"It's okay! Aiden had already gifted me on your behalf." Lucas smiled forcefully. The surprise in his eyes could tell me he didn't expect me here today with Aiden.
The dinner was a disaster from the start. The private room of the plush hotel felt suffocating when it was just the four of us, everyone's attention somehow fixed on Ella. The three of us looked so comfortable, so perfect, in a way I could never fit in. Seeing Ella and Aiden together brought back troubled memories and feelings that I was so desperate to bury.
I could no longer breathe in that room, feeling claustrophobic. "I need to use the restroom," I stood abruptly, interrupting their conversation. Before they could say something, I almost ran from there.
But I was barely outside and had barely caught my breath, when his strong essence of oaks and cinnamon, enthralled my nostrils again, the mate bond tugging at me.
"Mia, what’s wrong?"
"What’s wrong?" I repeated, shaking my head. "I know you are with Ella. I can smell her in your car, for God’s sake."
Aiden opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "No. Don’t. I don’t care anymore. I can’t keep doing this."
"Mia, it’s not like that—"