An Echo in the Blood Chapter 2

Alaric didn’t come home until the next morning.

He walked in and slipped off his jacket, holding it out to me with the easy familiarity of routine.

I saw the exhaustion etched into the lines of his face. My eyes fell to his cuff, and I froze. A small, distinct coffee stain marred the crisp white fabric.

I frowned. “What’s this?”

He followed my gaze, his tone flat. “Aurora spilled it yesterday when she was bringing me a file. She twisted her ankle in the process, so I took her to the hospital.”

He paused, then added, “I only learned recently that she’s the daughter of an old family associate. I owe her adoptive father a great debt.”

We had known each other for five years, been married for three.

It was the most he had ever said to me at one time. And it was all about another woman.

When the System had threatened me, I’d brushed it off as a bad dream. When he missed our anniversary dinner, I’d chosen to believe him. But now, seeing the flicker of unguarded focus in his eyes as he spoke of Aurora—that shattered every last bit of my denial.

I looked down, my fingers clenching and unclenching at my sides.

After a long silence, I finally managed to speak, my voice barely a whisper. “Alaric, I don’t like her. Can you transfer her to another department?”

“No.” The refusal was instant and absolute. “I made a promise to her father. It’s a promise I have to keep.”

“I’m just asking you to move her, not fire her,” I pressed, hearing the desperate edge in my own voice. “You can’t even do that?”

His face darkened. “Elora, she’s my executive assistant, that’s all. Are you always this petty? Does this mean I can’t hire any female employees from now on?”

Petty.

It was the first time he had ever used a word like that for me.

In that moment, the absurdity of my situation crashed down on me. I had endured three months of psychological torture from the System, clinging to the belief that our love was real, that he was worth fighting for. How ridiculous it all seemed now.

I said nothing more, just silently took his jacket to the laundry room.

But the coffee stain felt like a stain on our marriage, and no matter how hard I scrubbed, it wouldn’t come out.

I was about to throw the ruined jacket into the trash when a small velvet box tumbled out of the inside pocket. My breath caught. It was an emerald necklace, one I’d admired in a shop window months ago.

Just then, two strong arms wrapped around me from behind. Alaric, fresh from the shower, pressed his cool skin against my back. “It’s your anniversary gift, Elora. I didn’t forget.”

He smelled of pine and cold air, the same scent as my own body wash. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead. “I’m heading to the office. We’ll celebrate properly tonight.”

My traitorous heart fluttered, the hope I was trying so hard to kill stirring back to life.

But as I was straightening his tie, his phone rang. It was Aurora. “Mr. Aethelgard, I… I think I need to resign…”

I was standing so close I could hear every word. I could hear the manufactured tears in her voice.

“Everyone at the office is talking,” she sobbed. “They’re saying I’m trying to break up your marriage. I don’t know how a rumor like that could have started, but I can’t stay here anymore…”

“Don’t worry,” Alaric soothed her, his voice low and reassuring. “I’ll take care of it.”

He ended the call and his eyes, now cool and laced with suspicion, settled on me.

I recoiled as if struck. “You think I did that?”

He didn’t deny it. He grabbed my wrist, his grip like steel. “You spread those rumors just because I wouldn’t transfer her? You’re coming with me to the office right now to clear this up.”

He dragged me out of the apartment, ignoring my struggles.

The moment we walked onto the executive floor, a hush fell. Employees, once busy at their desks, now shot us veiled, curious glances.

Aurora appeared, her eyes red and tear-filled, limping dramatically toward me.

“Mrs. Aethelgard, I swear, there is nothing going on between Mr. Aethelgard and me. He didn’t come home yesterday because he was taking me to the hospital, but only because I sprained my ankle…”

A cold laugh escaped my lips. “Are you telling me he’s the only person you know in this entire city? You had to bother him for something so minor? He’s your boss, not your father. If every employee with a scraped knee ran to him for help, he might as well shut down the company and open a daycare.”

Aurora faltered, her eyes darting to Alaric for support.

Alaric’s brow furrowed. “That’s enough. Aurora is different. I made a promise to take care of her.”

The protectiveness in his voice was a physical blow.

I stared at him, a bitter taste filling my mouth. Five years, and this was the first time I had ever seen him defend another woman against me.

In front of his entire executive team, he stood tall, his expression severe. “Miss Aurora is the daughter of a dear friend. I have a responsibility to look after her. I don’t want to hear any more of these ridiculous rumors in this office. Is that clear?”

I stood beside him, a statue of a jealous wife on public trial, enduring the pitying, contemptuous stares of everyone in the room.

A humorless smile touched my lips. Right. Aurora had done nothing wrong.

I was the one at fault.

My only mistake was believing our love was indestructible.