather in the office that morning over coffee. At my insistence, Cathy didn’t bring the newspaper with my photo on it, but to my dismay, Piper already had one. I believed she was fully ready to frame it and hang it behind her desk.“You know that my identity i