Chapter 22
Alice
Istood at the end of my driveway, staring at the house I'd called home for the past three and a half years. David's red sedan was out front, parked next to my white SUV. I had needed a larger car to transport materials for work.
Work. Shit. That was another mess I had to deal with.
I was sure a few of my employees had witnessed my altercation with Acheron and David and likely thought I was taking personal time off to deal with the fallout.
Luckily, I kept my company running like a well-oiled machine.
If I had to take a day or two off, it wouldn't affect our day-to-day operations.
Everyone had their own tasks to follow up on and didn't need me to micromanage them.
Still…being without contact for this long was highly unusual.
Swallowing my nerves, I walked up my driveway, my heart lurching at what I would find behind that closed door.
David was surely pissed off at me still; any normal spouse would be.
But what must he have thought when he came home, and I wasn't here?
Did he think I didn't care about him? Because I did.
Just not the way he wanted or deserved.
I didn't have my phone with me while I was away with Acheron.
The last time I saw it, it had been sailing through the air toward Vladimir.
I had blocked those memories; too frightened by the vision of red eyes, ghostly pale skin, and sharp teeth gnashing in my face.
But now that I was home again, I recalled the broken walls and doors, the fruit bowl and chair that had been scattered on the floor.
Acheron hadn't wanted me to leave him. He forbade it, but I made the past two days utterly miserable for both of us by crying and giving him the silent treatment.
He didn't understand. I needed to see David.
I couldn't just walk away from the life I had with him…
at least not without confronting the consequences.
My heart was burdened with conflict when I stressed to him I needed to say goodbye to this part of my life.
"I'm only letting you go because the threat has been eliminated. But make no mistake, I am not letting you go, Alice. You understand?"
My eyes dropped from his, afraid of the heavy emotion I spied there and the fact that it mirrored my own far too closely.
"Give me space, Acheron. Just because I remember our…whatever we had, doesn't mean that I'm supposed to be with you."
"It absolutely means you are meant to be with me!" he roared. His eyes turned black and stayed that way, but strangely, I wasn't scared.
This is typical Acheron. The thought entered my head without a prompt, and I immediately knew I'd dealt with his overbearing nature many times. In our parallel life.
"When you are ready to come home, call me."
I frowned at the strange comment. His Kingdom was based in modern day Europe, but it was only accessible through a hidden portal. "How? My phone probably broke when I threw it at Vladimir."
He gazed at me, his now blue eyes relaying a message I couldn't decipher. "You will know what I mean."
I stared at my front door; the butterflies that had been fluttering in my stomach were now taking full flight. I didn't have my key, so my only option was to knock.
The door swung open almost immediately. David's eyes were wide with panic as he raked over me. Guilt ate at my core when I noticed his disheveled appearance.
"Alice? God, I've been so worried! Where have you been? Are you okay?"
No. "Yes. I’m-I’m sorry I didn't call. My phone—"
"I tried calling you, but your phone was off,” he interrupted. He shook his head. “Never mind about that. What the hell happened in here? I was so worried, I had to call the cops."
Of course. The fight between Acheron and Vladimir—it made sense why he called the police. I rushed past him, panicked at what I would find because there wasn't a simple fight here; Acheron had torn him apart. The blood alone—
I came to an abrupt stop in the living room, my brow furrowed as I looked around in confusion. It wasn't as bad as I remembered. Like, at all. There were a few holes in the walls, and a couple of hinges were hanging off the kitchen cupboard. But other than that…
"Is this…what happened?"
David came up behind me. "That's what I want to know. I came home at four a.m. after…after what happened and found this.” He gestured around.
“I called the police when your phone was off.
They told me to leave everything and call them if you made contact.
They couldn't find any sign of foul play, although they questioned me a little too hard for my liking. "
"I’m-I’m so sorry. I don't know how this happened. Maybe-maybe we had a break-in? I did leave a little abruptly. Perhaps I forgot to lock the door–"
"A break in? Nothing was taken. It doesn't make sense."
"David." My protest was weak because I really couldn't explain anything. At least, not in a way that he would believe.
David finally looked at me properly, his eyes sweeping me up and down. He noted the clothes I was wearing, and his jaw ticked. "You didn't take anything with you. Where did you get those clothes?"
"David—"
"You were with him, weren't you?" He didn't sound angry, just hurt. Which was worse.
