The-Wrong-Bride-Ares--Raven’s-story-(Maura,-Catharina)_bibis

me to our bedroom. He sits down at the edge of the bed and keeps me in his lap as he moves his hand
over my back soothingly. It all just makes my heart break even further.
“Raven,” he whispers, sounding pained.
I sit up in his lap and wipe away my tears as best as I can. I can’t keep hiding. I can’t keep
drowning in my pain — not if it’s of Hannah’s making.
“Hannah came to my office today.”
He tenses and locks his jaw, his expression unreadable.
“Ares… did you… d-did you give her my wedding ring?”
His eyes widen, and he cups my cheeks tenderly. “Baby,” he whispers. “I swear to you that it’s
nothing like what you might be thinking. She asked for it, and I gave it to her because I didn’t want it
to continuously remind you of her. And to be honest, Rave, I didn’t want to hang onto something like
that. I sent her mine too. I have no need for either of them.”
He strokes my cheek with the back of his fingers, his gaze pleading, as though he needs me to
believe him.
“It kills me,” I whisper. I reach for him and trail a finger over his temple, too scared to ask the
questions I need answers to. “The guilt, the pain. It’s all too much, Ares. Did I make the wrong
decision? Does a small part of you despise me for walking down that aisle instead of staying away?
Do you resent me for standing between Hannah and you?”
He opens his mouth to answer, but I place my index finger against his lips, silencing him. “Don’t,”
I whisper. “I don’t have the courage to listen to your answers, Ares. I’d rather let my fears eat me
alive than hear you confirm Hannah’s insinuations. I don’t think I can survive hearing you say that a
small part of you still loves her. I’m scared that you’ll pity me and you’ll tell me everything I want to
hear without meaning a single word. I’m scared that everything between us truly is just a duty for you.
I won’t survive you discarding me for her.”
I let my finger fall away, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks as I do so. Ares sighs and grabs my
wrists, his grip tight as he pushes them behind my back. “Are you done speaking, my love? I fucking
hope so, because it’s my turn.”
My eyes widen, and he smiles despite the traces of heartache in his eyes.
“You, Raven Windsor, are the single most unexpected yet best thing that has ever happened to me.
I wasn’t truly living before you. You drive me fucking insane in the very best way. You make me laugh
every single day, and you, my beautiful wife, make me feel things I’ve never felt before. I thought I
knew what love was, you know? I thought it meant compromise, selflessness and patience. Now I
know better. True love is maddening, all-consuming, and it’s fucking selfish, Rave. It’s impatience
and counting down the minutes until you get home. It’s being petty about all the men sliding into your
DMs and it’s fucking you raw on our brand-new sofa because I need you with an intensity that extends
beyond the physical. It’s decorating our home together and actually caring about the details, because I
want our home to be ours. It’s arguing with you when I normally would’ve let things go, simply
because when it’s you, I actually care about every single little fucking thing. That, Mrs. Windsor, is
love. Or at least, I think it is, because how else would you define the way I feel? You’re everything I
didn’t realize I needed, and now that I’ve had you, I can’t go back to a life before you. Not ever. No
matter what.”
I stare at him speechlessly, and he smirks. “Yeah,” he whispers. “I didn’t see it coming either, but
here we are, baby. You and me. It’s just you and me in this marriage, Raven. There’s no space for
anyone else, so stop letting her in. I know it hurts, and I know you love her. It isn’t easy to figure out
how to keep her in our lives when each time we see her, we’re confronted with a past we both wish