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

Raven frowns as she reaches into her bag, and for a moment, I wonder if perhaps I overstepped
by posting what I did. But then she smiles and blushes a deep crimson.
“Ares,” she says, her voice husky. Fuck. She’s so fucking sexy. Even the way she says my name is
fucking perfection. “You’re crazy, aren’t you?”
I shrug. “Maybe a little.”
Her smile fades, the way it does whenever she thinks of Hannah. Rave has been carrying a lot
more guilt than I have, and her last argument with Hannah broke her heart. It was easier for me to
draw a line with Hannah than it’ll ever be for Raven.
“You’ve been working far too hard lately, and you know it’s serious when it’s coming from me.”
She nods and rubs her shoulder. “I know,” she murmurs.
I cup her cheek gently and sigh. She’s overworking herself in an effort to forget about the pain
Hannah has caused. It’s what I always used to do, so I get it, but it isn’t healthy. “I’ve got something
for you,” I tell her. “Come to the kitchen with me.”
She nods. “I have to wash off all this stage makeup on my body,” she tells me. “Give me a minute,
and I’ll meet you in the kitchen, okay?”
I press a kiss to her forehead and she walks away, her entire posture betraying the sorrow that
weighs her down. I can’t help but feel guilty for the role I played in their fall-out. How do I take away
her worries, her pain? Should I have tried harder to keep Hannah in our lives? Should we have
hidden the fact that our marriage isn’t just one of convenience, to give Hannah some more time to
work through our separation? Would that have been better?
I glance at my phone and open up my inbox, my eyes pausing on the dozens of unopened messages
from Hannah. Should I have tried harder to stay friends with her? I don’t want to be the reason Raven
loses her sister. She’s already given up so much for both Hannah and me, and I don’t understand how
Hannah doesn’t see that. The fact that Raven found a hint of happiness despite the choice Hannah
made doesn’t invalidate her sacrifice.
I grab the cupcake I had flown in from Paris and place it on the counter with a smile on my face.
Raven walks in moments later, her hair wet and a silk robe loosely tied around her. I wonder if she’ll
ever cease to mesmerize me. Will I ever be able to watch her walk into a room without my entire
damn body reacting?
“Come here.” I hold my hand out, and she takes it, her fingers curling around mine.
“You didn’t eat today, did you?”
She shakes her head.
“How much did you work out today?”
“About three hours in total.”
I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her on top of the kitchen counter. “Baby,” I whisper.
“You can’t keep doing this. It isn’t healthy, and I can’t stand seeing you this way. You’re starving and
overworking yourself. What for?”
She shakes her head and cups my cheek, her eyes on mine. “I know,” she murmurs. “I have
contracts I don’t want to walk away from, Ares, because all of these companies are also my peers
when it comes to running my own fashion line.”
I drop my forehead to her chest and sigh. If I beg her to stop, would she? Do I even have the right
to ask something like that of her?
She wraps her arms around my neck and rests her chin on top of my head. “I’m going to quit
modeling soon,” she says, and I look up sharply. She smiles at me and buries a hand in my hair. “I
worked as hard as I did because it’s all I had. I used it as an escape, Ares, but I no longer need to. My