Chapter 18
ARIA?
My heart stops.
“Mommy, we found Daddy!”
The words echo in my ears, and for one horrible second, I can’t breathe. My mind races through a thousand terrible scenarios—someone from the pack found them, Declan discovered them, Celeste sent someone to hurt them—
“Tell me what happened,” I say, keeping my voice calm even though panic is clawing up my throat. “What do you mean you found Daddy?”
All three of them bounce excitedly, and Lily holds something up to the camera.
A large brown teddy bear. Worn and soft-looking, with button eyes and a red bow tie.
“This is Daddy!” Emma announces proudly.
“Daddy Bear!” Noah adds, grinning wider than I’ve seen in weeks.
I stare at the screen, my panic slowly dissolving into confusion. “A... stuffed bear?”
“Uncle Ethan got him for us at the store,” Lily explains, squeezing the bear so hard its head nearly pops off. “And we decided he’s our daddy because we love him so much!”
The relief hits me so hard I almost laugh. Almost.
“He’s the best daddy ever,” Emma says seriously, kissing the bear’s fuzzy head.
“He doesn’t talk much, but that’s okay,” Noah adds. “We talk enough for both of us.”
I press my hand over my mouth, emotions tangling in my chest—relief, love, and something that aches terribly because my babies are so desperate for a father that they’ve claimed a stuffed animal as theirs.
The camera shifts suddenly, and Ethan’s face fills the screen. He’s wearing the most exaggerated expression of despair I’ve ever seen, his hand pressed dramatically over his heart.
“Do you see what’s happened, Aria?” he sighs heavily. “Ever since Daddy Bear arrived, I’ve completely fallen out of favor. They used to like me. They used to think I was fun.”
Behind him, I hear Lily giggle.
“I could be your daddy too!” Ethan announces to the kids, turning slightly so they’re visible at the edge of the frame.
All three of them burst into laughter.
“That’s impossible!” Noah says, shaking his head. “Uncle Ethan is just Uncle, not Daddy!”
“Uncle is Uncle,” Emma agrees, nodding seriously.
Ethan clutches his chest and staggers backward like he’s been shot. “You ungrateful little things! After everything I’ve done for you!”
Their laughter fills the screen, bright and carefree, and despite everything—despite the weight of where I am and what I’m doing, I find myself smiling.
“Alright, you three,” Sarah’s voice calls from off-screen. “It’s getting late. Time for bed.”
A chorus of groans rises up.
“Can we talk to Mama a little longer?” Lily pleads.
“You’ve been talking to Mama for twenty minutes,” Sarah says, appearing behind them with a patient smile. “She’ll still be there tomorrow. Come on now.”
More groans, but they obey. Each one leans close to the camera to blow me a kiss, their faces squished together in the frame.
“Love you, Mama!”
“Love you too, babies. So much.”
Sarah herds them toward the door, Daddy Bear clutched in Noah’s arms, and then it’s just Ethan and me on the screen. After his confession earlier, I feel slightly awkward, unsure how to navigate this new dynamic between us.
I open my mouth to say something—anything, but Ethan speaks at the same time.
“How are—”
“I wanted to—”
We both stop. Both pause.
“You first,” we say in unison.
The coincidence makes us freeze for a second before soft laughter breaks through. The tension eases slightly, warmth creeping into the space between us even though something unspoken still lingers beneath it.
Ethan’s smile fades into something gentler. “How are you settling in? Is everything okay there?”
I hesitate. There’s so much I could tell him—about Celeste, about Declan, about the suffocating weight of being back in this place. But I don’t. I can’t drag him deeper into this world than he already is.
“It’s fine,” I say. “The accommodations are comfortable. Everyone’s been... professional.”
His eyes narrow slightly, reading between the lines. “Aria.”
“Really,” I insist. “It’s just work. That’s all.”
“Just work,” he repeats, but his expression says he doesn’t believe me. His jaw tightens, and I watch frustration flash across his face. “I don’t like this. I don’t like you being there.”
“Ethan—”
“But I won’t push,” he says quickly. “I just—” He runs a hand through his hair. “Don’t worry about the kids, okay? I’ll take care of them. Mom and Dad will take care of them. You can come back anytime you want. You don’t have to stay there. You don’t have to concern yourself with that world at all.”
The words settle over me like a blanket, warm and safe and everything I wish I could accept.
“I’ll wait for you,” Ethan says quietly, his voice dropping to something sincere and unguarded. “As long as it takes.”
My throat tightens. “Ethan...”
“I mean it.”
I don’t know what to say. Don’t know how to explain that waiting for me might be pointless, that I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for what he’s offering.
So I just nod. “Thank you. For everything.”
He smiles—small and sad and hopeful all at once. “Anytime.”
The call ends a few minutes later, and I set my phone down on the nightstand.
Warmth lingers in my chest, soft and bittersweet.
My gaze drifts across the room and lands on the basket of daily necessities sitting on the dresser. Declan had it delivered earlier today—soap, shampoo, towels, everything meticulously chosen and neatly arranged. Professional. Courteous. Exactly what an Alpha would provide for an important guest.
Nothing personal. Nothing that means anything.
I stare at it for a long moment, and something inside me finally clicks into place.
“It’s time to let go, isn’t it?” I whisper to the empty room. “Forget everything. Here, you are only Dr. W.”
The words settle over me like armor, and I let them.
Tomorrow, I begin my official work.
Treating Celeste’s infertility.
Helping the woman who destroyed my life have the children she wants with the man I used to love.
I close my eyes and breathe.
Dr. W. You are only Dr. W.
***
The next morning, I wake early and dress carefully—professional, clinical, every inch the legendary healer they expect me to be. I pull my hair back, secure my mask, and check my medical kit one more time.
Everything is in order.
I step out of the guest house and into the morning light, ready to begin.