Chapter 106

Aria’s POV

At 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 is a secret,” I reminded her when the three of us were alone. “Hanging that up might cause questions.”

“I’m allowed to idolize the former Luna of the pack,” Piper said in her defense.

Cathy grinned, but I shook my head.

“I’d rather you wouldn’t,” I said.

“Too late, I think,” Cathy said.

None of us pointed out the story under the fold of the newspaper, the one that talked about how the elder werewolves of the pack were pushing for Lucian to marry Dr. A. And for that, I was grateful.

It was difficult enough dealing with the embarrassment of having my donation discovered. I was not at all ready to talk about how the elders thought I should marry my ex-husband. Though, I supposed, they had no real way of knowing that Aria and Dr. A were one in the same.

Even so, I knew it, which made the whole thing ridiculous in my mind. They had always been so quick to talk down about me. Yet here they were, wanting me to marry Lucian as Dr. A.

It was almost laughable, if it wasn’t also so damned sad.

I still missed Lucian and thought about him all the time.

Yet, if the elders were already pushing for a new wife, thought it wouldn’t be Dr. A, he would still have to marry soon enough. I was sure he was already planning his life with Sheila. He’d just have to convince the elders she was the right match.

That shouldn’t have been too hard for him. Unlike me, she was borne of the higher class. Before her disgrace, she had been well-regarded. And after the truth of her infertility came out – because of her errant, asshole husband – she should be back on neutral terms again with the pack, even if people generally didn’t trust her.

None of this was my concern, though. Soon, I would leave the pack and put all of this drama behind me. I’d already had enough of it to last a lifetime.

Moonglow was going to be cold, but I loved the idea of being able to go and stand beside the ocean. I’d never seen it before. Was it truly as big and vast as the movies made it seem?

Soon, I’d know for sure. I’d see it with my own eyes.

That was what I had to focus on. My future. My child. The ocean.

I had to leave Lucian and pack Nightfall in the past where it belonged.

Piper gave me a worried sort of look then, glancing between me and the newspaper.

“What is it?” I asked her.

“Well, you are getting popular here again… Are you sure you are going to want to leave?” she asked me.

“I’m positive,” I told her, reassuring her. Our plans were not going to change. “There’s nothing that could keep me from leaving this all behind.”

Lucian’s POV

That night, when Sheila had gone out, I went alone into Aria’s room, found her diary in the drawer of her desk, and sat down on the chair, holding it.

Each time I read from it, I knew it to be an invasion of her privacy, yet, with her gone, this was my only connection to her left. I couldn’t just let that go.

I’d agreed to let her go, and I had. The divorce was finalized, our bond mutually broken.

Over time, I had thought the hollow opening in my chest would have healed, yet still it lingered, festering with the pain of loss and longing.

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 to turn things around for us.

This marriage hasn’t been how I dreamed it would be. I’m sure Lucian and I could be the kind of mates that made others jealous… if he would just notice me.

But this – this will be what turns it all around.

I’m making him a cake. It’s his favorite from when he was a child. Julia gave me the recipe special, and I’ve even bought the same brand of ingredients that he used to use.

When he sees how much effort I put it… Well, I just hope the cake makes him happy, even if we don’t talk about it.

Though, in my dreams, he’ll taste the cake, realize how much I care for him, and fall for me too!

Wish me luck, Diary. This could be the thing that finally turns this marriage around!

Aria

I was afraid to turn the page and read the next entry into the journal. I didn’t remember Aria ever making me a cake, but that was a bad omen. If I’d remembered, it would have been a good memory for her. Not remembering could only mean that this was one more instance I had disregarded her instead of appreciating her.

I couldn’t be a coward though. I needed to confront the things that I had done that helped lead us to our downfall.

So, with a deep breath, I turned the page.

Diary,

It didn’t work.

When he came home, I left the cake on the counter. I’d even done up the icing and wrote Happy Birthday in frosting.

He glanced at it and said, “Where did you get this, the dollar store?”

I was too shocked to speak for a minute, and in that minute he continued on saying, “Sheila is throwing me a party at the country club. Get dressed. We can’t be late.”

Then he walked out of the room without a second glance at the cake.

Maybe I should have made up being sick or something, but I still wanted to be there for Lucian on his birthday.

The party was terrible. Sheila was all over Lucian, and he paid her all the attention, giving me none.

When we came home, I shared the cake with the servants that were still awake.

At least someone enjoyed it.

Heart heavy,

Aria

If I could have gone back in time, I would have eaten that entire cake single-handedly. Anything to keep from disappointing Aria.

But then, this had only been one instance of many of me letting her down. She had given me chance after chance. The diary was filled with them. And each time, I was either too busy, or too focused on other things.

If I had slowed down, maybe I could have seen and appreciated all the efforts she made for me.

I used to love the homemade cakes Mom made for me as a child. I was certain the one Aria made would have been delicious.

Gods, I missed her. I was the king of the world with her in my home, and I didn’t even know it.

There was nothing I could do now but mourn what could have been.

Closing the diary, I returned it to the desk drawer. Then, I stepped out of Aria’s room.

Sheila was in the hallway, coming up from the stairs. She stopped immediately, seeing me and where I’d been.