ARES
“Denise will be here in five minutes,” Aurora said from the doorway.
I stared up at the ceiling and blew out a breath, jaw tight so it wouldn’t quiver. “Why?”
Aurora took a hesitant step into the room and fiddled with the rings on her finger. “Because you need to get better. If you could just listen to Denise and hear her out, then maybe … maybe you can clear your mind of some of these … worries.”
After vowing not to blow up at Aurora, I nodded and rolled off the bed to find a shirt in my dresser. It wasn’t Aurora’s fault that my head had been fucking shit lately, but still, I fucking loathed Denise. I didn’t want her prying.
Grasping my face, Aurora stared up at me through watery eyes. “I just want you to be healthy and … happy again. I want my strong, don’t give a fuck Ares back to help me save the world and kill hounds.”
I placed my hands over hers, leaned into her touch, and closed my eyes, warmth spreading throughout my chest. “I’m sorry that I’m so fucked up, Aurora. You deserve someone who’s there for you, no matter what.”
“Stop it,” she scolded, the skin between her brows creasing. “You are that man. You are who I deserve. You are going to go into that therapy session with Denise and talk for the sake of me and our pup, who is going to look up to you one day with so much love in her eyes. And you’re going to thank yourself for surviving.”
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. “Okay.”
Someone knocked on the front door, and Aurora gave me a reassuring smile. “It’ll be okay. You’re going to get better, Ares. This is just the first step.” When she pulled away, she guided me down the hallway to the living room, where Marcel had let in Denise.
As I walked by her, Charolette stared at me through teary eyes and inched closer to Marcel, burying her face into his chest and letting out an unruly sob. She always hated it the most that I harmed myself. By falling back into it, I’d let her down too.
“Come on, Charolette,” Marcel said, walking her down the stairs and out the front door to give us privacy.
The door slammed closed from the wind, and my heart pounded hard. I didn’t want to be here, but I had to do this for Aurora.
Aurora ushered me to the couch. “Sit down. I’m going to step away for a bit.”
When her fingers left mine and she walked away from me, a chill rolled through my entire body. I would get better for her, no matter fucking what. I would never let that woman walk out of my life because she couldn’t deal with this fucking sickness.
“Ares,” Denise said. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” I snapped.
But then I remembered the look on Aurora’s face when she’d walked in on me.
“I’m not fine,” I whispered, slumping my shoulders forward and finally letting go, really giving it a try this time.
If Mars had liked this woman, she couldn’t be that bad, right? He must’ve trusted her enough to let her in on our secrets.
Tears welled in my eyes. “I’m really not fine.”
Denise leaned forward and grasped my hand. “That’s okay, Ares. I’m here to help you. Let’s finally fix this, not only for you or for Aurora, but also for your baby on the way. I’m going to give you the tips and tools you need to find yourself again.”