Chapter 18

Elena & Killian

Elena

The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on me by a long shot.

Never once, in the years that we had been married, had Killian remembered our anniversary.

He didn’t bother to remember it when I was the doting wife, the perfect woman who always had dinner ready for him even when he didn’t come home to eat it. He didn’t bother even when I always made sure his work clothes were picked out and neatly pressed in the morning.

He didn’t even bother to take me out for dinner or give me a card for our anniversary, even when I was the one who sent him off to work at the door with a kiss and a smile and who waited for him in that very same spot with slippers and a robe when he came home, always obedient and sweet and meek.

In fact, on the anniversary after Natalie’s return in my past life, Killian had thrown away the gift I had spent weeks making for him—an entire scrapbook filled with a year’s worth of photos, love notes, poetry excerpts… everything that a normal husband would cherish forever.

It was meant to remind him of what we had, although looking back now, I knew we had never had much of anything. All of the pictures had been taken from the newspapers because we didn’t have any personal photos together.

But it didn’t matter; it mattered that I had poured my heart and soul into that gift and he had thrown it right in the trash, right in front of me, and had told me not to give him something like that ever again.

That was the man I had gotten when I had been the perfect wife. His cruelty and bad attitude were my rewards for years of servitude.

And now that I was actively pushing back against him, doing my best to be the polar opposite of everything I had once been just to spite him, he was the one giving me gifts that I didn’t want.

“Elena?” Killian’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I realized I had been staring at the little silver box in his hands without taking it. “Don’t you want your gift?”

Even though the version of me that once cherished every little scrap of affection the man ever gave me instinctively wanted to take the box and rip into it with excitement, I shook my head and took another step back.

“No, thank you,” I said firmly, folding my arms across my chest if only to keep myself from taking it. “I already told you that we don’t need to pretend in private anymore.”

Killian’s face darkened. He took a step forward and thrust the box toward me. “Just take the gift, Elena.”

I wanted to protest, but I knew this would only cause an argument that I was too tired to have right now. And I needed him to leave so I could think about my next steps for the upcoming attack.

So I took the box and blandly said, “Thanks.” I set it on the table beside me without opening it.

He hesitated. “Did you get me anything?”

Of course he wanted to know where his gift was. Had he only given me this one to guilt trip me into giving him something back? He had, after all, implied that I should have sex with him earlier as a thank-you for giving me my Luna duties.

Did he expect that now, I wondered? Did he hope I would doll myself up in lingerie and get on my knees and suck his cock dry like I once might have done? Did he think that I would be his good wife in bed, even if I would no longer be that version of myself anywhere else?

Did he think that I owed him for changing so much for me these past days?

Well, maybe once I would have done that, but that version of myself had died already and hadn’t come back with me during my rebirth.

I really wanted to show him exactly what sort of “gift” I had for him, which was really two middle fingers, but I held myself back. I suddenly recalled the pen Jaxon had given me and pulled it out of my pocket.

“Here.” I handed him the pen without a second thought.

Killian took the pen and stared at it for a moment, and I thought he might call my bluff. But surprisingly, he nodded and pocketed it. “Thank you.”

I was a bit relieved that he didn’t seem to notice the fact that it was unwrapped and not even close to the style he usually used. “You’re welcome.”

The following morning, I woke early to get started on my day. Maeve brought me a cup of tea and toast for breakfast, and while I was eating, she tidied the room. “What’s this?” she asked, holding up the box.

I swallowed a mouthful of toast and glanced at it. Overnight, I had almost forgotten about the gift—almost, but not quite. I had been so tired last night that I hadn’t even checked its contents before going to bed. It was still neatly contained in the same silver gift box it had been last night, a glittery red bow holding it all together.

“Nothing,” I said, waving my hand. “It’s trash. You can just throw it away.”

…

Killian

I woke the next morning with a lightness in my chest that hadn’t been there in days. The pen Elena had given me sat on my bedside table, right next to my journal, the small lilac-colored stone catching the morning light as I cracked open my eyes.

It was a simple gift, and yet somehow shockingly more meaningful to me than anything that Elena had ever given me before. Something about the sleek silver casing and the strange, delicate little purple gemstone entranced me.

Or maybe it was just because I felt as if Elena and I had finally reconciled after a weeks-long cold war. She had accepted my gift and given me one in return for our anniversary; she couldn’t possibly still be angry with me, right?

When I sat up fully, yawning, I was surprised to find that Elena hadn’t left out a work outfit for me like she normally did. It was no matter, though; I figured she was busy with her new Luna duties, which was a good thing, and it even brought a small smile to my face.

Maybe, finally, after years of being meek and subservient, she was finally coming into her own. She was taking on her duties, acting as a Luna should—with poise, confidence, and fire.

Still in a good mood, I showered and got dressed, picking out and ironing a charcoal gray suit with a white button-down. I went through my usual routine of brushing my teeth, combing my hair, and shaving, even whistling softly as I worked.

But my good mood faded when I headed downstairs stepped into the dining room. I found one of the maids, Maeve, carrying around a small wastebasket with a familiar silver-colored gift box sitting in it.

“Maeve.” I stepped forward and pointed at the box. “What’s that?”

The maid paused, following my gaze, then pulled the box out of the wastebasket with one hand. “This?” she asked. “I thought it was trash.”

Trash? Before she could toss it again, I snatched it away, and felt my stomach drop when I noticed the weight of it. It wasn’t empty.

When I untied the bow and lifted the lid, my fears were confirmed: the box still contained the delicate silver necklace with the rose pendant that I had purchased especially for Elena.

She had thrown my anniversary gift away.