Lucian’s POV She called me Lucian. That was the first thought to run through my mind as Aria opened the door for me at Cathy’s house. The second? Why did her face fall so much when she saw it was me, and not Jasper? It was as if the bright light inside of her had been snuffed out. Did I truly pro
Aria’s POV I stood in stunned silence, my mouth falling open, looking at Lucian, trying to understand what he was saying. While not a divorce, a mutual rejection would end our mating bond. Lucian’s mark on my neck would fade and we’d be free to bond with others instead. For him to suggest such a
Aria’s POV I kept watching Lucian until he entered his car and drove off. Even with him gone, I stared at the place he had been, wondering how everything went so wrong so quickly. I was in a state of shock, my hands trembling. “Aria,” Jasper said. With his hand on the small of my back, he gentl
“How’s the baby?” Cathy asked. “Okay,” I assured her. Cathy nodded. “And you?” I could not answer that as promisingly, so I pressed my lips hard together and remained silent. Cathy and Piper looked at each other. “You’ll feel some side effects of the mutual rejection,” Piper said. “Lucian migh
Aria’s POV Cathy’s words stayed with me, even after I calmed down enough to think more clearly. As I was no longer bond to Lucian, I truly could go wherever I wanted, but where did I want to go? Needing a minute alone, I excused myself from the worried glances of Cathy and Piper, and retreated in
Lucian’s POV “You said you’d be home after work,” Sheila said. “How long did you intend to keep me waiting?” I had told her I was considering coming home tonight, not that I would. That I was here at all should have been reason for celebration, not an excuse to continue to berate me. This type of
Aria’s POV The next few days felt like a blur, my hurt persisting even with the passing days. Though, I did my best to continue on as I always had. One morning I found myself standing in the kitchen chatting with Cathy, when I noticed a calendar beside the phone. “That can’t be the date,” I sai
Lucian’s POV Surrounded by an eerie fog, I didn’t know where I was, but it seemed familiar somehow. I tried to focus on my surroundings, and made out the shapes of concrete pillars. Was this a parking garage? Before me was a frightened, faceless girl. Behind her, on the ground, were two unconscio
Aria’s POVWe all waited with bated breath to see how Harold would handle the medicine. Perhaps I had been too late in providing it? The heart monitor was still beating too quickly. Harold was moaning in pain. The nearby Healers seemed ready to help him along with his passing. Piper and I physically
Aria’s POVAt the hospital, Lucian gave me a final squeeze. “Please help him,” he said.“I’ll do my best,” I promised. Then, breaking away from him, leaving him with Julia in the waiting room, I rushed to the emergency room to see what was going on.Fortunately, one of the nurses lent me a hair-tie
“But the food hasn’t arrived yet,” he said.I couldn’t wait. Feeling like I was going to pass out, I needed out of here.I pushed my chair back and stood. “I’m sorry,” I said.Turning, I hurried away from the table, from the dining room, from the restaurant. I threw the door open and ran outside.Wh
Aria’s POVSilas’s words haunted me long after the phone conversation, and that, combined with my discussion with Cathy and Piper convinced me to at least hear Lucian out. Because of this, when he called me to talk, and asked me to go out on a date with him, I decided to say yes.Now, after dressing
Aria’s POVHow was it, even after all this time, after all this distance, after all the hurt that sat piled up between us – I still so easily fell back into Lucian’s web.I wanted to be stronger, to be harder, and keep up the walls with him, yet every time we’d been around each other, he seemed to s
Aria’s POVMaybe I shouldn’t have been surprised that Lucian finally pieced this together, but the reality of it still hit me like a ton of bricks. I don’t know why I thought he would never find out. There was no reason he wouldn’t, especially with Jasper and Lucian’s own parents already in on the s
Lucian’s POV“It’s not possible,” I said.Mom pressed her lips hard together before asking me slowly, “Are you sure? The boy especially looks just like you.”“A coincidence,” I said. It had to be.Because if it wasn’t, that meant that the night of pleasure I had shared with Aria a few months before
Lucian’s POVI knocked on my parents’ door and hugged my mom after she answered. She squeezed me somewhat tighter than usual.“One of my friends told me she saw you working at the hospital,” Mom said as she led me inside.“I’ve been helping Aria,” I told her. “Her friend Cathy was very sick, and Ari
Aria’s POVI hated to break up the scene, wanting Lucian and the kids to spend as much time together as possible, so I watched from a distance for a while, before tracking down one of the nurses to discuss Cathy’s condition.I checked on her a few separate times before deciding that she was healthy