Chapter 12

The moment she was inside, Aria collapsed to her knees on the floor, sobbing.

Goldie sensed her pain and stayed close, quiet beside her.

Caius watched her trembling and felt something tighten in his chest.

After a long while, Aria's crying eased.

She noticed Caius had already made dinner and set it on the table. "Hungry? Come eat."

"You made this?"

Aria sniffed. She was hungry — she hadn't expected that.

She also hadn't expected Caius to cook. And it looked good.

Caius smiled. "Yeah. I figured after all that crying, you'd be starving."

"You can cook?"

"There's a lot about me you haven't discovered yet."

He slid a fork across the table and said gently, "Eat. I'll deal with your ex."

He turned and walked back out.

Aria watched his back and felt the weight in her chest ease, little by little.

In the time she'd spent with Caius, he'd become her closest friend.

He knew everything about her past.

Because he knew all of it, he'd been able to help her through the double blow of losing her pup and being betrayed.

She'd been close to putting it all behind her. She hadn't thought Ethan would come.

And he'd had the nerve to show up, wanting to get back together. He was dreaming.

She hated him. She genuinely wanted to make him pay.

But every time that hatred rose in her chest, she heard Caius's words again.

"Your life is long. Be grateful he only got five years of it, not a lifetime. The pup you lost is watching over you from somewhere good. He wants you to be happy. You need to let the past go and start fresh. Maybe when you're ready to begin again, that little soul will find his way back to you."

So no matter how much she hated Ethan, she kept herself in check. She wouldn't do anything she'd regret.

Outside, Ethan waited from dawn until dark before the door finally opened.

But the one who came out wasn't Aria. It was the man who'd been hovering around her.

"Mr. Thorne. You're still here?"

Seeing him come out like the man of the house to talk to him, Ethan's expression went cold.

He raised an eyebrow and met his eyes. "Whether I stay or go is none of your business. Who are you to Aria? What gives you the right?"

"You don't need to treat me with so much hostility. Aria and I are friends. I'm her healer — she's my patient. We've grown close over time."

Ethan laughed bitterly. "That's all? You think I'd believe that? Man to man — I know exactly what you want from Aria."

"Since you already know, I'll be direct."

Caius's voice was steady. "I have fallen for Aria. But she doesn't know. I'm not planning to tell her yet. Right now, all I want is for her to recover. Nothing beyond that."

"Her recovery is my problem. I can bring the best medical team in the territory. I don't need you to worry about her."

"Is that so?"

Caius reached up and rubbed the side of his nose. His expression stayed easy.

"It seems you don't understand her condition. Every time she sees you, every time she's reminded of your history together, she has an episode. Do you really think she'd be willing to go anywhere with you? I can tell you with certainty — every time you appear, you make her worse. If you can live with the thought of her spending the rest of her life afraid and shaking like that, then pretend I never said any of this tonight."

Ethan went quiet. He looked at the lit window inside the apartment. After a long moment, he said three words.

"I don't believe you."

"Believe it or not — that's up to you. I will do everything I can to keep Aria from being hurt again. So if I step on your toes going forward, I hope you'll understand."

With that, Caius turned and went back inside.

When he returned, Aria looked surprised.

"You came back? I thought you left."

Caius saw that most of the food was gone and felt relieved. She had an appetite — that meant tonight hadn't hit her as hard as he'd feared.

"I'm staying tonight. I'll sleep on the couch. If anyone tries to force their way in, I'll be here."

He bent down, gathering the dishes. "Go shower. Get some sleep. Tomorrow I'll take you somewhere to clear your head."

"Don't you have the clinic tomorrow?"

"Taking a few days off is fine."

Watching his back as he worked in the kitchen, Aria couldn't stop herself from asking. "Caius — we barely knew each other when we met. Why have you been so good to me?"

He heard her. He didn't answer out loud.

He just said it quietly to himself: "Because I love you, Aria. And I want to protect you. For the rest of my life."

Exactly as Caius had predicted, Ethan didn't leave that night. He stood in the street below for the entire night.

He watched Aria's window — watched the light come on and go off, watched the curtain close. Aria never once looked out. And with every minute, something in him sank.

Caius had stayed. He'd slept inside Aria's apartment.

He'd said they were just friends. So why was he spending the night under her roof?

How far had things gone between them? Would Aria ever come back to him?

His mind was a mess. By the time morning came, he'd gone through a full pack of cigarettes.

When Aria finally came out of the apartment, he was about to rush over and beg for a chance, just five minutes to talk, when his phone rang.