Chapter 159

For the sake of Ariella Rios, and for Alex Bloom too, she had made up her mind—once Alex recovered, she’d start pulling away from him. She’d let her dad know the breakup happened. Didn’t her father hate Alex? If she stopped loving him, then at least his life wouldn’t be at risk anymore. And that would finally give her the excuse she needed to split with Lucian Sterling. None of this was told to Ariella Rios, of course. She wanted to show up one day with signed divorce papers in hand and give her blessing to the two of them in person. ... Lucian had originally wanted to keep in touch with Ariella over calls, but under her parents’ constant care, there was literally no opportunity. All they could do was text each other, sneaking messages like some kind of forbidden romance. “Babe, did you eat properly today?” “Yeah. You?” “I ate a ton. Getting stronger so I can come see you soon.” “I can’t wait either. But ugh, my parents are basically glued to me 24/7. Doesn’t matter, though. If love is