Beyond Shocked
ARIANA’S POV
I stared at the screen of my phone long after I sent the message.
‘Good night, Hardin. I love you.’
Three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Then came back.
He was typing.
I waited, heart stubbornly stuck between eager and exhausted, but the reply never came. Maybe he fell asleep mid-text. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he was overthinking like I was.
I tossed the phone onto the pillow beside me with a frustrated sigh and rolled onto my back, eyes fixed on the ceiling fan slicing the air above. It made a soft hum, but even that couldn’t lull me into sleep.
Everything felt... tight. Off. Even after dinner with him—after all the reassurances, the gentle words, the bracelet he wore proudly—I couldn’t shake the ache pressing into my chest. The headlines. The judgment. The whispers. I wasn’t just “the woman in Hardin’s life” anymore.
A threat. A pawn in a game I hadn’t signed up to play.
With another sigh, I threw the covers off and sat up. The night was still. Quiet. Almost too quiet for a house this massive.
I needed air.
Maybe a walk would help clear my head.
I slipped into my silk robe, the navy blue one Hardin had gifted me. I put on my slippers ready to clear my mind. My feet made no sound on the marble floor as I padded out of the bedroom and down the staircase. The moonlight spilled in from the massive arched windows, bathing the hall in a silver glow. The silence followed me, broken only by the occasional creak of the house settling into its old bones.
I crossed the grand foyer, heading toward the side entrance that opened into the garden. The scent of jasmine floated in on the breeze even before I stepped outside. The air was cooler than I expected, brushing against my skin like a sigh. I wrapped the robe tighter around me and started down the stone path that wound through the sprawling lawn.
For a while, I just walked.
Let my mind wander.
Let the silence hold me the way sleep couldn’t. Let this peace ground me, even if it's for a while.
But then, something caught my eye.
A shadow.
Movement.
I paused, narrowing my eyes toward the east wing of the mansion. A soft glow flickered near the hedges. Candlelight? A lantern?
No. A phone screen.
Someone was out here.
I squinted, creeping forward slowly, careful not to make a sound. My breath hitched when I made out the familiar silhouette of a woman seated on the stone bench near the fountain.
Mom?
I froze.
What the hell was she doing out here at this hour?
I took a step forward, about to call out to her, to scold her for being out in the cold, for not wearing a coat, for risking another hospital visit when she’d only just recovered and getting herself back—
But then I stopped.
Because she wasn’t alone.
There was someone with her.
A man.
I ducked behind the hedge without thinking, heart pounding.
My instincts screamed at me to go back. To turn around. To respect her privacy.
But something was wrong.
I could feel it in the way her posture shifted, rigid and defensive, like she was waiting for a blow to land. I watched her lean in slightly, her voice low, too soft for me to hear from this distance, but urgent.
Then the man stepped into view.
Only for a second.
But that second was enough to send a jolt of ice down my spine.
No. No, it couldn’t be.
I leaned forward, squinting hard, hoping—praying—that I was mistaken.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Wearing a long coat that billowed slightly in the wind. His face turned, catching the moonlight just enough for me to catch the side profile.
It suddenly felt like the breath was knocked out of my lungs. The world came to a stop.
My mouth went dry.
This couldn't possibly be happening. That couldn't possibly be who I think it is right?
My limbs locked.
Uncle Garry?!
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