The silence in the packhouse was louder than a scream.
It had been three days since Mara had returned. Three painfully slow days of watching her strut around the halls like she still belonged....like she still had a place in Aiden’s heart.
And maybe she did. But I was done wondering. Done asking. Done begging for a clarity I knew I wouldn’t receive until he was ready.
He hadn’t told me yet. The truth about him and Mara. About the baby. Everything. But I could see it in his eyes... the torment, the weight of unspoken truths eating him up.
So I did what I told myself I would do.
I stayed.
Not for Mara.
For us.
For the bond we were slowly rebuilding, one shattered piece at a time.
I
He hadn’t touched Mara since her return.
That, at least, I was certain of.
But her presence was li
