Chapter 3
Aria returned to her empty apartment alone.
Moonlight streamed through the floor to ceiling windows, casting fractured shadows across the hardwood.
She mechanically unwrapped her blood soaked bandages and roughly cleaned the reopened wound.
Then she walked to her dresser and pulled out a small tin box from the deepest drawer.
Everything inside belonged to Adrian.
A movie ticket stub. A shirt button. Several yellowing photographs.
She traced his gentle smile in the photos, her fingertips trembling slightly.
“Just wait a little longer, Adrian… I’ll be there soon.”
Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Lucas’s name lit up the screen.
“Pick up some desserts Madison likes and bring them to Blue Bay Club.”
The call ended abruptly, giving her no chance to refuse.
Outside, rain poured down in sheets.
Aria stood at the window watching the storm, then silently grabbed her umbrella and walked into the deluge.
She stood in line at the trendy bakery for nearly an hour, soaked to the bone and shivering, just to get Madison’s specific order.
When she arrived at the club, still dripping wet, Madison accepted the bag with a casual glance.
“I heard the girls talking about how you’ll do absolutely anything Lucas asks,” Madison said, looking Aria up and down with amusement, “I never believed the rumors before.”
She turned to Lucas with a coy smile. “But now I see they weren’t exaggerating at all.”
Lucas sat deep in the leather sofa, long legs crossed, swirling amber liquid in his crystal glass.
He glanced at Aria once, his expression unreadable.
Madison tried a bite of the dessert and frowned. “This is too sweet. I don’t want it anymore.”
She looked up at Aria with innocent eyes. “Could you get me something from that other place? The one that’s less cloying?”
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My ilustianit
Chapter 3
Aria stood silent for two seconds, then nodded. “Of course.”
She turned and walked back into the rain.
The second time she returned, Madison shook her head again. “This doesn’t taste fresh…”
The third time: “I think you got the wrong flavor?”
The fourth time…
ria stood there completely drenched, her fingertips white with cold, breathing out visible puffs in the frigid air.
Madison finally stopped complaining and smiled with satisfaction. “Thank you so much, Aria.”
he curled into Lucas’s arms, voice sweet as honey: “Lucas, I’ve thought of the ninety–eighth task.”
What is it?” Lucas’s voice was low and warm.
I want you to drink everything on this table.”
he air turned to ice.
ucas’s friends shot to their feet, chairs scraping loudly against the carpet.
Madison, are you fucking insane? You know Lucas is allergic to alcohol!”
I know,” Madison blinked innocently. “But I want a man who loves me completely. If he’s allergic but still drinks or me, doesn’t that prove how much he cares?”
You-” Someone started to slam the table, but Lucas was already reaching for his glass.
Madison’s right,” one friend exploded. “Last time Lucas fought that professional boxer for you, he broke two ribs! The time before that, he nearly broke his leg skydiving! When is enough enough? Are you trying to kill him before
e stops loving you?!”
Madison’s eyes immediately filled with tears as she clutched Lucas’s sleeve. “Lucas, I didn’t mean it like that… I just…”
‘I’ll drink it.”
Lucas raised the glass, his throat working as the amber liquid disappeared. His pale skin immediately flushed an unhealthy red, and his breathing became labored.
“Lucas!” everyone shouted.
As he reached for the second glass, a slender figure suddenly blocked his path.
Aria grabbed the glass, her knuckles white with the force of her grip.
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My Husband’s Guide to Losing a Perfectly Good Wife in Five Easy Steps
10.6
Chapter 3
“Move,” Lucas commanded, his voice rough
“You’re allergic. If you die, you can’t love her anymore. Is that what you want?”
She turned to Madison. “One glass enough proves his devotion. If he keeps drinking, the allergic reaction will kill
him.”
So let me replace him to drink the rest.”
Madison seemed convinced by the logic and shrugged. “Fine. You drink it.”
Aria pulled allergy medication from her coat pocket and pressed it into Lucas’s palm without room for argument.
Then she grabbed the bottle and tilted her head back, pouring the alcohol straight down her throat.
The liquor burned like fire, but she forced herself to swallow bottle after bottle while the room watched in horrified
alence.
ucas gripped the medication package until his knuckles went white.
He watched Aria’s increasingly pale face, his chest tightening with an emotion he couldn’t name.
All these years, this woman had silently stepped between him and harm, absorbing every blow meant for him.
He’d thought her devotion meant nothing to him, but now, watching her drain glass after glass, something felt odged in his throat.
He tugged at his tie irritably, trying to ignore the strange sensation in his chest, repeating to himself-
He loved Madison, not Aria.
He could never love Aria.
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