Chapter 52

Aria’s POV

At the hospital, with my mask firmly in place again, I walked with Silas down to the first floor to see him off. We’d talked for a few hours after our conversation about Lucian, speaking about memories of the past as well as some of our more recent medical achievements.

Now, unfortunately, it was time for him to get back to work.

In the lobby, I gave him a hug. “Thank you for everything,” I told him.

He hugged me in return. “Let’s not waste more years before speaking again, alright?”

“I promise,” I told him. Silas was a good ally, mentor, and friend. Having him in my corner, I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t achieve.

Yet, in that moment, before we could even finish hugging, reporters who had been lurking inside the lobby swarmed around us. Shoving their tape recorders into our face, they asked us question after question in such quick succession that I struggled to even understand what they were saying.

“Everyone calm down,” Silas said, more accustomed to this kind of situation than I was. He held his hands up. “One question at a time, please.”

Somewhere in the chaos, I heard a question about Caleb’s continued care. I turned toward where I thought I heard the question, but there were too many people, too many tape recorders. I struggled to know even where to talk.

“That’s enough,” said a sudden savior, sliding between me and the reporters. “Haven’t you had enough for one day? Back off already.”

My savior, I quickly realized, was Matt.

While he distracted the reporters, Silas and I slipped away, deeper into the hotel where the reporters weren’t allowed to follow.

“It seems our goodbye might be extended somewhat,” Silas said, laughing a little.

“I don’t know how you get used it,” I said.

He shrugged. “After a while, you start anticipating what they want to ask. All these reporters are hungry for a scoop. Give them a good soundbite that they can play on the nightly news, and they’ll leave you alone. But – ah! Here comes our hero.”

I turned just in time to see Matt walk through the doors that lead to where Silas and I were standing, beyond where the reporters could follow. He seemed annoyed, but his face was always slightly grim, so it was hard to tell.

“Are you two alright?” he asked.

“We are,” Silas said. “Thank you for your assistance. They made my departure difficult.”

“It’s easier to sneak out the side door,” Matt said. “There’s not as many out there. And I’m sure security will walk with you.”

“Probably not a bad idea,” Silas said.

“Thank you, Matt,” I told him.

His face softened somewhat, looking at me. “Of course.”

After a moment, he added, “I’d meant to speak with you anyway, Dr. A,” Matt continued. “I was hoping we could discuss my father’s continued care.”

“I can tell you what I had in mind,” I said, “But I’m not sure it will be the direction his next Healer will take.”

“Next Healer? What are you talking about? Are you dropping my dad as a patient?” Matt asked, his brow pulling together.

“It’s not that,” I said. “You’ve been very understanding of my position, Matt, and while I feel like your family might not resent me for my actions, I can’t believe they would be pleased.”

They were likely speaking to administration right at this very moment about removing me as Caleb’s Healer and finding someone else. The damage was done, Caleb would not be receiving the life-saving medicine no matter what now, so I figured they would want a Healer they were more comfortable with.

“Watch the news tonight,” Matt said. “You might be surprised.”

I looked at him strangely, unsure what he could mean by that. I found him looking back at me with an intense focus. For a moment I panicked, wondering if he could somehow discern my true identity through my mask, but that would be impossible.

My scent was different, and my hair color too. There was no way he could know that I was actually Aria behind this disguise.

…Right?

He smiled slightly, vaguely, but didn’t say a single word more.

Lucian’s POV

I continued to wait in front of Cathy’s apartment. Checking my watch, I realized that a full hour had gone by and there was still no sign of her.

My driver, still in the car, was reading a newspaper. Some of the other neighbors were out. One man was mowing his lawn.

I started to feel ridiculous standing here, a lovesick fool waiting to be rejected again. Yet, my yearning remained. I missed my wife and wanted her back home again. I couldn’t rest until her smiles and the sound of her laughter filled my days once more.

So I continued to wait. Another hour passed.

Then, a car pulled up behind my sedan. Ben hopped out of the driver’s seat and hurried up the sidewalk to where I stood on the front porch of the house.

He was holding something that looked like a photograph. I braced myself, expecting the worst.

“What is it?” I asked him.

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” Ben said. He shifted from one foot to the other, hesitating.

“Let me see.”

Slowly, Ben held out the photo. I snatched it from his hands and looked down on it.

My heart dropped down to the ground as I realized this was a photo of Aria and Matt. But it was faded slightly, and both of their hairstyles were different. This wasn’t anytime recent.

In fact, I remembered Aria wore her hair like this, with those bangs, when we had first met. Was this photo that old?

But then, that meant Aria had known Matt around that time as well.

Looking closer at the photo, I focused on the way their bodies were positioned. They seemed to lean into each other. One of Aria’s hands was on Matt’s arm. She was laughing, smiling wide, like he had just told a joke.

I tried to remember the last time she laughed like that with me, but I came up short.

Had she ever looked at me like this? As if she was having the time of her life? I couldn’t remember it.

Yet, in this photo with her and Matt, such good humor seemed to come easy to her.

What had been the difference here? Could Aria be more herself with Matt than she could be with me?

A pit opened inside of me, swallowing all the good feelings I had felt up until this moment. I’d wanted Aria to come back to my life, but…

“I’m sorry,” Ben said again.

“Why should you apologize?” I asked. “This was good work, discovering that Aria and Matt had once been friends.”

Ben paled slightly at my words.

“Yes…” he said.

There was something he wasn’t telling me. “Out with it, Beta.”

“Forgive me, Alpha, I just…”

“Now.”

Ben cleared his throat. “Very well. Along with this photo, we’ve uncovered evidence that Aria and Matt were closer than friends.”

I froze. It was one thing to suspect, but to have those suspicions confirmed was an entirely different matter. I felt like my world was caving in.

“Shortly before Aria agreed to marry you,” Ben said, “She and Matt dated.”