Chapter 136
Iris
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
Suing Arthur for custody feels wrong. Cruel, even–not just to him, but to fnyself and Miles as well. Each day since I took the lawyer’s offer, I feel as if I’ve made a grave mistake.
And yet, at the same time, it feels like the only solution. The only way out from a situation that will just get worse with time.
Arthur lied to me. He hid the truth about our son, hid the truth about Selina, about our love. He lies to his people, too–he keeps me, his true mate, hidden away in exchange for political power.
Therefore, how can I trust him when he says he never intends to use the Alpha’s Heir right to take Miles from me? How do I know he’s being honest when he says he loves me and Miles, and that he just wants the family we built?
I can’t. That’s the hardest part about all of this.
I’m halfway to the car when Arthur’s footsteps pound behind me, right on cue. The sound alone makes my stomach twist, even though I knew he would try to talk to me in private. He was quiet and stoic throughout the entire meeting, but now–now that we’re alone, he thinks he can manipulate me again.
But it won’t work.
“Iris, wait!”
I don’t stop. I couldn’t even if I wanted to, because I fear that if I spend too long looking into those green eyes of his, those green irises that are so much like our son’s, that might not be as strong as I think I am.
Picking up my pace, I tighten my grip on my purse and hurry down the street. Where’s a cab when I need one?
Before I can get far, his hand catches my arm. “Iris, listen to-”
I wrench away, spinning to em, and jab my finger at the center of his chest. “Don’t touch me.”
The hurt in his eyes almost–almost–makes me falter. But I’ve seen this performance before. The wounded look. The plea. The manipulation dressed up as genuine emotion. I don’t believe any of it anymore. I can’t believe any of it.
“Why?” he demands. “Why are you doing this? Just talk to me.”
I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. Just a sharp, broken sound that scrapes my throat raw. “Talk? You want to talk now? After everything you’ve done?”
Arthur takes a step closer. He drops his voice to a velvety whisper–the very same voice that once spoke sweet nothings to me. “Please. Just explain to me what’s going on”
For a moment, as his familiar and enticing scent washes over me, something inside of me begins to waver. The fight drains out of me far quicker than I was ready for, only to be immediately replaced by a bone–deep exhaustion.
“I can’t,” I whisper. “I can’t tell you everything.”
“Try,” he says. The word isn’t a request. It’s a command–the Alpha President emerging, used to getting his way. Even though I’m not a werewolf, it works on me, and I hate that it does.
I square my shoulders and grit my teeth, making my jaw feather. “I’m afraid you’ll take Miles away from me.
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Chapter 136
Arthur’s eyes flash. “You still think I’m going to take Miles? I would never-
“Wouldn’t you?” My voice begins to rise. “You’ve lied to me about everything. His test results. Our relationship. The contract that trapped me in Ordan, Selina. How many times have you manipulated me, Arthur? How many times have you twisted the truth to get exactly what you want?”
His face falls. “That’s not fair.”
“Fair?” I repeat. The word sounds foreign, almost ridiculous. “Nothing about this has ever been fair.”
The silence between us turns thick.
“I love you,” he finally bites out. “And I love Miles. I would never-”
“Stop.” I hold up my hand, hating the way it’s trembling slightly. “Just stop. I can’t hear another lie.”
Arthur blinks, his eyes flicking to my trembling fingers and then back to my eyes. “Iris…”
Just then, I spot a cab. “Goodbye, Arthur,” I say. Before he can answer or see me cry, I quickly turn and hail the cab, climbing in as fast as possible.
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