Chapter 84

Aria’s POV

“She has to be drunk or something,” people whispered all around.

“There’s no way that’s the truth.”

“Lucian would marry Sheila, after everything she did? No, it has to be a lie.”

Hearing the whispers, I sunk further and further into myself.

Julia looked at me in shock, but I couldn’t reply. I didn’t know how to tell her the truth. I couldn’t believe that Sheila had outed our situation like this to the entire family like she had no cares in the world.

Or maybe I could believe that, as Sheila had always been terrible to me. What I couldn’t believe was that Lucian had told Sheila about our situation to begin with. Had he expected her to keep quiet about it? Even after everything else she’d ever said and done to me?

But then, he’d always been quick to defend her, ever the loyal soldier at Sheila’s side. Even when I had still lived here, he had consistently sided with her over me. Any time I’d tried to speak out against her, I’d been shot down and told I was overreacting or outright wrong.

Maybe he never fully understood the truth to Sheila’s vindictive nature. Maybe he was only seeing it now.

Even from across the room, I could tell how furious he was, his face going pale.

“I need to talk to Lucian about this,” Harold said, standing.

“Harold, stay calm,” Julia said, though her voice was tight and too loud, wound up with nervous energy and horror.

“He has to explain this to me.”

Julia and I stood as well.

Nearby, I noticed Jasper watching with a frown. He met my gaze, his mouth firmly closed. He was a person who could be trusted with a secret. Not like Sheila.

Harold stormed straight up to where Lucian was trying to convince Sheila to be quiet.

When Lucian spotted him, he immediately turned, “Father.”

“Well, look who it is,” Sheila said harshly. “The people who hate me most. Have you come to finally apologize Father? Mother?”

Harold glared while Julia physically recoiled.

“You are no daughter of mine.”

“Not yet,” Sheila said. “But soon enough, that one will be out of the picture.” She nodded toward me. “I’m eager and ready to take her place.”

“Sheila, that is enough,” Lucian snapped, his voice a dangerous calm.

Sheila closed her mouth but seemed no less smug about it.

“Tell me what is going on here, Lucian,” Julia said to her son.

Lucian straightened. Yet just as he opened his mouth, Sheila burst through.

“Did you hear what I said? Aria and Lucian mutually rejected each other, which puts him back on the market for me to catch up. Really, Julia. Pay attention,” Sheila said, her disrespect blatant. Her annoyance clear.

The whispers continued in the room, some becoming angry now.

“She can’t talk to Julia like that.”

“This is the last straw.”

“King Lucian, exile her!”

Julia ignored Sheila, focusing solely on Lucian. From slightly behind her and off to the side, I could see everything.

“Lucian. Tell me you have not been this foolish.”

Lucian looked back at his mother. For a moment, a hint of emotion flashed across his eyes – sadness? Regret? It was there and gone too quickly for me to properly see.

But then, he glanced off to the side, where the people were whispering of exile.

“Sheila will not be exiled from this pack,” Lucian said.

Those whispers ceased, though the people who said them seemed no less upset.

He was defending Sheila again, even here, after she had shared our secrets, while she was being rude to his mother and causing his father distress.

Did he not care about anyone but her? Was his love for her so strong that it blinded him to how many other people she hurt?

“Lucian,” Julia said, reclaiming her son’s attention.

“I’m sorry, mother,” Lucian said. “Sheila and I have many things to talk about. Nothing is certain.”

“But you and Aria…?”

Lucian glanced at me and I immediately stilled, my heart leaping into my throat. My chest felt tight and my wolf paced, awaiting his response.

“We know he will reject us,” I reminded her. “He’s already done so many times…”

“Maybe not this time,” my wolf said with so much foolish hope that I felt I might choke on it. “Maybe he will see how much he missed us.”

That hope, fool as it was, was infectious. Even now, knowing everything that has happened, I couldn’t help but wish Lucian would finally see the value in me, in us, and recognize that we were enough to fight for.

Yet, in the next moment, he glanced away from me, and my hope was dashed.

“We have mutually rejected each other,” Lucian said. “That much is true.”

“I told you,” Sheila added cruelly.

Lucian’s POV

If it had been up to me, I would have kept this secret well-guarded until after the divorced had been finalized, as had been my original intent. But with everyone calling Sheila a liar and asking for her exile, I had to sacrifice this secret to protect Sheila.

I wasn’t proud of it, and the hurt in Aria’s eyes was not lost to me. But she had Jasper to protect her now. For my part, for my guilt, I still owed too much to Sheila to cast her aside and let her be torn apart by rumors and gossip. And, in part, by Sheila’s own words.

She had brought this hatred down upon herself with her cruelty and impatience. If she had listened to me about Dr. A and not spoken out against her, she would not have so many enemies now. I was exhausted, feeling like I had to defend her at every turn, all because she couldn’t stop herself from hogging the spotlight for two whole minutes.

Yet, even knowing she was responsible, I still had to hold my tongue. I owed her too much. My sacrifice here was only a small part of it. Perhaps, in time, I could finally know peace.

Not today, however.

And not likely anytime soon.

Hurting Aria was only one effect of my defending Sheila here. The second came in the form of the disappointment shining in my mother’s eyes. Even as she held my gaze, her hand reached out for Aria’s. Aria took it.

I knew Mom preferred Aria to Sheila, and I couldn’t blame her. Sheila had a temper and could lash out without apologizing afterwards. Aria was much more refined and sweet. She’d always cared about my parents.

But Mom had to understand that this situation was bigger than all of us. Aria wanted someone else. If I had denied her the rejection, she would have slowly come to resent me – if she didn’t already.

I was so tired of making her miserable.

Yet, even now, that seemed to be all I was good at.

Dad, meanwhile, was turning red in the face with his rage. “What right is it of yours,” he demanded of Sheila, “to tell others of this news? News that is not yours to share?”

Sheila lifted her chin.

I held his arm out to her, stopping her before she could reply.

Sheila kept her mouth closed.

I opened mine, but not a single word came out.

Because in that very moment, Dad grabbed his chest, right over his heart, and fainted.