Confusion flickers through her eyes. “Ares… please don’t be mad at me.”
I walk past her and take a seat, not bothering to pull out her chair for her like I usually would. Hannah stares at me for a moment before joining me at the table.
“Ares…”
“Where were you?” I ask her. “On our wedding day, where were you?”
She looks away and wraps her arms around herself, her eyes filling with tears. “I genuinely didn’t think they’d make Raven do this,” she says, her voice trembling. “I’d just landed my dream role, and I was just trying to stall. I thought this would be the only way to do it. So long as you weren’t involved, your grandmother wouldn’t punish you for my actions.”
I lean back in my seat and stare at her. I’ve loved her for so many years, but I’m starting to wonder if that’s only because we forced this relationship. “You gambled, and you lost, Hannah.”
She smiles at me and tilts her face. “It was unexpected, but Raven won’t mind getting a divorce in three years. It’s only slightly derailed our plans. Raven and you used to hang out every once in a while, so there’s no reason we can’t do the same. No one needs to know.”
I cross my arms and smile humorlessly. “Are you asking me to cheat on my wife with you? You want to be my mistress, Han?”
Her eyes flash with anger. “She isn’t really your wife,” she snaps. “Besides, it’s not like Raven will mind. Or are you planning to remain celibate for three years?”
My thoughts involuntarily turn back to the dream I had last night. No, there’s no way I’m staying celibate. “Hannah. You’ve always known that marriage is sacred in the Windsor family, and I’m no exception. I won’t cheat on my wife, regardless of who she is. I’ll treat her with the respect she deserves. You chose to walk away from us, and Raven and I were left to deal with the consequences.”
“I messed up, Ares. I know I did… but this… you and I have been together for as long as I can remember. I don’t understand. Are you seriously telling me you want to be with my sister in that way?”
I run a hand through my hair. “No,” I tell her. “I’m telling you that you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. You made your choice, so you’ll live with the consequences. Maybe, you and I can be together in three years, or maybe we’ll realize that our relationship was over long before you walked away. I honestly don’t know, Han. What I do know is that I’m done humoring you.”
“Ares, what does that even mean?”
“It means that we’re over. The moment I married Raven, you became my sister-in-law, whether you like it or not.”
She stares at me, wide-eyed. “Ares, I know you’re mad, but don’t do this.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t do this, Hannah. You did.”
She reaches for my hand and entwines our fingers. “Ares, I don’t want to lose you. Please, give me a chance to make this right. Please, honey. This… can’t you see how insane this all is? I can’t lose you. I don’t even know who I am without you.”
I smile tightly. “We can try being friends, Han, but that’s the best I can do.”
“Friends?” she asks, confused. “How could you and I possibly be friends?”
Yeah, how could we? After everything we’ve been through, how do we find a way to stay in each other’s lives without hurting each other, without hurting Raven?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Raven
Sierra’s door swings open moments after I press my finger to the scanner, and I walk in with my arms overflowing with snacks.
“Raven?” She sits up on the sofa and puts her laptop away, a frown on her face. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be all loved up with Ares?”
I huff as I sink down on the sofa, and she holds her arms open for me, offering me a hug. I throw myself into her arms and squeeze tightly, not sure what to say to her.
“That bad, huh?”
I nod and tighten my grip on her. “He’s with her right now.”
Sierra pulls me off her to look me in the eye. “He’s what?”
“He’s having dinner with her tonight.”
“You must be kidding,” she says, her voice terse. “He went for dinner with her a day after you two got married? What the hell? Where are they?”
“Don’t,” I warn her. “Don’t be crazy today. I’m here because I didn’t want to be alone in the Hannah Shrine he calls his home. Can we just watch some stupid reality TV show and eat snacks that I shouldn’t be eating at all?”
Sierra narrows her eyes before she grabs my bag of chips and throws it across the room. “Now is not the time for snacks, Raven. You spent years loving my brother quietly. You’re his wife now, Rave. In the Windsor family, that actually means something. All we need to do is make sure Grandma finds out where he is right now, and I can guarantee he’ll never even attempt to see her again. You’re Grandma’s eldest daughter-in-law, and there’s no way she’ll allow Ares to mistreat you in any way.”
I hesitate for a moment, wanting to choose the easy road but knowing it isn’t the right thing to do. “Sierra.” I shake my head. “Let’s not do that, okay? Forcibly keeping him away from her won’t work in my best interests. He’ll just want to be with her that much more, and the last thing I need is for him to go behind my back.”
Sierra purses her lips but manages to bite her tongue. “Come with me.”
I sigh as I follow her into her bedroom. I can tell by her terse posture that she’s concocting some kind of plan, and I’m not sure I should get caught up in any of her nefarious ideas.
“Here.” She holds up a department store bag. “I bought this for you earlier today. I had a feeling you’d be needing it.”
I peek inside the bag, my eyes widening when I realize what I’m looking at. I pull the lacy sleepwear out and chuckle. “This is… this is outrageous.” I burst out laughing as I stare at the scraps of fabric in my hands. “I’ve done a lot of underwear modeling and this is ridiculous even for me.” I reach into the bag and hold up one of the thongs she bought me. “What’s the point of this even? It doesn’t have a crotch.”
Sierra wiggles her eyebrows. “Easy access.” She takes the bag from me and rummages through it, taking out two nightgowns she bought me, one white and the other red. “These are both going to look beautiful on you. They’re revealing enough to make it impossible for Ares not to notice your body.”
I bite down on my lip as I reach for the red nightgown. “I’m not sure,” I tell her. Hannah and I have very different body types. She’s a little shorter than I am, and when she isn’t on a strict diet for a role, she’s much curvier than I am. I’m not sure Ares would find me appealing after being with someone like my sister. “I’m not sure highlighting my body is a good idea.”
Sierra snatches the gown back from me, her eyes flashing with anger. “You’re an idiot,” she snaps. “You’re one of the most beautiful women alive, and I’m not even being biased. You’ve been named that by several magazines. Channel the confidence you exude on the runway, Rave.”