Chapter 13
Arthur & Iris
Arthur
The moment the phone begins to ring, Iris lunges toward it like her life depends on it. Her finger smashes the ‘decline call‘
button, turning the screen dark before I can see the name lighting it up.
“What was that?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
Iris lifts her chin defiantly, as if I’ve just asked her to tell me her social security number. “Nothing,” she says.
I stare at her for a moment in silence, unsure of what to make of it. She quickly slips her phone into her pocket, and the way her
fingers tremble ever so slightly betrays her true emotions.
Something is going on with her. She is not only lying to me, but she’s also acting blatantly defensive.
And for what? She was the one who took off out of nowhere, leaving our life behind so she could abort our baby. And she’s clearly
living off the wealth of that Brian guy and his husband now. I can already see her true colors, clearer than any of those paintings
of hers.
She has nothing left to hide, and yet here she is, treating a simple phone call as if it might reveal her deepest secrets.
**You should go now,” she suddenly says, gesturing to the door.
I feel hot anger flare through me at that, along with a twinge of disdain–more toward myself than her, shockingly. I feel like a
fool, and a lovestruck one at that
After everything she has done, after the way she threw our old life away like it was nothing but trash, I orchestrated a
‘coincidental‘ meeting at the restaurant just so I could see her. I’ve let my excitement over the fact that she hasn’t gotten married
with children during our five years apart take hold of me, turning me into a witless puddle of nostalgia and longing
But no more.
I straighten my shoulders and smooth down the front of my suit jacket.
“I thought this was the case, but I truly see what you are now,” I bite out through clenched teeth. “Do whatever you want, go
wherever you want; I don’t give a shit. Just keep out of my life from now on.”
And with that, I turn on my heel and leave.
I try not to think about her amber eyes following me all the way out to my car.
Iris
#20 Bonus
Arthur lets the door slam on his way out of the apartment, sending a shuddering crash through the foyer that makes my shoulders stiffen. Even with human hearing that isn’t nearly as keen as a werewolf’s, I can hear his footsteps pounding all the
way down the hall.
Without thinking, 1 rush over to the window and peer out into the darkened street. I can see Arthur storming
sports car, and then with a rev of the engine, he speeds off into the night.
ing out to his expensive
Only once he’s fully out of sight do I remember to breathe.
With trembling fingers, I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the missed call from Miles. I’m glad that Arthur hasn’t discovered Miles‘ existence tonight, although that feeling is also edged with a touch of grief.
If things were different, if Arthur was different, then Miles could know his father.
But they aren’t. And he isn’t. And Miles will never know him–not if I can help it.
I quickly redial the number. The babysitter answers after a few rings, which surprises me; Miles always answers when I call. Both my phone and the phone I leave in the house for emergencies have special ringtones for each other, so that we can always know
precisely when the other is calling.
“Miles is a little upset,” the babysitter says with a sigh. “He thinks you don’t want to talk to him.”
The thought of my little boy thinking such a thing fills my heart with pain. I ask the babysitter to put Miles on the phone, and after some coaxing from both of us, his small voice echoes through the speaker.
“Mommy? Are you mad at me?”
“Mad at you?” I almost laugh out loud at that notion. “Baby, I could never be mad at you. I was just… busy, that’s all.”
Miles hesitates, then says in a tearful little voice, “With a cherry on top?”
My heart tightens at our code phrase. Once, when Miles was a little younger, he asked me to ‘pinky promise with a cherry on top. It was an accidental combination of the phrases “pinky promise‘ and ‘pretty please with a cherry on top‘, but it stuck. And now we
ery time we want to make sure that the other is telling the whole truth.
stly, I’m not sure if I can say it. Because I’m not telling the whole truth.
the smart boy that he is, immediately notices my hesitation. I hear a little sniffle and then the sound of footsteps pattering
he background, and a moment later, the babysitter’s voice comes through.
“He’s just missing you and feeling a little insecure tonight,” she says, which makes my eyes mist over with fresh tears. “You know how kids are, though. He’ll wake up in the morning and will have forgotten all about it.”
I tighten my jaw, because the babysitter is wrong. I know Miles, and I know he won’t forget. He never does.
Before I can answer, a text comes in from the Marsiel Gallery. I tell the babysitter to let Miles know I’ll be home as soon as possible, then hang up. The text contains the details on an upcoming seminar that the gallery is hosting in a few days, which I’ll
be attending.
2/4
+20 Bonus
I’m both excited and a little guilty for attending the seminar. I’ve worked so hard for opportunities like this, pulling myself up by
the bootstraps and working my ass off over the past five years. This seminar will be another laurel to add to my CV, and I can’t
wait. But it also means that I’ll have to be without my boy for three more days, a thought that doesn’t exactly fill me with joy.
Once again, I can’t help but think that if things were different, Miles could be here with me now.
Suddenly, the front door swings open again. Brian, Liam, Evan, and Emily sweep into the apartment like a tornado, as is
customary for them. The silence is immediately filled with the sound of chatter and laughter.
“Mommy!” Emily practically screeches when she spots me, still standing beside the front window overlooking the street. “You
missed our birthday cakes
“One moment you were there, and then next you were gone,” Evan adds.
Emily furrows her small brow. “I could smell that handsome uncle’s scent. Were you with him? Is he your secret boyfriend?”
My
face reddens, and my eyes flick up behind the kids. Liam and Brian are watching me from the doorway, both of them looking more than a little disappointed.
With a deep breath, I drop to a crouch in front of the kids and ruffle their hair. “I’m sorry I missed your cake,” I say gently. “How
about we make a cake of our own tomorrow? You won’t say no to two days of cake, will you?”
That seems to satisfy the twins, and a few moments later, Liam whisks them away to get ready for bed. Brian and I are alone
again. I sink down onto the nearest armchair, knowing I’m about to get an earful
But I don’t. Not as much as I expect, anyway.
“It seems Arthur cares about you, if he went to such lengths over a burn,” he says quietly, glancing at the mark on my thigh. It’s
really not so bad now, although it still stings.
I purse my lips, knowing there’s about to be a big but after that statement.
“But,” Brian says, just as I suspected, “he’s engaged, and from what I hear, the wedding is supposed to be coming up soon. Don’t
get involved.”
My mouth opens and closes a couple of times, and I’m not sure if I should feel offended or like I’ve just been read like a book.
Maybe both. Finally, I manage, “I’m not planning on getting involved. Trust me.”
Brian narrows his eyes at me, clearly not buying it. But he doesn’t press further.
But then, his phone buzzes, and he slips it out of his pocket. I watch as his expression goes from mild annoyance to utter shock, and when he turns to me and holds it out, I feel my stomach drop.
On the screen are photos of me and Arthur from tonight.
And the caption reads, “Is this human woman the mistress of the Alpha President?”
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Chapter 14
