** Aria’s POV **
I stare at the closed door, expecting to hear more protests, or for the door to open back up to reveal Sierra’s stubborn face.
Something cold brushes my finger, and I look down to see Thorne slipping the wedding band onto my ring finger, like a thief returning stolen goods. His grip is uncomfortably tight, like he’s afraid I’ll snatch my hand away.
“No one steals what belongs to my mate,” he vows, his voice thick with false sincerity. “Don’t cry, my love. Your tears shred me worse than barbed wire.”
Thorne swipes his thumbs over my cheeks, his own wedding band glinting cruelly in the light. For one deluded heartbeat, I almost fool myself into seeing the doting mate I’d devoted myself to all those years ago.
The man who had once fought off another potential mate to cla
