Chapter 72\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou two are getting pretty close, aren\u2019t you?\u201d I said, looking between Lance and Cassian. We were sitting at the patio table in the courtyard, enjoying the nice weather and some snacks while we played cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t try to distract from the game with small talk,\u201d Lance teased. \u201cJust because you\u2019re losing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not losing,\u201d I scoffed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou absolutely are,\u201d Cassian replied with a slight smirk. \u201cYou\u2019re pretty terrible at this, actually.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI barely remember the rules! Of course I\u2019m terrible at it,\u201d I replied defensively, though I wasn\u2019t actually upset. Hanging out with the two of them was the only comfort I\u2019d had in the last few weeks, besides Rae\u2019s visits. But those were a little tense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was insistent that I leave as soon as possible, even offered to sneak me out in the middle of the night, but I refused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t that I didn\u2019t want to go, I just didn\u2019t want to take any unnecessary risks. Until we had a solid plan in place, leaving on my own wasn\u2019t going to keep my baby safe. Sneaking off into the night without a plan or a place to go would only put us in more danger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae didn\u2019t see it that way, though. In her mind, the worst possible thing that could happen was Nolan finding out the truth. Maybe I shouldn\u2019t have told her about the argument we had when I tried to tell him\u2014it had only strengthened her resolve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re spacing out again,\u201d Lance said, pulling my attention back to the game. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on in that head of yours, space cadet?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust thinking about how pathetic my life has gotten-that you\u2019re the best company I can find,\u201d I replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance put his hand over his heart dramatically. \u201cHow cruel. And here I am, going out of my way to be nice to you.\u201d Cassian huffed a quiet laugh and shook his head at us. \u201cYou\u2019re both dramatic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s ganging up on me today,\u201d Lance whined. \u201cAll I\u2019m doing is trying to keep you two from brooding in your rooms all day. It\u2019s nice out-come get some sun, eat some sweets, play cards. I went out of my way, and here you are mocking me. I don\u2019t know why I put up with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian and I shared an amused look at Lance\u2019s complaining. We knew he wasn\u2019t serious, he was just playing it up to break the tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he was right. Cassian hardly ever left the pack house, which was fair, the media wouldn\u2019t leave him alone when he did. And I just didn\u2019t have the will to go out right now, not with everything still fresh in my mind from the doctor, and the pressure of deciding the future weighing on me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If it weren\u2019t for Lance, I\u2019d still be shut up in my room right now, missing out on the sunshine and the singing birds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEat another pastry,\u201d Lance said, shoving the tray toward me. \u201cThe sugar will improve your mood. Unless you think you\u2019re sweet enough already.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rolled my eyes at him and selected a blueberry scone from the tray.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet back to the game,\u201d Cassian said, nudging Lance. He looked past me, exchanging a glance with him that I\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 12\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
couldn\u2019t interpret, but it made me smile. They seemed to really be becoming friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was happy for them. As stressful and ridiculous as the last few weeks had been, at least it seemed like something good was coming out of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could hear laughter and voices drifting from the courtyard before I even reached the door. It was becoming a regular hangout spot for Ellie and Cassian. The two of them seemed to be spending more and more time together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That annoyed me for more reasons than I cared to admit, but right now I was just glad she was out of her room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I reached the glass door, I saw Lance with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My irritation spiked immediately. His attitude toward me had only grown more hostile since Felicity left. The way he looked at me lately-barely concealed disgust-it was like old times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie, though, was different. Ever since our conversation, her reactions hadn\u2019t been anything I expected. When I explained my reasoning for rejecting her, she\u2019d almost seemed\u2026 relieved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I honestly didn\u2019t know if Ellie even believed in the goddess. I had never bothered to ask. Religion was never really part of our lives beyond the obligations we performed at large gatherings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now that I thought about it, there was a lot about Ellie I didn\u2019t know. Things I\u2019d never cared to know. She probably wasn\u2019t very invested in goddess worship, seeing as she never insisted on a proper ceremony for our marriage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then again, I hadn\u2019t given her much choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking at her now, I realized I was staring at a stranger. A stranger I had spent the last few years of my life with. The feeling was\u2026 unsettling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should have left her to her game. They looked like they were having fun. But the moment the thought crossed my mind, Lance leaned over with a broad grin and casually draped an arm around Ellie\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her smile widened at the contact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The growl that rose in my chest startled even me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In an instant, I was out the door, storming toward the patio table. All three of them snapped their heads up as the atmosphere shattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shouldn\u2019t care. Ellie was my wife in name only. But just like every other time I saw a man too close to her, my blood boiled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere you are,\u201d I snapped at Lance. \u201cWe need to talk. Now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The way his eyes darkened only stoked my own fury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever it is, it can wait,\u201d Lance shot back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hell it can,\u201d I said coldly. \u201cIt\u2019s about your marriage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance scoffed, rolling his eyes as he stood. His shoulders were stiff, posture aggressive. \u201cDon\u2019t bullshit me. The only reason you stormed out here like that is because you\u2019re jealous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJealous?\u201d I repeated, incredulous. \u201cWhat the hell would I have to be jealous of?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that Ellie is actually having a good time with us,\u201d Lance said, voice sharp. \u201cWhen\u2019s the last time she\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 12\u00a0<\/p>\n
smiled at you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to me, you\u00a0<\/p>\n
bastard-\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you listen.\u201d He took an aggressive step forward. \u201cYou might be used to using that Alpha growl to get your way with everyone else in this house, but it doesn\u2019t work on me-and you know it. If you want to throw a fit because you don\u2019t like what you\u2019re seeing, keep it to yourself. It has nothing to do with us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything that happens in this pack is my business,\u201d I replied coldly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot everything,\u201d Lance said, defiant. \u201cEspecially not when it comes to Ellie. You forfeited the right to be jealous of her a long time ago.\u201d (1\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tension between us crackled in the air. I could feel Ellie and Cassian watching, waiting for my response. My anger was threatening to spill over, and I didn\u2019t trust myself not to escalate it further.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to discuss your arrangement,\u201d I said at last, forcing my voice level.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I turned and walked back inside, leaving the three of them to deal with the wreckage of my interruption.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 72 Chapter 72\u00a0 Ellie POV\u00a0 +25 Bonus\u00a0 \u201cYou two are getting pretty close, aren\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unremembered-mate-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23641\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}