Chapter 187

It was a random Tuesday morning when Asher finally returned to the mansion. He took one step inside, noted Cecilia and muttered, “Great, she’s here, too.”

“She lives with us,” Grayson muttered in passing. “Get over it.”

He had not shown an ounce of emotion at Ryan’s return. And throughout the day, the cold shoulder Grayson gave him was clearly beginning to enrage him. Everyone left him to himself, as they were sure he’d only come to pick some things up and be on his way. But when he opened his bedroom door, a screech came from inside. Little Bella came dashing out, tail puffed up like a raccoon.

“What the fuck?” he shouted as the cat ran into Cecilia’s arms. “Why was that in my room?”

“You don’t remember Bella, either?” Cecilia asked, cradling the frightened cat in her arms.

Asher didn’t answer her, but shook his head and scoffed. “Get it out of here.”

Cecilia hugged the cat close, feeling her heart sink slowly. Even Bella wasn’t enough to snap him out of this. Cecilia didn’t know how to handle the situation but to hide away, avoiding him at all costs.

It was sad, in a way. She had tried so hard to find him—prayed so much for his quick recovery. And now she simply wanted him to go away. His mood was unbearable—the air he brought around him stiff and awkward. Ryan wouldn’t look at him, Grayson left the room when he’d approach. Sebastian was the only one who put up with his presence, sitting there at the table with him while they drank coffee.

Cecilia snuck around the corner to listen. She understood why Sebastian was being so gentle in comparison to the others; he was testing Asher’s mind. Digging for answers.

They spoke about the incident. Asher didn’t remember anything, said the last thing he recalled was fighting with Ryan over his relationship with Clover. And now that Ryan was no longer interested in Clover, he was going to jump on the opportunity to be with her.

“Do you love her?” asked Sebastian.

“Love,” Asher scoffed. “I like her and she fucks like a rabbit. Why do I need anything else?”

Cecilia burned up a little at the comment, resenting herself for feeling so jealous over the situation. Asher didn’t even remember her. What did he owe her?

“The wedding is a month away,” Asher informed him. Cecilia felt her stomach plummet. “We’re going straight to the court house.”

Cecilia slumped away, feeling lost and hopeless. As hard as he was on her, she’d had good memories with Asher. But in the end, she was the reason he’d ended up in the hospital to begin with. So she chose to stop fighting the inevitable. She had ruined him and now he was paying her back.

She avoided him for most of the day, every day—taking care of Bella in the absence of his former self. At least it would give her some experience when it came to raising a kid.

Then, one day, Asher cornered her in the hallway. She had forgotten how his presence felt until it was pinning her against a wall. Until he was looking down at her with that dark gaze, those threatening eyes. “How did you know?” he asked her.

Cecilia coiled into herself to avoid his gaze. “Know what?”

“All those things you said about me? How did you know all that?”

“Because I know you,” Cecilia admitted. She didn’t dare look him in the eye as she said it. “I know you better than anyone, I think.”

She expect a scoff—some hurtful words and a quick disregard. But unstead, Asher stood there, staring down at her. He grabbed her face after a moment of silence and lifted her chin to look at him. It was like he was taking her in—trying to understand something.

Then a hand touched his shoulder and tore him away. Ryan stood, a giant wall of a man between them. “I told you not to touch her.”

Asher gave a scoff and muttered sarcastically, “Sure, chief.” Then he stalked off, looking pissed off as always.

Once he was gone, Ryan turned to her and asked, “Are you okay?”

Cecilia did all she could to hold back her tear, but her efforts were for nothing. She covered her eyes so Ryan couldn’t see the shame on her face. “I shouldn’t be talking to you of all people about this—”

“Me?” asked Ryan. “Why not?”

“Because you and I…”

Gently, Ryan took her hand and pulled her away into an empty guest room. With the door securely shut behind them, he reached up and pushed her hair back behind her ears. “I love you,” he said. “I don’t want to see you like this. So don’t worry about me. Just tell me what’s going on.”

“I just miss him,” Cecilia said, a tear streaking her cheek. “The old him.”

Ryan sighed deeply and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against his frame. He muttered something that, for a moment, Cecilia thought sounded a lot like, “Me too.”

She didn’t want to give up on Asher. She couldn’t.

One day, he would remember her again. It was just a matter of time.

Cecilia went to her mother—someone Asher had adored before. Someone he only regarded with filthy looks now. She seemed to understand the situation and tried her best not to take things personally, but still, Cecilia couldn’t stand the thought of her mother ever being hurt by another Alpha for as long as she lived. Including Asher.

So she took her mother’s advice and tried to trigger her memory another way—her cooking. She created his favorite ditch from scratch—spicy coconut curry. And she was not surprised at all when Asher came down stairs that evening and finally settled into a chair at the table. Usually, he would just order the housekeeper to bring him something, or go out to eat on his own. But something about the smell of curry must’ve provoked him.

Cecilia fed it to him, watching as he devoured every bite. For some reason, she had expected it to work like magic. That he would recall her recipe to mind and be awoken from whatever strange state of mind he’d fallen into. But Asher simply demanded a second helping and then went on his way. Cecilia’s heart had fallen to the depths after that. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to pick it back up again.

She found her mother in her room, which had been decorated to her liking. Having her in the mansion with Cecilia brought her far more comfort than she’d expected. She crawled onto her mother’s bed where she was reading a romance novella and curled up into her side. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Her mother sighed and put the book aside. “Is this about Red?”

“I can’t get him to snap out of it. I don’t understand…I mean, he was never all that affectionate, but I know he loved me. I know he did, Mom.”

Her mother smiled sadly at Cecilia and pulled her into a tight hug. “Then the answer is clear, honey. You need to make him fall in love with you all over again.”

Cecilia considered her, wondering if such a thing was possible. Asher was so cold and cruel the way he was now. It had taken a long way to wedge herself into his icy heart, and now he was building up walls she’d never seen before. But she supposed it was worth a try.

She brought Bella into his room one evening while he was kicked back in a chair with a glass of scotch. It was clear the small cat missed him and didn’t understand what was happening. She straightened her neck at the sight of him, as if she was on guard—afraid and curious.

Asher glanced up from his glass, that cold electric look in his eyes. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“You didn’t used to mind me coming into your room before the incident,” Cecilia explained.

Asher set his glass down and stood up, all that intimidation radiating off of him as it usually was. He came closer and Cecilia felt like retreating, but she stood her ground. “I heard you were the reason it happened,” he said, his voice low and warm on her face.

Cecilia didn’t respond, but let him leer down at her. She glanced up as he came closer and closer, the heat of him pulling her in. Then Cecilia grabbed him by the face and stood on her toes. He went tense in her hands as she kissed him, and for a moment she wasn’t sure he’d kiss her back. Then, it was like something in him went weak. She felt his lips move against hers with that warm familiarity, his hands gripping at her shoulders tight. He kissed her deeply and Cecilia treasured the gentle electricity it sent coursing through her veins.

Then he pulled back suddenly. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and shoved past her without a word, leaving her there, the taste of him still on her lips.