- ARIA
Luca’s confession still hung in the air. "I have never been with Ivy. Not then. Not now. Not ever."
The words sliced through years of assumptions, years of pain.
My brain felt scrambled, trying to recalibrate every single memory. Every harsh word, every cold shoulder, every lonely night in the guest room—it had all been filtered through the lie I believed about Ivy.
"But... why?" I whispered, looking up at him in the dim light. "Why did you let me believe it? Why did you act like you couldn't stand me?"
His grip on my chin softened slightly, his thumb stroking my jawline. "Our marriage started as a pack obligation, not a romance. The intimacy... it felt like another negotiation, another transaction. And after everything with your parents, and then the babies..." He
