Chapter 82\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third person POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The hospital was in complete chaos. It hadn\u2019t taken long at all for them to discover that Ellie was missing, which wasn\u2019t surprising considering the guards Nolan had placed around her. He was beside himself with rage that she\u2019d been able to vanish from under his nose like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was probably for the best that he didn\u2019t want anyone near him, because Lance was sure that he, Cassian, and Rae would have a difficult time pretending to be nearly as upset as Nolan was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By now, it had been hours-nearly dawn. Cassian had already gotten word from Moonstone: the boat had arrived safely. They\u2019d been successful. Ellie had escaped. And as long as nothing went catastrophically wrong, she would never have to worry about Nolan again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance should have been happier about that. He told himself he should feel nothing but relief. Instead, he was left with a gnawing guilt in the pit of his stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He knew he had done the right thing. Getting Ellie the hell out of Silver Fang and away from the madness of the pack house was what was best for her and her babies. Still, he struggled to accept that it was really over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His own feelings about Ellie were complicated. He\u2019d admitted to himself that he was attracted to her. But now, looking at the lengths he had gone for her, he couldn\u2019t deny it was more than that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe even more than friendship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was really no reason for them to be lingering in the hospital anymore, but no one seemed able to pull themselves away just yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae approached, three cups of coffee carefully balanced in her hands. Cassian stepped forward to help her, and she smiled gratefully at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo\u2026 any news?\u201d Rae asked hopefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe made it,\u201d Cassian informed her. \u201cShe\u2019s safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all you\u2019re going to tell me, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Rae pressed, a bitter expression flashing across her face before she schooled it into something calmer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan\u2019s going to question you,\u201d Cassian reminded her. \u201cIf you don\u2019t know anything, then you can\u2019t tell him anything. This is for the best. I know it doesn\u2019t make it feel any better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it doesn\u2019t,\u201d she sighed. \u201cBut I do understand. Thank you for not leaving me completely in the dark.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe won\u2019t have to hide forever,\u201d Lance assured her. \u201cAt least not like this. You\u2019ll get to see her again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Rae said with a tight smile. \u201cBut I\u2019m going to miss the birth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we all will,\u201d Cassian admitted. \u201cIt\u2019s safest for the babies if their birth isn\u2019t a big event. The more normal their lives can be from now on, the safer they\u2019ll be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that\u2019s true, but\u2026 it\u2019s bittersweet,\u201d Rae said softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance nodded. That was a good way to phrase it. There was a sweetness in knowing he had been able to support Ellie and keep his promise to help her escape.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the bitterness lingered too-because he couldn\u2019t shake the thought that he might never get to spend time with Ellie again the way he had over the past few months. That she might really be lost to him in every way that\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 82\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
mattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
We left the hospital in the middle of the night through the loading bay. The ambulance ride had been arranged by Rae\u2019s cousin, and it took me directly to the docks, where a small sailboat waited-one of Lance\u2019s friends had agreed to take me across.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a good thing I didn\u2019t get seasick, because the night was choppy and windy. The trip took hours, and by the time we finally sailed into Moonstone\u2019s port, I was exhausted. The adrenaline that had carried me through the escape had worn off, leaving me drained and nauseous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thankfully, Cassian had arranged everything ahead of time. He had a close friend who lived in the capital city, and she\u2019d agreed to take me in. He assured me I could trust her with my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, the thought of letting another person in on the truth unsettled me. Even Rae didn\u2019t know the full details of where I was going, or where I\u2019d be staying from now on. But it couldn\u2019t be helped. I certainly couldn\u2019t stay at the pack house with Cassian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the docks, I got a ride straight to the apartment building. Now, I stood in front of door 113, staring at the brass numbers as I tried to work up the nerve to knock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everything up to this point had felt dreamlike, as though I were just moving through a haze. But I knew that once I stepped inside this apartment, it would all become real. There would be no going back to the way things were. No going back to Nolan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And even though I knew this was the right choice, fear of the unknown still hung heavy over me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, I knocked. I heard footsteps shuffling on the other side before the door opened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A tall, slim blonde woman with bright green eyes smiled warmly at me and immediately stepped aside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so good to meet you, Elaine,\u201d she said as she closed the door behind me. \u201cI know it was a long journey, so I\u2019ve got food ready. After that, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll want to sleep.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s so thoughtful,\u201d I murmured, glancing around the small apartment. It wasn\u2019t fancy, but it was clean and comfortable-cozy, even.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, you\u2019re Claire. Cassian told me a lot about you,\u201d I said as I moved further inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he told me all about you, too,\u201d she said as she moved toward the little kitchen. \u201cHe was very excited to introduce us, but unfortunately, he couldn\u2019t leave just yet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. He said it would look suspicious if we both disappeared at the same time,\u201d I replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood thinking. Cassian\u2019s always been a detail-oriented person,\u201d Claire commented with a smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I followed her into the kitchen and sat at the small island. She set a bowl of chicken and rice in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, dig in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I said, though I felt a little awkward eating while she stood there watching. But I was so hungry, I couldn\u2019t help myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll lay low for a couple of days,\u201d Claire explained, leaning against the counter. \u201cThen we\u2019ve got a doctor\u2019s appointment lined up for you, just to check on the babies. After that, we\u2019ll get you into the system here in Moonstone so your prenatal care can continue without a hitch.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 62\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren\u2019t kidding-he really has thought of all the details.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smiled. \u201cWell, he\u2019s going to be Alpha one day, I guess it\u2019s good practice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed softly at her observation, surprising myself with how natural it felt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt at ease. With Claire, it was almost like meeting an old friend I hadn\u2019t seen in years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that calmed some of my fears. My entire life had just been turned upside down, but I wasn\u2019t in this alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe now I\u2019d finally have the chance to meet more people like Claire-people who didn\u2019t see me as a burden to be endured, but as someone worth helping.\u00a0<\/p>\n
People who wouldn\u2019t hold it over my head when I asked them for help.\u00a0<\/p>\n
D\u00a0<\/p>\n
ENJOYING THE BOOK?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Give it a rating to show your support!\u00a0<\/p>\n
(:\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 82 Chapter 82\u00a0 +25 Bonus\u00a0 Third person POV\u00a0 The hospital was in complete chaos. […]<\/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-23651","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\/23651","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=23651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23651\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}