Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 77

77 I am Yours

Mara

I remained by the lake long after Darian left.

His breakdown unsettled me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the end of it-not by a long shot. He was the reason I couldn’t move freely through the mansion. His obsession with me was becoming a problem no one wanted to name aloud, but we were all living with the

consequences.

I glanced down at my phone, hoping Lucian would call. He’d been gone nearly three hours. What could be keeping him? I wanted to hear his voice. To feel his presence and remind myself that

some part of this world still made sense.

Nothing Darian said had gotten to me. Not really. My mind was focused on one thing-the people who tried to kill me and my husband. Everything else was noise.

After a while, I linked a staff member and asked them to collect the picnic mat and box. I needed

to head back to the house.

Instead of going around the garden, I took the main path through it. I’d already faced Darian today. I doubted the universe would test my patience again.

I was wrong.

Tina was in the garden, standing like a ghost among the flowers, staring at nothing. I tried to pass her without a word, but she saw me. Of course she did.

“Mara, Mara, Mara,” she sang, mockingly. I rolled my eyes and stopped, already regretting it.

“I thought you said he wasn’t a great catch. That you didn’t want him,” she said. “But look at you now-moaning and fucking every night like it’s your job. Tell me, Mara… how do you sleep at night?”

I didn’t bother answering. She already knew.

“You took him from me,” she continued, voice rising “We were together eight years. Eight years! And you snatched him from me-and his child. You knew I was pregnant. And yet you still marked him. Claimed him. Locked him down.”

I smiled slowly, letting the venom roll off me. “With my husband’s c**k in my p***y… taking me places, That’ how I spend my nights,” I said coolly.

Her face twisted with fury.

“I’ll get him back,” she snapped. “He’s just mad at me for not marrying him when he asked. You’re temporary, Mara. Once he gets bored-and he will he’ll come back to me.”

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The level of delusion was almost impressive. Between her and Darian, I was starting to think the

moon goddess had a twisted sense of humor.

Then she narrowed her eyes. “You know Lucian doesn’t like to share, right? I saw you with Darian.”

I frowned.

“Darian is my brother-in-law and my friend. I’m allowed to console him.”

She smiled, and it chilled me.

“That’s not what I saw.”

So that was her game. She was going to lie.

I stepped in closer, dropping every trace of amusement. “Go to hell, Tina. You’ve already lost. With Lucian, it’s till death do us part.”

Her expression faltered.

“Even if you lie and try to turn him against me… I’ll still be here. And you’ll still be alone. Raising an unwanted child from a man who no longer wants you.”

I turned without another word. “Good afternoon,” I added, and walked away.

I made my way to the left wing, anger still thrumming beneath my skin. I entered our bedroom-

and froze.

Lucian was back.

He was sitting on the bed, sorting through something in a small gift bag. His eyes lit up when he

saw me.

But one question hit me hard:

Why didn’t he come to the lake?

“Lucian,” I said softly as I stepped into the room.

He looked up, his face unreadable-stone-still, expressionless.

“When did you get back?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“About an hour ago,” he said, calmly.

My heart sank. An hour? I had waited at the lake-langing for him, expecting him.

“I was waiting for you,” I murmured. “At the lake.”

He didn’t respond.

That silence… it said more than words.

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I swallowed hard. Tina. She must have twisted something, spun her version of what happened with Darian. I could feel it. And now Lucian was doing what he always did-clenching everything down

inside, holding back a storm.

I turned toward the bathroom.

“I’ll go wash Darian’s scent off,” I said, too sharply. “Then you can tell me what you were told.”

He looked up, startled. That clearly wasn’t what he expected me to say. But I was done pretending

this wasn’t exhausting.

I walked to the shower, stood under the water for a full minute before turning it on. Let it run down my skin like it could somehow rinse away the weight of this conversation.

When I came out, I threw on a T-shirt and my softest micro shorts, then sat on the edge of the bed, bracing for the confrontation I thought was coming

But it never came.

Lucian didn’t explode.

I could feel his anger in the air-heavy, humming beneath the surface-but he said nothing.

And that silence? It stung.

“It’s crazy you let Tina poison your mind against me so easily,” I said bitterly. “Unbelievable.”

He blinked, almost confused.

“I’m not mad about what Tina said,” he said quietly. “I’m not.”

“Then what?” I asked, though I already knew.

“I’m mad about the circumstance,” he said, his voice still calm, but strained. “Why would you let him

touch you, Mara?”

“He broke down by the lake,” I replied. “He was crying. Angry. I was comforting him, not-”

“I know,” Lucian interrupted. “And I believe you.”

He sighed.

“But it isn’t healthy for him, Mara. He’s not going to get over you if you keep showing up in his life as the person who holds him when he’s breaking.”

I opened my mouth to argue-but then I saw it. Not ealousy. Concern.

“He’s my friend, Lucian,” I said softly.

“I know,” he said. “But he’s also a man in love with my wife. And you-” he looked at me carefully, “- you crushed on him for four years. You made life-changing decisions because of him. Those

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feelings don’t just vanish, Mara.”

He took a breath.

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“And now… now he’s unraveling. And he’s showing you how much he loves you. What happens if, in some quiet moment, that feeling creeps back in? Where does that leave us?”

Tears welled in my eyes.

He hadn’t yelled.

He hadn’t accused.

But his words cut deeper than if he had.

Because he wasn’t doubting me. He was scared. Scared I’d break his heart without meaning to.

“I’ve already rented a property,” he continued gently. “We’ll leave in the morning. Just us. I told my father-we’ll be gone for a while. He agreed to look after Tina.”

“A clean break?” I asked.

“A necessary one,” he said. “For both of you.”

And I knew he was right.

Even if he didn’t say it out loud, I could feel the fear buried in his chest.

Lucian wasn’t just fighting Darian.

He was fighting the ghost of who I used to be.

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