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

Chapter Sixty
RAVEN
I park my car and stare at the front door, trying to gather the courage to walk in. All day, all I’ve
thought about is Hannah’s pregnancy, and what it means for all of us. Now, more so than ever, I’m
racked with guilt. It consumes me, spreading its poison until I’m left second-guessing every decision
I’ve made. I’ve never felt so selfish, so horrible.
When I married Ares, I wondered if there would come a day that I’d regret it. At the time, I
convinced myself that what I’d regret most would be the things I didn’t do. I couldn’t have been more
wrong.
Ares and Hannah are going to be a family, whether I like it or not. They’ll share an unbreakable
bond, and I’ll always be a third party. Because of the decision I made, I’m taking away an innocent
child’s chance to grow up with both of their parents as one united front. If I hadn’t married Ares, the
two of them would’ve found out about the pregnancy together, while they were rescheduling their
wedding. It would’ve brought them together, bridging the distance Hannah’s career had created over
the years. Maybe it still will.
I inhale shakily and open my car door. I’ve never dreaded coming home as much as I do tonight.
No matter what was going on, I’d always been eager to see Ares. Yet tonight I can’t face him.
How do I face the man I love, knowing what I did? I chose to marry him knowing that if I hadn’t,
Grandma would have forgiven Hannah and accepted her into the family, eventually. I came between
them because I was selfish, and now I’m paying the price.
I walk into the house I’ve come to love so much, the home Ares and I built, and it all feels so
impermanent. Just as I convinced myself to choose happiness, to put myself first… life showed me
that I don’t deserve it.
I tense when I hear Grandma’s voice, my heart racing. I should’ve known that it wouldn’t take her
long to find out about this. No doubt, she’ll be excited to welcome her first great-grandchild, and it’s
going to kill me to watch her fuss over Hannah. It’s like every single thing I want out of life can’t be
mine if it isn’t Hannah’s first.
I follow Grandma’s voice to the guest room and pause in the doorway. Hannah is lying in bed and
Ares is seated on the edge of it, one arm around her for support while he holds a glass to her lips. The
way he watches her, with such concern… it guts me. The patience he has with her, the care he shows