Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Aria’s POV
“Aria! Are you okay?”
Grayson stormed over and helped me up. May groaned as she scrambled up beside me.
“What happened?” His brows furrowed, eyes locked on mine.
“N–Nothing…” I mumbled. Then I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “What were you two just talking about? What’s going on with me?”
“You were eavesdropping?” Isla raised a brow.
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May shot her a glare, then turned to Grayson. “If you two weren’t keeping secrets from Aria, we wouldn’t have to eavesdrop. So seriously, what the hell is going on with her? Is she sick?!”
Grayson cupped my face gently like he’s trying to block me from the outside world, his voice soft. “Nothing’s going on. All you need to do is follow the doctor’s instructions and there’s nothing to worry about.”
That sparked a blaze of anger in me. Damn it, even his ex–wife was involved now and he was still trying to hide things?
I smacked his hand away and glared at him. “I’m not a child, Grayson. You can’t keep hiding everything from me. And seriously–do you think I’m stupid? If my wound keeps bleeding for another 2 months, you think I won’t notice something’s off?”
His frown deepened, clearly irritated. Isla stood to the side with her arms crossed, offering a delicate smile. “Grayson, I know you’re just trying to protect Aria. But clearly, she wants all the answers. You need to respect that.”
God, I hated the way she said that.
Like she was the one who truly understood Grayson. And I was just the irrational little girl throwing tantrums!
But she wasn’t wrong about one thing. I did want Grayson to respect me on this one.
“…Fine.”
He let out a long breath after a beat of silence. “I didn’t think you needed to know because I believed this thing would go away quickly. But if you insist… After the gunshot, you had a massive blood loss during surgery. Your immune system basically shut down. That’s why the bleeding wouldn’t stop, and why you’ve been so weak. The doctor warned me that it’s serious. And he’s not just talking about the wound- there’s also a series of immune–related complications that comes after that.”
Oh my dear Moon Goddess.
I slapped a hand over my mouth. May let out a quiet gasp beside me.
I knew I hadn’t been feeling right lately. I could feel how weak my wolf was. But I didn’t realize things were this bad.
“B–But how?…Why?” I stammered. “I’ve always been healthy growing up. I never had any immune issues. Maybe…Maybe the bullet was poisoned and that’s what’s causing all the troubles?”
“I thought of that too. We had the bullet tested. There was nothing wrong with it,” he said.
I bit my lip, panic rising in my chest.
He was putting it lightly but I knew if we didn’t do anything, this thing was going to cost me my life eventually.
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Chapter 85
Fucking hell. Just when I’d finally started believing things were getting better. Life threw this at my face.
Fate is such a bitch..
Grayson must’ve seen the fear in my eyes. He took my hand and squeezed it gently. “Don’t worry. I’ve already given you my blood. That should stabilize you for a while. And in the meantime, I’m reaching out to the healers from the White River Pack. They’ll figure out what’s wrong and cure you.”
“But… aren’t they like our enemies? I don’t think they’d want to help me…”
“That’s where I come in,” Isla cut in. “I’ve been friend with White River Pack’s Alpha for years. I can talk to him, convince him to come to the medical summit. Then, during the summit, I can introduce the two of you. Maybe there’s a way for us to put the past behind us and get you the help you need.”
My heart skipped a beat.
And I blurted, “No.”
The room fell dead silent after that.
After a few seconds, Isla blinked, slightly taken aback. “Excuse me? What do you mean, no?”
I swallowed, trying to keep my tone steady. “I appreciate the offer. Really. But I don’t want to owe you something so big. Let’s be honest here, we barely even know each other.”
“Oh, it’s no big deal,” she said smoothly. “It’s just a few calls, a couple meetings. I’d be happy to-”
“I mean it.” I cut her off. “This is my problem, my disease. I can take care of it myself.”
“Aria,” Grayson said sharply, clearly not pleased. “You don’t need to turn this down just yet.”
“But I have decided already.” I stared him down, stubborn. “You can’t force me to see a healer if I don’t want to.”
Anger flashed in his eyes. And then, Isla let out a soft chuckle.
“Oh. Okay. I think I get what’s going on here.” She tilted her head, her tone airy. “Grayson, your girlfriend clearly feels threatened by me.”
I glared at her.
Grayson turned to me, his eyes wide. “No. That’s nonsense.”
“That’s exactly what this is. You’re a man. So you don’t get it.” She gave a light shrug. “I told you, not everyone understands the nature of our relationship.”
“So what even is your relationship?” May snapped. “No normal divorced couple still hangs out like that. Something shady is going on here.”
I gave May a grateful look. Oh bless her my dear friend. So brave.
Isla glanced at her calmly, still looking calm and elegant. “Grayson and I weren’t like most couples. We didn’t separate because of those ugly reasons like cheating, money, violence, or fight. I guess you could say that things never got bad between us. And that’s why we can still be friends.”
God, that just made the weight in my chest worse!
“Then why did you even get a divorce?” I demanded.
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Chapter 85
“I was the one who asked for it. I was young and…I wanted to explore life beyond marriage.” She cast a regretful glance at Grayson. “I’ve always felt guilty for leaving him. So believe me when I say I want to help you, Miss Collins, I want Grayson to be happy. Even if it’s not with me.”
My hands clenched into fists.
Wanted to explore life beyond marriage… What kind of bullshit excuse was that?!
She made it sound like there was still some unbreakable bond between them. And I was just a temporary stand–in. Someone to fill her shoes when she didn’t have the time.
I snapped my head toward Grayson, fury bubbling inside me.
How could he not hear it? How could he possibly believe they were “just friends“?!
He finally spoke up, his voice low. “Isla, give us a moment. I’ll talk to you after.”
She shrugged. “Sure. I’m staying at the hotel. But don’t take too long. I’ll need time to contact White River Pack’s Alpha.”
With that, she turned to leave.
And before walking out, she even gave me one of those perfectly polished smiles, like everything we just said didn’t matter at all.
The moment the door closed behind her, I spun on Grayson. “No.”
“Don’t be childish, Aria. This is about your health,” he snapped. “Don’t tell me you’re actually jealous of Isla.”
“It’s not jealousy…She just–just bothers me! Yes, ‘bother‘ is the right word!” I cried.
“Yeah, and that whole thing was weird as hell,” May jumped in, eager to back me up. “Your ex–wife literally just kept reminding us how close they used to be. How much she understands you. If my boyfriend’s ex dared talk to me like that, I’d slap that little bitch straight across the face.”
Grayson turned to her, his eyes like ice. “This is between me and Aria. Please leave.”
“Hey! Don’t talk to my friend like that!” I snapped. “And May’s fight. It IS weird! From the reason you two divorced to how close you still are…. -I just don’t get it! If it’s possible, I’d want you two to stop talking altogether.”
“You’re acting like a three–year–old child, Aria.” He said icily.
“What? So I can’t even ask you to stay away from someone who clearly bothers me? I don’t get a say in that as your girlfriend?”
“No, not even if you were my wife. Isla and I never restricted each other from seeing friends. Because we knew that kind of demand was
unreasonable.”
What. The. Fuck.
I think I was going to explode.
Was he seriously comparing me to her right now? And calling me the unreasonable one?
Well sorry if I wasn’t as classy, poised, or understanding as his perfect, polished ex–wife!
“For your information, I’d rather bleed to death than accept her help,” I blurt. “Then maybe after I’m gone, the two of you can finally get back together!”
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་ ་འ་ས་
Chapter 85
He grabbed my jaw suddenly, his grip firm and unyielding. Anger burned in his eyes.
“Say something like that again and you’ll have some serious trouble,” he growled.
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AD
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