By now, I was entirely fed up with Sheila.“I’m going to bed,” I said, and stepped around her.“But, Lucian,” she called after me. “We should talk about this.”“Another time,” I replied without turning back. In reality, I’d avoid this topic again for as long as I physically could.The next day, when
Aria’s POVI came to check on Harold again, but before going inside of the room, I stood outside taking and reviewing his chart from the holder it had sat in beside the door. The overnight crew had kept a close eye on Harold as I requested, but other than snoring a little, there was nothing to repor
Aria’s POVWhen I arrived home that night, I was absolutely exhausted, both physically and mentally. The entire carried home, I’d planned for this moment when I could finally remove my Dr. A costume, dress down in my pajamas, and then bury my sorrows in a pint of ice cream.Yet I only managed two-th
Cathy tossed aside her jacket and purse, then, rushing towards me, helped guide me into the living room where I sat down on the couch.My first fear was for the baby, but my wolf whispered softly, “I will protect them.”Relief immediately sank through me. With it, I leaned back on the couch and brea
Lucian’s POVI wasn’t sure at first what I was looking at. Even though the book was very clearly labeled diary, I couldn’t fathom that something so personal would be something that Aria would have willingly left behind.She took what she did when she left, but never came back for anything else. I co
Aria’s POV“What do you wear to a divorce ceremony?” I asked Cathy as we both stood outside of my closet, looking in.“Black, right?” Cathy asked.“Funeral attire?” I replied. That didn’t seem right. Although, maybe for a divorce, as this was the end of a chapter of my life, black would be appropria
Aria’s POVThe divorce ceremony was generally simple and short. A reversal of a wedding, each partner was called to give a brief statement in front of the judge. I’d already written mine and carried it on a tiny slip of paper that I now held in my shaky hands.Compared to the devastation of the mutu
I kept remembering the things she had written in her diary about me, about us. She had tried so much to please me. She couldn’t understand why I had always been distant.Seeing her now, I didn’t understand it either. Inside, regret swelled, filling the entirety of my body.Everything was so clear to
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