Chapter Eighteen #6
Because she wanted to get the hell out of there, she kissed Lucian goodbye and headed out.
As soon as the door closed, Ridge sobbed.
“Why?” he whispered. “Why did she do this to me?” he asked. “Was it because of us?”
Lucian didn’t lie.
If he wanted honesty between them, that meant giving the same thing back.
“Apparently, she told the therapist you had a boyfriend, and that was the reason. She saw it as cheating.”
Ridge sobbed harder.
“We asked beforehand. She could have told me no! I would have stopped us. I would have…”
But both of them knew it was too late for what-ifs and wishes to undo what was done. They’d done sex magick on both planes.
There was no way to undo it or stop it. Just like there was no way of bringing Wynter back.
Some things couldn’t be undone.
Now, they both knew why Raven had warned them of the dire consequences.
Here was the big one.
Lucian said nothing for the longest time, instead allowing Ridge to just mourn. He knew this man well, and at some point, he’d begin asking questions.
“Does Bishop want me gone?” he whispered, as he clung to her husband.
Thank God his wife wasn’t upset about this like Ridge’s had been. Did he blame the woman?
No.
He understood why Wynter had been upset. He understood that what they’d asked their wives to allow to happen wasn’t for the weak.
He didn’t blame her for her reaction.
What he did blame her for was the choices she made and how they were hurting Ridge.
“No, she doesn’t. In fact, she wants to work through this with both of us, so we can figure this out. We’re in new territory, Ridge. It’s going to take time.”
He could feel Lucian’s heartbeat since his forehead was against the man’s jugular.
Ridge focused on that, counting the beats to match his own heart rate to it.
So he’d survive.
Finally, he went there.
“When?” he asked. “Was it recent?”
And here went the questions.
As he held the man, Lucian moved him to sit between his legs as he leaned against the arm of his couch. It was very familiar and something that he did for Bishop all the time. It allowed him to wrap his arms around him and give him the most body-to-body contact.
And he’d be able to lock his legs around him to keep him in place if something went south. Hopefully, it didn’t come to that.
“The affairs started around four months ago.”
That was confirmation for Ridge. They both knew what happened four months ago.
“So as soon as we had sex in the static?”
He didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
The pain hit again, and Ridge shook with the sobs.
“I did this.”
The whole time, Lucian said nothing. It didn’t matter what he said or thought. This was all about Ridge coming to grips with it. What he did know was that he was pissed that Wynter had cheated. They’d gone to their wives to keep this from happening, and someone got hurt anyway.
“She hated me that much! I knew something was off. I feel so stupid. When Jo told me she was sneaking around, I couldn’t believe it. I refused to.”
He kept that rage to himself. The only reason he wasn’t saying anything was because Wynter had paid the ultimate price.
So, he’d just let that sit in his soul, and not dump it all over Ridge.
“I’m sorry, Ridge.”
And he was.
Because he loved the man, he would have done anything to spare him from this.
ANYTHING.
Only, this was out of his hands.
“Was she going to leave me?”
OOF.
Oh, he wished he didn’t have to tell him any of this. Deep down, Lucian wished he could go into his mind and remove all of this.
But he couldn’t.
Lucian’s sigh said it all.
“She was, wasn’t she?”
What could he say?
“Yes. Apparently, she and the doctor were making plans to start a new life.”
Ridge took that shot to his soul.
“She was going to take Sophia and leave?” he asked.
The silence was telling.
“When did they meet?” he asked.
Oh, boy.
This was going to be the killing blow. Lucian knew how he’d take it.
“She met with him yesterday at three. That was their normal time. They went to the local hotel, and met. Then, they would meet on Mondays for therapy.”
There.
Was.
Silence.
“So yesterday, she slept with him, and he was the last person to…”
Ridge couldn’t come up with a word. He wanted to be angry, and call it fucking, but…he just couldn’t muster that rage. He felt so empty.
“Yes. When she called, saying she was on her way home, the detectives tracked her. She went with Honor to interview the doctor, and asked him to not let on that he knew her. Then, they went their separate ways. Honor had no idea, as she went to go do something for work. She left Wynter on her own. After the shop, she met with Doctor Kenyon at the motel.”
Ridge was numb.
“And she was going to take Sophia?” he whispered.
Lucian kept his voice calm despite not feeling any of that.
“The doctor said he gave her a way out, and she was going to take it. Apparently, he loved her.”
There was that strangled gasp.
Instead of saying a word, Lucian just held him, and Ridge cried for a good hour. It was a bottomless well of tears and pain.
When he was empty, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
And someone wasn’t calm.
Lucian.
He was anything but.