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

“Is he serious right now?” Silas asks.
Alanna bursts out laughing. “Oh, come on, Si,” she says. “This is exactly the kind of thing you
would do. I think it’s cute.”
I start to pace, my heart wavering. More than anything, I want to go to him and throw myself into
his arms, but if I do that, I also need to have the courage to deal with everything that comes with it.
“Um, Rave?” Lex says, pointing out the window.
I walk onto the balcony and stare at the helicopter approaching us, a banner attached to it. It reads
7 days. 168 hours. Tell me you’re still mine.
Valentina smiles. “I mean, you asked for a week, and he gave it to you. Can’t blame the man for
showing up the second your time is up.”
Luca joins me on the balcony and throws his arm around me. “How do you feel, Rave?”
I smile at him. “You know what? I think I’m ready to go home to my husband. Being in the midst of
it made it hard to see, but the good still outweighs the bad. It always will. The first few years might
be tough, but I think I can bear with it if it means spending the rest of my life with the man of my
dreams. I’m terrified, and I’m well aware it won’t be easy, but it’s worth it. He’s worth it.”
He breathes a sigh of relief and drops his head against mine. “Thank God,” he says. “I don’t think
he’d survive losing you.”
The helicopter flies back toward us, until it’s hovering above the balcony. A ladder is thrown out,
and my eyes widen when Ares climbs down it.
“Fucking shit,” Silas grunts. “He used the banner to draw us out onto the balcony. He wanted to
know if you were here. Clever fucking asshole.”
I smile up at the helicopter and shake my head. He promised me he’d never let me go, and he
hasn’t. Part of me thought he’d be relieved if I walked away, and that he might take that chance to
reunite with Hannah. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Silas smiles at me and shakes his head. “Your mind is made up, huh?”
I nod. “It is.”
“I’ll be honest with you, Raven. I wish you’d reconsider. My brother and I get on well now, but
for some time, I had to cut him out of our lives. If I hadn’t done that, he never would’ve learned his
lesson. Your sister won’t either.”
“I know,” I tell him. “But it’s different when I choose to endure her. Maybe it’s crazy, but I think
I’m going to be okay, because I’m stepping back into the madness by choice.”
Ares jumps off the ladder and onto the balcony, pausing for a moment when he sees four of his
siblings standing next to me.
“Well, shit,” Luca and Lex both say at the same time, but Sierra and Zane merely stare him down,
both of them on either side of me.
“I’ll deal with you later,” Ares tells his siblings as he walks toward me. I take him in, my eyes
roaming over the dark circles underneath his eyes, the longing in his gaze. I’ll have to go through hell
to be with him, but I’m about to do it with a smile on my face.
“Raven,” he murmurs, almost as though he can’t believe I’m standing in front of him. “One single
week without you was enough for me to know that I cannot spend a lifetime without you by my side.
My life isn’t worth living if you’re not in it. I fucked up, baby. I can see that now. I never should’ve
allowed Hannah access to you, and instead of obeying Grandma’s orders, I should’ve taken you away
from home. I swear to you, I cut all ties with Hannah. I’ve ensured that all communication runs
through Grandma, regardless of what it’s about. I’ve put an entire team in place to assist her, and I’ve
assigned her a full-time doctor, so you don’t need to worry about your sister’s health. I told her that it