CHAPTER 6 - Nothing Prepared Me For This
1164 Words
ELENA
I hadn’t cared about my stolen bag or everything inside it. Those were only material things.
But my ring…
That was when it all hit me.
My ring, along with the documents for Aria’s custody, were both things that could not end up in someone else’s hands.
How do I ask for Aria’s custody without the papers? And even worse, without the ring I was supposed to return?
Sandra’s visit had made one thing clear. Either way, I was doomed.
No one would believe me, especially with how conveniently the timing of everything was.
I had Aria’s nanny dismissed.
After bathing her, dressing her, and styling her hair, I fed her and sat with her through her favorite shows, forcing myself to stay present until she finally fell asleep.
Her soft breaths rose and fell against my chest as she slept, my fingers absentmindedly playing with her curls while my thoughts drifted.
The weight of what I was about to do was beginning to settle deeper.
Wouldn’t it be foolish to still bring up the divorce with Adrian?
Maybe I could make up an excuse. Tell him I was getting the ring cleaned while I figured out how to track the thieves.
As for the custody papers, Mum’s lawyer had already sent a copy to my mail.
Still, all of it was risky.
After a while, I carried Aria to her room, but instead of laying her in the crib, I lay on the plush mat beside it with her still resting on my chest.
I did not even realize when sleep took me.
Somewhere in the middle of it, a howl jolted me awake.
What was that?
My heart raced.
Aria was not on my chest.
I sat up so fast it made me dizzy, my eyes scanning the room frantically.
Then I saw her, safely tucked inside her crib.
My hands instinctively went to my chest, and I slowly released the breath I had been holding.
Someone must have moved her while I was asleep.
That was when I noticed the blanket draped over my legs.
My frown deepened.
Only Adrian did that.
He always found my blanket habits ridiculous. The way I preferred covering only my legs because covering my whole body made me feel trapped.
He would shake his head and tease me about being a scaredy-cat.
Another howl echoed through the house, making me jump to my feet.
I hurried downstairs, almost crashing into a maid.
“Did you hear that?” I asked, my eyes wide, my breathing a little too fast.
“Yes…” she said quietly, barely meeting my gaze. “It’s the Alpha.”
“Adrian is back?”
“Yes.”
Something in my stomach twisted.
He only howled like that when something upset him deeply.
I needed him calm, especially for what I planned to discuss tonight.
Mum’s voice echoed in my head.
If you’re going to do this, do it while you’re still in the position to.
If he truly planned to take the heiress as his new Luna, then I had to do this before I became irrelevant. Before no one cared enough to hear me out.
A door opened upstairs and shut almost immediately.
It sounded like the one to his study.
He must have come in through the back.
I hesitated, torn and uncertain if this was really the right time.
Did I really want to do this?
But my feet moved anyway.
Sandra’s visit was enough reason. The next time she came here, it would be to take my place.
As I approached his study, I noticed wet footprints trailing toward the door.
He had shifted.
He probably went for a run.
He only did that when he was furious or overwhelmed.
Definitely not the best time to talk.
Still, I knocked before I could change my mind.
Maybe because I wanted to know why he was so upset.
Maybe because I wanted him to turn me away himself, so I could remind myself there was nothing left to hold on to.
The door opened sooner than I expected.
Adrian stood there, his expression unreadable, his face empty of emotion.
Seeing him like that made something ache in my chest.
There was a time his eyes would light up at the mere sight of me.
“I… I want to talk to you,” I said softly. “Is now a good time?”
Surprisingly, he turned and walked back inside, leaving the door open.
“Come in.”
I stepped in and closed the door behind me.
The room was dimly lit. Most of the light came in from the windows and the balcony.
It was chilly and filled with his scent, cedar and oud. Rich and dominant as always.
The adjustable bed at the other end of the room was a painful reminder of how long he had been sleeping away from our marital room.
How did things get this bad?
“I have something to tell you too,” he said, his eyes fixed on me. “I’ll go first.”
I almost smiled despite the tension.
Typical Adrian.
He never believed in ladies first especially during conversations. He always liked getting his part out of the way first.
But then panic slowly crawled up my chest at the thought of what he was about to say.
Earlier, he had told me we had guests without giving any explanation. Maybe he was finally about to.
I already knew who they were and what they meant to him, but I still wanted to hear it from him.
Maybe it was the sadness in his eyes. Maybe it was something else I could not explain.
“Sure,” I said quietly.
It was better to go last anyway. That way, I could return straight to my room after saying my piece.
He handed me a white envelope.
“What’s this?”
My stomach tightened.
Was he already serving me divorce papers?
But the envelope was too small for that. From what I knew, divorce papers came in file-sized envelopes.
“Open it. It’s my doctor’s report,” he said simply.
My breath hitched, my pulse beginning to race and I received the cold envelope.
Doctor’s report?
The papers shook as I pulled it out, evidence of my trembling hands.
The bold hospital heading blurred as the room suddenly felt too warm.
“What is this?” I asked, unable to read the rest, my voice barely steady. “Can you just tell me what it is?”
He looked straight at me, his face blank.
“I’m dying, Elena.”
For a second, I forgot how to breathe. My ears rang along with every object in the room.
“What?”
I was not even sure if I had said it out loud.
His gaze never left mine, but a little flick on the side of his jaw betrayed him.
“I have three months.”
- Writer