"No! I mean, yes, I was."
At his shattered expression, I moved forward, my hand cautiously extended. "But not like that! It’s-it’s complicated. I wish I could explain."
"You're leaving me for him." His voice was flat as he moved away from my touch.
"I should've known.” He laughed harshly.
“I've been in love with you since we were kids.
I knew you didn't feel the same way about me but thought in time, you would.
" He glanced at me, his eyes red. "You've never been in love with me, have you? "
Tears fell down my face, and I brushed them aside. Knowing that I hurt David, whether intentionally or not, gutted me. But I had no right to cry; I didn't want him to comfort me after what I did.
"I've always loved you," I stressed. "I will always love you." I sniffed back my tears, unable to look heartbreak in the face. "But no…I'm so sorry, David. But I don't think I love you the way you need. The way you deserve."
He stared at the ground, his chin wobbling as he held back his own tears.
"I figured." His voice was hoarse. "I ignored it.
I thought I could get you to love me the same way.
And for a while, I thought you did." He swiped at his face with the back of his arm before glancing at me.
"Until him. How long have you been in love with him? "
I rolled my lips in to keep the quiver from my lips. God help me, but I couldn't lie to him. He deserved the full truth.
"It feels like my whole life," I whispered, and I heard him suck in his breath.
I still didn't fully understand how it happened, but I knew in my heart of hearts that I met Acheron when I was eighteen and promptly fell in love with him on that field under the full moon. I also knew that I had been unconsciously looking for him ever since.
"So what happens now?" David whispered. He didn't ask questions. He didn't want to know the details. I felt so selfish for being relieved.
"I'll call the police, tell them I'm fine."
He nodded, his arms folded and his demeanor cold. "And after?"
We both knew our marriage was over. "I'll start looking for another place. We can sort out everything else." The implication ran heavy. Everything else meant separation and divorce. The splitting of assets.
He nodded again. "I'm gonna stay at a hotel tonight while you pack. Are you-are you going back to him?"
"I'll stay here tonight, then I'll take it from there."
I pointedly ignored his question because the truth was—I didn't know.
Despite my feelings for Acheron, the last few days had been a lot for me.
And for David. He didn't need to watch my indecision whether or not to return to someone who had held a piece of me since I was eighteen, knowing that the other option was…
not David. After all, in his mind he still thought that I'd been having an affair with Acheron for years.
David slid his wallet out and handed me a card. "That's the detective's number. Please let him know that I haven't murdered you." My mouth gave a small curve at his attempt at humor.
David left not long after. He'd packed a bag and walked out the door with a small nod of acknowledgment. I didn't know it then, but that would be the last time I ever saw him again.
From there, I called the detective and assured him I was fine.
I led them to believe that I was just a shitty wife who'd been caught cheating, and I'd left to go be with my affair partner.
I had to create an elaborate story as to why there was damage in the house.
I don't think they believed my explanation—that I'd been moving heavy furniture and accidentally damaged the walls.
But since they had more serious crimes to solve than what they assumed was a marital dispute where neither party was hurt, they swiftly closed the case.
I cleaned up as much as possible before packing a small bag of my necessities. To go where—I still didn't know. At around midnight, I finally fell into an exhausted sleep.
"What took you so long?"
A smile stretched my face as Acheron's voice sounded off behind me. He was so goddamn bossy.
I rolled my eyes at him. “I was always coming back,” I told him matter-of-factly.
Still, I jumped into his arms, my legs wrapped around his waist, and he held me close to him. We kissed deeply, our tongues tangling as his hands tightened around me.
He rubbed his nose against mine. "My love. My Queen. I've missed you so much."
"I've been right here, silly."
He grinned up at me. "That you have, my love."
I jolted awake with a start. I waited for the dream to fade from my memory, but it stayed. The scene replayed over and over in my head, solidifying itself as a core memory rather than a fantasy. It felt real. As if it had just happened today.
That's because it was real. He'd been with me all along.
Instead of the crippling sadness and loneliness I felt after my dreams, all I felt was peace and love.
So much love.
"When you're ready to come home, call me."
I knew exactly what he meant. I closed my eyes and concentrated.
Acheron. I'm ready to come home.
I saw a light flash behind my closed lids, and a smile overtook my face.
He'd come.