Chapter 64

Elara

Alaric’s announcement landed like a punch to the gut.

“She’s been through so much, Elara,” he said softly, his hand brushing my shoulder and giving it a squeeze that I barely felt. “It’s temporary, just until we figure everything out.”

I blinked up at him, unsure whether I had just misheard him. First our wedding had to be postponed due to the fact that his wife was still alive after all these years, our own marriage certificate was rendered null and void, and now this.

“You’re giving up the master bedroom?” I choked out, hardly daring to utter the words.

“She’s been held captive for years, and she needs the space,” he explained gently. “Plus, when the house burned down, I had it rebuilt to look exactly the same as before. I figured she could use the comfort of her old bedroom.”

Comfort. That word lodged itself in my head, and I wondered… What about my comfort? This was my house now, too, and I had already given up so much. Still, I swallowed hard, forcing a smile. “Of course,” I said quietly. “That makes sense.”

With a soft sigh, Alaric stepped closer, his presence enveloping me in the way that always made me feel better. His hand rose to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing the corner of my mouth. “It won’t be for long, I promise. Just until she finds her footing. And I’ll be sleeping with you, not her.”

I managed a small chuckle. I wasn’t sure if I had been expecting him to sleep with her, but I wouldn’t lie—the thought had crossed my mind.

“That… makes me feel a little better,” I admitted.

His lips curved into the faintest smile. Before I could pull away, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek. It was warm, familiar, and made everything feel just a little bit less horrible. “Thank you, love.”

I nodded, ignoring the uncomfortable sting that was blooming in my chest as he turned and strode toward the hallway, his footsteps echoing softly in his wake.

The master bedroom had become our space over the past months. It wasn’t just the largest room in the house; it was where we had stolen countless quiet moments, shared unmentionable secrets, and forged the fragile beginnings of whatever it was we had now.

Packing up my things felt like erasing all of that, as if I were slowly unwinding the threads that had tethered us together.

Still, I worked quickly, moving my belongings to one of the smaller guest rooms down the hall. The room wasn’t unpleasant in the slightest—it was cozy, with soft cream walls and a window that overlooked the garden—but it lacked the warmth of the master suite.

I set an armful of my things down and glanced around, inhaling deeply. This was fine. I could make it work. For the girls, for Alaric, even for Sarah. He said it was only temporary, and I trusted him.

By the time I returned to the master bedroom to retrieve the last of my things, Sarah had already begun moving in. Her suitcases were open, their contents spilling out onto the bed, and she stood near the dresser, arranging a collection of framed photographs.

One caught my eye—a picture of her with Alaric and Ella, back when Ella was barely old enough to walk. Sarah’s smile was radiant, her hand resting lightly on Alaric’s arm.

I hesitated in the doorway, wondering if I was intruding. And also wondering how, if she was held captive all these years, she still had so many belongings of her own.

“Oh, Elara,” she said brightly, glancing over her shoulder before I could slip away unseen. “I hope you don’t mind. Alaric told me you’d already started moving your things.”

“Not at all,” I replied quickly, plastering on a smile. “I just came to grab a few last items.”

Her smile widened, but her eyes remained oddly blank. “Thank you for being so understanding. You’re such a darling; I see what Alaric sees in you.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just nodded and crossed the room to gather the remaining pieces of my life that hadn’t already been displaced. I could feel her gaze on me as I worked.

“Alaric mentioned how much Ella adores you,” Sarah continued. Her words were nothing short of conversational and polite, but something about her tone had me feeling… off. “It’s good to know she has had someone to look after her while I’ve been… gone.”

“She’s a wonderful girl. It’s been a joy to finally be a part of my biological daughter’s life. I’m sure you feel the same about Zoe.”

Sarah stared at me for a moment, something unreadable in her gaze. Whatever it was, it had me stiffening ever so slightly. But the moment passed just as quickly as it had come, and she turned back to her photographs, her fingers brushing lightly over the frames as she adjusted them.

I slipped out of the room as quickly as I could without seeming rude, my heart pounding in my chest. The hallways felt narrower than usual, like the walls were closing in on me as I made my way back to the guest room. Once inside, I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, exhaling slowly.

It was fine. Everything was fine. This was just temporary; Alaric was going to divorce Sarah, and our wedding would resume once that was over. The baby in my belly would still live here, in this house, with two parents who loved each other. I could still be with both Ella and Zoe. All that would change was Sarah’s presence, and I could live with that; she deserved to see the girls, too.

I repeated those words to myself like a mantra, willing them to drown out the gnawing ache in my chest.

Alaric was gone for the rest of the day, getting started on the paperwork for the divorce. I stayed in our new room most of the day, only coming out to play with the girls when they asked.

At least, even if everything else was in shambles, the girls preferred spending their time with me. Zoe didn’t know Sarah at all despite being her biological daughter, so she was nothing more than a confusing stranger. And Ella didn’t seem all that interested in getting to know her, either. Sarah had gone missing before Ella could really form lasting memories.

These things would change, of course, and I was okay with that. In fact, I wanted the girls to have a good relationship with Sarah. But Sarah seemed to be keeping a respectful distance for now. At least I had that comfort.

But even then, I hated leaving my room that day. Mostly because Sarah seemed to be everywhere, and as for the servants…

Well, it was as if Sarah had never left. The servants still called her ‘Luna’, acted like she was the mistress of the house.

“Yes, of course, Luna,” one of the housekeepers said with a warm, genuine smile as Sarah poked her head out of her room and asked for tea at one point. “I’ll bring it right up to you.”

Sarah beamed appreciatively. “Thank you, Maria. It’s so nice to be home.”

“It’s nice to have you home as well,” the housekeeper replied before turning and brushing past me without so much as a second glance.

Luna.

The word felt like ice scuttling down my spine as I stood there in the hallway, watching the housekeeper’s fading form. I was never accepted this easily. Right from the start, I’d been treated like an outsider, an unwanted fixture in the house.

But Sarah… She was the true lady of the house, even now. As Alaric had said, he’d even had the house rebuilt to look exactly the same after the fire, and it showed in the way that Sarah moved around with familiar ease.

It stung. But I kept my head down, if only to keep the fragile peace.

By the time evening rolled around, I decided to distract myself by cooking dinner for the girls. They practically begged me to make chicken cutlets, and after such a long and confusing day for all of us, I accepted with a gracious smile.

But as I stepped into the kitchen, the sight that greeted me brought me to an abrupt halt.

Sarah was already standing at the counter, a cutting board in front of her and a knife in hand. She was chopping vegetables, humming softly to herself as she worked.

When I entered with the girls trailing cautiously behind me, Sarah looked over her shoulder, her eyes flashing with that strange look again. But whatever it was, she schooled it quickly.

“Who’s ready for dinner?” she asked, dumping the vegetables into a large pot of soup on the stove.