The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 57

Chapter 56

+25 BONUS

Chapter 56

Ella & Alexander

Ella

I barely saw Alexander the next day. He had left the house before I woke up, giving me no chance to talk to him about what happened.

But I tried not to feel guilty about last night. After all, it wasn’t my fault that Alexander couldn’t take a joke. And even if it wasn’t a joke, why should I care? He had been cruel to me for years. One comment about him being aggravating was nothing compared to the five years of torment.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel a pang in my chest every time I thought about it.

“You’re frowning again,” Lilith pointed out as we shared tea around eleven o’clock. “What’s on your mind, dear?”

“Nothing important.”

Lilith tilted her head. “Is this about you and Alexander? I heard he slept in his study last night.”

“The staff gossips too much,” I muttered. “But yes, he did. He got pissed at me over a silly game at dinner. Not that I particularly minded having the bed to myself without him sulking in it, but…”

My voice trailed off, and Lilith sighed. “Well, that won’t help with the rumors. Half the pack still thinks your marriage is just for show. And there’s talk that you’re both having affairs.”

I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face. I couldn’t blame them for thinking that way. Even if we played our parts perfectly in public, the masks always came off the moment we came home. The staff noticed, and if they gossiped to the rest of the pack, then everyone would believe them.

“What you two need,” Lilith added, “is another public date.”

“We go out together all the time now.

“You accompany him during his Alpha duties. You need a date,” she clarified. “A real date-or at least, real in the eyes of the public. You want him to do well in the election, don’t you?”

I nodded, thinking back to the contract. Alexander never said he would pull out of it if he didn’t win the election, but I didn’t know him well enough to know that for certain. I often laid awake at night, fearing what might happen if he didn’t follow through at the end of the nine months.

With only three months to live after that… What would I do then?

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Chapter 56

+25 BONUS

No, I needed to ensure he did as well as possible during the election. Even if he lost, I had to ensure it was by no fault of mine. Only then could I be certain that he would divorce me and reject me like he said.

Which meant that we had to keep up appearances, especially with all these rumors floating around. And if I was being completely honest with myself, the thought of another “date” with Alexander did make my heart flutter a little.

“What would you want to do?” Lilith asked, pulling me from my thoughts. “If you could go on any date with him?”

I thought about it for a moment. The truth was, I’d never been on a real date before. My father had kept me sheltered in high school, and then I was married off to Alexander as soon as I was of age. There were so many experiences I’d never had.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Something simple, I guess. A movie, maybe?” I bit my lip, feeling suddenly shy. “I’ve always wanted to… you know… hold hands in a dark theater. Stupid, right?”

Lilith’s expression softened. “That’s not stupid at all, sweetheart. It’s actually very sweet.”

I looked down at my hands, embarrassed. It felt so juvenile for someone in their twenties to still want something so innocent, but I had missed out on so many normal milestones. First kiss until the press conference, first real date, first… everything.

“You should do it,” Lilith said firmly. “Buy the tickets. Take him to a movie.”

“You think he’d agree to that?”

“It’ll look good for his campaign, won’t it? He’ll agree.”

An hour later, I had purchased two tickets to a horror movie showing that evening at the local theater. Horror wasn’t exactly my first choice, but it was the only thing playing that seemed like something Alexander might enjoy.

I spent an embarrassing amount of time getting ready, trying on different outfits before settling on a simple blue dress that I’d been told brought out my eyes. I curled my hair, applied a light layer of makeup, and even put on a bit of perfume.

All for a fake date with my husband. Goddess, I really was pathetic. Somehow, this felt worse than when I had genuinely tried to be perfect to garner his affection.

A little while later, I found Alexander outside the post office in town, deep in conversation with Gabriel. When Alexander spotted me approaching, he did a double take.

I rarely dressed up like this unless it was for a formal pack event. And I certainly never went anywhere dressed like this specifically to see him of all people.

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