All Chapters of Marked By Two: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Aria's povThe wedding ended like it had never really begun, no moment to hold on to, no feeling to replay. Days passed, then more, and I stopped keeping track because nothing about it felt like a beginning. Max had changed, he still showed up, still handled business like nothing had shifted, still spoke with that same calm, controlled tone that made people listen without question, but when it came to me… there was distance. He no longer touched me the way he used to. No hand settling at the small of my back, no quiet pull into his space, no kisses that lingered long enough to mean something. Sometimes there was nothing at all. We slept in the same bed, but it felt like we were worlds apart. I told myself it was the stress, the wedding, Maeve, everything that came with it, but deep down I knew better. Something had changed and he hadn’t said a word about it. Maeve left almost immediately, back to her city, back to whatever life she had built while the rest of us were still trying to

Aria’s POVThe phone felt heavy in my hand, the screen glowing like a countdown clock.*“The papers are ready for your signature. Does she know yet?”*The "she" was me. There was no doubt about that. The papers? Those could be anything. A divorce. A property transfer. An annulment. But standing there in the middle of my kitchen, surrounded by Livia’s things, I realized I was done playing nice. I was done being the woman who waited for Max to decide my fate.I set Livia's phone back exactly where she had left it. I adjusted it to the same angle, making sure the light hit it the same way.I headed upstairs, not long after, I heard the front door open again... And Livia's voice."I think I left my phone Inside." I heard her say to Max.I waited a few minutes to confirm that they had left before I went into Max's study.It was a place I rarely entered without an invitation. It was the heart of his power, a room built of dark wood, leather, and obviously secrets. The door was locked, but

Aria’s POVThe silence in the car was suffocating. Ryan’s hands were tight on the steering wheel, his jaw locked in a hard line. He hadn't said a word since I told him about the call. "What was that?" he finally asked, his voice low and dangerous.I stared out the window at the blurred city lights. My heart was still hammering against my ribs, echoing Livia’s voice."I have to go back," I said. My voice was surprisingly steady."Aria, no." Ryan pulled the car over to the curb sharply, turning to face me. "Think for one second. This is exactly how men like Max keep control. They sense you slipping away, so they pull you back in before you can think clearly. It’s a lure. You’re walking right back into the cage."I looked at him then. Ryan’s eyes were full of a desperate kind of concern, but I didn't need a savior anymore. I needed the truth, even if it burned me alive."I’m not going back because I miss him, Ryan," I said, my words sharp and clear. "I’m going back because I’m done bein

Aria’s pov I sat on the cold floor of the bathroom, my back against the locked door, staring at the shadows on the wall.What was I? There was something else—something so dark and so deep that Max was willing to fight the Council and risk his life to keep it hidden from me.And Noah. Noah, who had looked at me with so much hate and longing at the wedding. He knew. He had always known.I felt a sudden, sharp wave of nausea. Every memory I had of the two of them, the way they looked at me, the way they fought over me, it felt tainted. Was I ever loved? Or was I just a project? A target?I didn't sleep. I couldn't. I stayed on that floor until the sky outside turned a bruised, ugly gray.Morning came with a cruel perfection.The door to the bedroom opened softly. I had moved back to the bed minutes before, pretending to be asleep, my heart hammering as I heard Max’s footsteps. The bed dipped under his weight. He didn't touch me, but I could feel his presence, heavy and suffocating."Ar

Aria’s POV“Interesting place to disappear to.”My heart slammed against my ribs.Max stood in the doorway, one hand tucked into the pocket of his coat, the other still resting against the doorframe. The light from the hallway cut across his face sharply, leaving half of it buried in shadow.For a second, neither of us moved. Then his eyes dropped to the photograph in my hands.And something changed, but It was gone almost instantly, buried beneath the calm expression he wore like armor, but I saw it. I saw the exact moment he realized what I found.“You followed me,” I said quietly.Max stepped into the room slowly. “I noticed my wife vanished during a Council gala.”“Don’t do that,” I snapped. “Don’t stand there acting like this is normal.”His gaze stayed on the album. “Give it to me, Aria.”I laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. “No.”“Those records aren’t supposed to be here.”“And yet they are.”I held the photograph tighter. My fingers trembled slightly, but I refused