Chapter 96

Aria’s POV

When 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-thirds of those things when the phone rang. Cathy should have been home soon, but at that moment, I was still the only one in the house. Because of this, I walked to the phone and picked it up from the cradle.

“Hello?” I said into the receiver.

“Aria, is that you?”

I recognized that voice as my lawyer. I hadn’t heard from him in some time, though I knew he was still working diligently to help me behind the scenes. The weekly invoices told me so.

Now, it seemed, that he might finally have some news for me.

“Yes. What is it? What’s going on?”

“I have some good news for you. Something you’ve been waiting for, for some time now.”

“Yes?”

“Alpha King Lucian has finally agreed to the divorce. His terms are most generous. I will bring you a copy first thin in the morning. I’m sorry, I know it’s late, but I knew you’d want to know as soon as possible.”

“Yes,” I said, depending on my cool doctor façade now. Inside, I was frozen, numb and cold. The news wasn’t unexpected, especially given that Julia and Harold had given me their support at last. Yet, it’d been so long in the coming that part of me thought this moment would never come.

“These things, especially when they involve the Alpha King, need to be handled formally, Aria,” my lawyer continued. “That means, unfortunately, that there will need to be a formal divorce ceremony in front of a judge at the courthouse.”

“I didn’t think people did that anymore.”

“Typically they don’t,” my lawyer said. “But, as I mentioned, the rules are stricter for the Alpha King and the Luna. We must do everything by the book, with no modern exemptions.”

“I understand,” I said, though my heart felt heavy. It was bad enough that the divorce was going to be finalized, but to have to see Lucian one last time. To need to stand there, facing him, and hear him consent to the divorce, just as he had the mutual rejection.

Gods, it still hurt. I didn’t know if I could face this a second time. And a formal ceremony like this would require lots of witnesses. It would somehow be even worse than the mutual rejection, which had only occurred in front of Jasper and Cathy, my friends.

Court reporters, judges, Julia and Harold, and possibly even Sheila would be in attendance. It would be filmed and broadcast in front of the entire pack.

By the end of the day, everyone would see and share in my misery. Although, perhaps, many people would celebrate. From his jovial tone of voice, my lawyer certainly seemed to think I could be celebrating too.

“I’m so happy for you, Aria,” my lawyer said. “Now the rest of your life can begin.”

“Thank you,” I told him. “And thank you for… everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” my lawyer said with a laugh. “That’s what the payments are for.”

“Right,” I said, and wanted off of the phone now. “Thank you for the news. I have to go now.”

“Of course,” my lawyer said. “I will be in contact tomorrow to show you the documentation.”

“Thank you,” I said once more and finally hung up the phone.

Just as I did, Cathy walked through the front door. She saw me hang up the phone and then looked at my face.

“You okay?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I told her honestly. My stomach flopped, so I wrapped my arms around my baby bump. “I think I should sit down.”

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 breathed.

“I’ll get you some water,” Cathy said and rushed into the kitchen to do just that.

I felt guilt. She had only just returned from work where she cared for patients, now to be caring for me.

When she returned with water, she sat beside me on the couch. Helping me lean forward, she passed me the water and watched encouragingly as I took a long sip.

“Do you want to tell me what’s happening?” she asked. “We don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want, but I am always ready to listen whenever you want.”

“It’s the divorce,” I said. “The lawyer just called. Lucian has agreed, and… It’s all happening. There’s even going to be a ceremony at the courthouse.”

“I didn’t think people did that anymore,” Cathy said.

“The rules are stricter for the Alpha King and the Luna,” I said miserably.

Cathy fell quiet a moment. Her gaze fell to the ground.

She didn’t know what to say – how could she? What could be said that would fix this?

“Well,” she said. “At least it will be over soon. Then, you really can move your plans forward.”

“Yeah,” I said. That could be the bright side, I supposed, but it still just hurt.

Lucian’s POV

I stayed in my office well into the night. I was avoiding Sheila, but I was also anxious to keep myself busy with work. I knew, the minute I started to slow down, that I would think of Aria again. The minute Aria came to mind, it didn’t matter the context, the hollowness in my chest seemed to open up.

I could admit to myself that I missed her. Nothing was the same without her steady presence. Even my afternoons were dimmer without her smile to greet me home.

Coupled with that sudden new loneliness, following closely behind it, was the consistent jealousy knowing that she was finding happiness with Jasper.

After I’d held her back, I wanted her to have the things that she wanted. If Jasper could give her those things that I couldn’t, then I had no choice to accept that. Outwardly. Inwardly, I wanted to throw something or tear every sheet of paper on my desk into a million pieces.

Instead, I just sat there quietly, pushing down on all of my emotions, holding myself back as I always did.

As the night went on, my tired brain allowed for more and more thoughts of Aria, until she was all I could think about.

Weak to my own longing, I stood from my desk and left my office. Careful to be silent and not alert Sheila of my change of location, I went up the stairs to Aria’s room.

Inside this door, Aria’s room sat in pristine condition, just as Aria had left it. When Sheila had wanted to purge the rest of the house, I had banned her from this place, not letting her touch a single thing.

I’d been avoiding the room myself since Aria left.

But I walked into it now. Looking around, I felt closer to Aria here. She had spent so many nights in here, perhaps sitting at this desk?

Walking over to it, I ran my hand along the wood. I noticed one of the drawers seemed to be opened a little. Inside, I saw the corner of a book.

Curious, I pulled open the drawer.

Inside, a book indeed sat among pens and scraps of paper.

Writing on the top of the book read, Diary.