Chapter 58

Aria’s POV

In a panic, I immediately swiveled back around, facing away from Lucian and the door. Grabbing my mask, I re-covered my face with shaking hands.

Had Lucian seen me? Did he know I was Aria under this mask?

My heart hammered in my chest, and my breathing was short in shallow in my panic.

“I apologize for disturbing you so late, Dr. A, but I was hoping I could share a word with you?” Lucian asked.

If he knew I was Aria, that was an odd thing to say. Clearing my throat, I put on my most professional air, even while I was panicking on the inside, and turned to face him, my mask fully in place – I double-checked.

He gave me a friendly though small kind of smile. If he knew I was Aria, he would likely be furious, or be more demanding. He would at least have questions.

But he seemed contented just looking at me, waiting for me to reply.

“What?” I said, having already forgotten the question.

“Can we talk a minute?” he said.

“Oh. Of course,” I said.

Nodding, Lucian stepped further into the office. “I wanted to thank you again.”

“You’ve already done so,” I reminded him, “Both in front of Silas, and then in front of the whole world. I saw the replay on the news.”

“Those words were spoken formally, as the Alpha King,” Lucian said. “The thanks I wish to extend to you now is more personal. Not from the Alpha King, but from a friend of Caleb’s. Thank you for waking him so that his final wishes could be recognized.”

“As I told you before, I don’t need gratitude. I was just doing my job.”

“And as I told you, you can’t see how different you are to others in your same profession. They would have acted selfishly, or not done nearly as much as you did, to make sure Caleb was properly cared for.”

“That’s kind of you to say, but…”

Lucian stepped closer to me, coming to a stop only two feet away. He looked at me, his gaze tracing over my mask. Again, I wondered if he could see through it. Lifting my hand, I triple-checked to make certain it was still in place.

“You’re staring,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” he said, though continued right on doing it. “You just look so much like her. The resemblance truly is uncanny.”

Just as I started to panic again, he laughed lightly.

Finally, he looked away. “Forgive me, Dr. A. I must seem entirely inappropriate. I promise I’m not harboring any confusion about you and my wife.”

“So you no longer suspect I might be your wife in disguise?” I asked, hoping my tone came off teasing, even though, inside, I was shaking.

“I’m certain you aren’t,” Lucian said with confidence.

“How can you be so sure?” I asked him.

He looked away, toward the wall, like he couldn’t quite look me in the eye anymore. “You can’t be Aria – because my wife wouldn’t be pregnant.”

His good humor soured as he spoke the words. They came out with a type of bitterness attached.

“Forgive me,” Lucian said again, frowning.

Watching him, I wondered over the cause of his inner upset. Surely he couldn’t be grieving over a relationship he never fully committed himself to. He’d been jealous of Matt earlier, but that had likely been more because of a sense of possessiveness, not love.

Even so, this change in him was unusual and made me curious.

As my secret seemed to be safe, I dared ask, “I know things have been tough for you at home. Have you decided whether or not to divorce?”

Lucian half turned away from me, glancing at the door.

“Yes,” he said, after a long moment.

My breath caught. My heart seemed to still for a moment before barreling forward like a freight train on a downhill track.

“I’ve made my decision,” he continued.

With bated breath, I waited for him to continue, to share with me what he decided. Instead, he turned more fully toward the door.

“If you will excuse me,” he said and stepped out of my office.

Lucian’s POV

My head was a mess, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to clear it.

I had come to the hospital to speak with Dr. A about several matters, not just to offer her another thank you. Though that was important, I wanted to discuss Caleb’s end of life care so I could set up a possible timeline for the coming future.

At Caleb’s eventual passing, I wanted to ensure the pack recognized a day of mourning in honor of the fallen war hero. Preparations would need to be made far in advance.

Instead, I’d lost myself to thoughts of Aria again, even seeing her in Dr. A’s features, impossible as that was. I’d already proven to myself time and time again that the two couldn’t be more different.

That Dr. A was pregnant was simply the final decisive factor.

In the hallway, I realized my error and thought of going back inside to speak with Dr. A again, but I wasn’t sure how I could do so without embarrassing myself. Plus, seeing Dr. A and her similarities to Aria, the same thing might simply happen for a second time.

What I needed was rest. I wished I could have a full night’s sleep in my own bed, but as long as Sheila was in my house, I wasn’t keen on returning there.

I’d been sleeping on the couch in my office mostly, but perhaps it was time to go to a hotel. With my mind wandering like this, I couldn’t trust myself. Only after a good night’s sleep, might I be able to face my tasks properly once more.

That was it then. I’d stay at a hotel tonight, and everything would hopefully be clearer in the morning.

I was dreading what I needed to do, the decisions that I needed to make.

Who was I kidding? Even in a bed, I wasn’t likely to sleep tonight.

With a sigh, I gave up on the day and started walking to the stairwell. On my way out, I decided to take a detour to visit Caleb. With him so near to death, I knew I was running out of chances to visit him.

Exiting the stairwell on his floor, I walked down the hallway toward his room.

As I drew closer, I heard voices, many I recognized as Caleb’s family.

“We have to send this letter to Matt,” Montgomery said. “I promised Dr. A that I would take care of it, and I keep my promises.”

“Matt’s mental health is more important than any promise you made to Dr. A,” said Martha, his wife. “You and I both know how he feels about Aria. When he reads this letter, he’s going to be devastated.”

I turned a corner and saw them.

Montgomery was holding a bit of stationary in one hand, an opened envelope in the other. Martha, his other siblings, and their spouses were crowded around him.

“Matt deserves to know the truth,” said one of Matt’s sisters. “He’s out there pining over a woman who doesn’t want him.”

“He needs to maintain focus where he is,” said one of Matt’s brothers. “We can tell him when he returns.”

Slowly, I pieced together what they were saying.

Aria had written Matt a letter…?

“He should know how Aria truly feels about him,” Matt’s sister continued. “He has a right to know that he’s been rejected.”

I froze in my tracks.

Aria rejected Matt?