Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 139

139 Some Effort

Lucian

The room fell into a heavy silence after Tiffany finished. Her words hung in the air like smoke-thick,

choking, impossible to ignore. None of us knew what to say. Darian looked at me, begging one of us to step in and say something that might fix this.

then Mara, silently

Clam

But this wasn’t ours to fix.

This was his mess.

“Tiffany, please,” Mara said, her voice soft and pleading. “Reconsider.”

Tiffany turned to her, not angry-just tired.

“It’s easy for you to say, Mara. Lucian never lets you out of his sight. You’re loved. Protected. When the two of you got married, people whispered that you’d be miserable because of the rumors, but look at you now. You’re admired. Envied.”

She paused, her fingers tightening gently around her baby.

“My only crime was being naive. I genuinely thought you only got pregnant during heat. That’s what I believed until Lucian used me as an example, remember that? When Martha tried to convince you to rest and get pregnant after your first heat?”

Mara looked away.

“My mother never taught me anything about being a woman. All she cared about was appearances and spending money. Everything I’ve learned, I learned by failing. I didn’t plan this. Who wants to be a mother at twenty?” She glanced briefly at Mara. “No offense. But this was never the future I imagined.”

She shifted in bed, holding her daughter protectively.

“I had already broken up with him. It doesn’t matter what the DNA says. People will always see me as the slut who trapped Darian Nighthorn. No one knows he was my first. No one knows I never cheated. But what they do know? He doubted me. That’s what stuck.”

Her voice didn’t shake. She wasn’t falling apart, she was already past the wreckage.

“I can’t stay here. I can’t stay with someone who’s only choosing me because the woman he really wants is unavailable. I have dignity, Mara. I’ve earned it the hard way.”

I said nothing. I couldn’t. Because everything she said was true. Darian had chance after chance to show

up-and every time, he chose something else.

“I stayed with the Nighthorns for shelter. For safety. I thought they’d care for me during my pregnancy. But aside from paid bills, I did it all alone. No support. No companionship. Just silence. Just shame.”

She looked up at us, her eyes clear. “I died, Lucian. I died, and the goddess gave me back my life. I’m not

139 Some Effort

“Let’s give them some space,” he murmured, pulling her along.

I was about to do the same when Tiffany spoke.

“Don’t leave. I want you both here,” she said, her voice soft but resolute. “I want you to take me home.”

Claim

Mara stepped closer, trying to offer some light in the dark. “Tiffany, you can’t do this alone. I’ve helped you with her for two weeks, and I know how much it takes. Why don’t you two stay with us for a while? Just try it. Let your daughter grow a bit, let yourself recover. If you still want to leave later, no one will stop you.”

Tiffany looked uncertain. Her lips pressed together, eyes watering.

I stepped in. “Or better yet, I’ll rent the house next to ours for you both. That way, you’ll have your space. No pressure. Just proximity. Support when you need it.”

Tiffany turned to Mara then, only Mara. And something passed between them. A silent conversation, a look that said more than words. Trust. Safety. Sisterhood.

“I don’t want to be around Darian, Mara,” she said, her voice cracking. “He hurt me to my soul.”

She’ broke down then. Mara moved quickly, wrapping her arms around her.

I took the baby from Tiffany’s arms to give her space, rocking her gently as she whimpered.

Tiffany was still bleeding on the inside, and it wasn’t the kind a hospital could treat.

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