Chapter 133
Ethan’s POV
I rounded the corner from the notary office, my tie loosened, exhaustion clinging to my shoulders like dead weight.
The paperwork for Marcus’s overseas transfer had taken hours. Hours I didn’t have. Hours I should’ve spent figuring out how to fix the mess my family had made.
But no. Instead, I’d spent my afternoon arranging to send my son away because my mother and grandmother had decided he was too much of a liability to keep around.
I hated myself for going along with it.
But what choice did I have?
If I didn’t comply, they’d never let me see him again.
I shoved my hands in my pockets, my jaw tight, trying not to think about the look on Marcus’s face when I told him he’d be leaving the country.
That’s when I saw her.
At first, I thought I was hallucinating.
Exhaustion playing tricks on my mind.
Because there was no way—no possible way—that Aria was standing in the courthouse lobby, wrapped in another man’s arms.
But I blinked, and she was still there.
Smiling up at him like he’d hung the moon.
And he was looking down at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.
My chest tightened, my breath catching.
Who the hell was that?
The man was tall, broad-shouldered, with an air of authority that made even me feel small. His suit was expensive—custom, probably. And the way he held Aria p>
Possessive.
Protective.
Like she belonged to him.
“Alpha Holt p>
I jerked around.
A clerk from the notary office was jogging toward me, holding up my driver’s license.
“You left this at the counter,” she said, slightly out of breath.
“Thanks,” I muttered, snatching it from her hand.
But when I turned back, Aria and the mystery man were gone.
I scanned the lobby, my pulse racing.
Nothing.
They’d vanished.
I bolted for the door, shoving it open, scanning the parking lot.
But there was no sign of them.
No sign of her.
I stood there, breathing hard, my mind racing.
Had I imagined it?
Was I so sleep-deprived that I was seeing things now?
But no.
I knew what I saw.
Aria. Here. At the courthouse.
With another man.
I turned on my heel and marched back inside, heading straight for the marriage license office.
“Excuse me,” I said to the clerk behind the counter, trying to keep my voice level. “I need to check on someone’s marriage status p>
The clerk, a woman in her fifties with sharp eyes, looked up at me.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said coolly. “Marriage records are confidential. Only the individuals involved or their legal spouses can request that information p>
“I’m her husband,” I said quickly.
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
The clerk raised an eyebrow. “Then you should already know her marital status, shouldn’t you p>
I opened my mouth, then closed it.
She had me there.
“Look,” I tried again, leaning forward. “I just need to confirm p>
“Sir.” Her tone was firm now. “If you’re not listed as her spouse, I cannot release any information. It’s the law p>
I stared at her, my jaw working.
Behind me, someone cleared their throat impatiently.
I was holding up the line.
Cursing under my breath, I turned and walked out.
By the time I got back to my car, my hands were shaking.
I gripped the steering wheel, staring blankly at the courthouse entrance.
Aria wouldn’t have gotten married without telling me.
Would she?
We’d just seen each other a few days ago. She’d been upset, sure. Angry. But she wouldn’t have—
Unless she’d finally had enough.
Unless she’d decided I wasn’t worth waiting for.
My wolf growled, restless and furious.
No.
No, I was being paranoid.
I’d been working too hard, sleeping too little. My mind was playing tricks on me.
That’s all this was.
A trick.
I started the car, forcing myself to breathe.
Aria wasn’t married.
She couldn’t be.
She was mine.
She’d always been mine.
And no amount of distance or time or anger could change that.
Right?
I pulled out of the parking lot, my chest tight, my thoughts spinning in circles.
But deep down, in the part of me I refused to acknowledge, a voice whispered:
*What if you’re wrong p>
*What if you’ve already lost her p>