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

faints again? It’s your child that’d be at risk, Ares. I can’t have that on my conscience.”
I start to fill my suitcase, throwing things into it without thinking. The mere idea of being around
Hannah right now makes my skin crawl. “Besides, I need to think about whether this is truly what I
want. There’s no doubt in my mind that I love you, Ares.” I pause and turn to face him. “But let me
give you a moment of honesty. I’m not sure our love can survive her. She tore us apart once, and we
both know she won’t stop until she does it again. What kind of life is that? Your wife and the mother
of your child fighting at every turn? What kind of environment would that create for your son or
daughter? What about me? What toll will it take on me to constantly be fighting with my sister? To
have her sabotage my marriage?”
Ares drops down to his knees in front of me and grabs my hands. “I know how hard it is, baby. I
know I shouldn’t even be asking this of you, considering everything you’ve been through so far,
everything you have yet to endure, but I’m not above begging. I can’t see a life without you, Raven.
I’m begging you. Please, let’s find a way to get through this together.”
I shake my head and pull my hand out of his. “I need some space, Ares. All I’m asking for is a
little bit of space to think about what I want. All my life, I’ve catered to everyone I loved, but not
once has anyone asked me what I want out of life. Even marrying you was something I was told to do.
I’m tired of living my life by other people’s rules. I can’t keep doing this. All my life, I’ve been
manipulated, forced to conform until I fit in the boxes others built for me. And I did it — with a smile
on my face. What for? What did I do it for, Ares? This marriage has cost me my sanity and my career,
and that would be worth it if I’d got you in return, but I didn’t. Even now, after the price I’ve been
forced to pay, it’s the three of us in this marriage. It always will be. As the mother of your child,
she’ll always be a part of our lives. And I… I don’t know if that’s something I can live with.”
Ares stares down at the floor, still on his knees in front of me. “One week,” he says, his voice
soft. “I’ll give you one week to think things through while I fix the mess Hannah caused.” He looks up
at me. “But you should know that no matter what you decide, I will never be with her. I will never
give her another chance. For the rest of my life, you are the only woman I will love. I know I’ve hurt
you, Raven. I know I made you promises that I forgot about, but that will never happen again. You are
my entire world, and I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure that I’m deserving of you, that
I’m worth coming back to.”
I smile at him, the feeling bittersweet. “You were always worth it,” I whisper. “And I will always
love you. I just need to ensure that the life I’m choosing to live is one that allows me to love myself
too. Being around Hannah makes me lose sight of who I am, Ares. Can’t you see?”
He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing my hand with such tenderness that it brings
tears to my eyes. I see the pleas in his eyes, the silent promises.
“I will fix this,” he tells me. “So come home to me in a week, okay?”