Destiny of the Witch

and it was now or never. He placed Nate in her arms and watched as she opened her mouth as if to argue but said nothing. After a moment, Ella smiled down at their son and rubbed her nose on his cheeks. Marcus sighed with relief. No pussyfooting around was going to fix what he needed to get off his chest. He grabbed her hand, giving her no option but to come with him. It had always been his plan to tell Ella about New York at the first opportunity. Although he dreaded explaining what had happened, he figured now was the time to get everything out in the open and deal with it. Once they were inside Steel’s office, he closed the door and removed Nate from her arms to settle him on the floor. The one-year-old stood on his feet and strolled around with ease as they watched him navigate his way around the table, finally sitting down by a small train set.

“Oh my God, he’s walking.” Tears filled her eyes.

“Yes, no crawling for him—he just up and walked. I recorded some footage for you. I didn’t want you to miss out.”

Ella stared at him with her hands covering her mouth. “Thank you, I would love to see it.” She swiped at her cheeks.

He nodded. “Will you come here, and let me hold you, please?” Opening his arms wide, he beckoned for her to come closer, keeping himself positioned next to the desk, waiting. But when she didn’t move, he sighed. “This isn’t easy for me either, sweetheart. When I left for Wales, I left behind a wife who I’m pretty sure loved me. I think you were pissed at me because I was leaving you behind, but you understood why after what happened with Steel. But the doctor betrayed us and the Morrigan...” He stared, his resolve cracking at the uncertainty on her face.

Ella stepped closer but her arms remained crossed over her chest as she studied him and heaved. “I know. I’ve spent this morning discussing everything with Zephra. I’m embarrassed about the way I behaved around Alexander, and I know I hurt you. I’m sorry. There was a part of me that knew being with him wasn’t right, but his face was the only one I recognized, and you scared me.”

He grabbed her shoulders, looking down at her as tears welled in her eyes. “You…you have nothing to be sorry for. Do I still scare you?”

“No…not anymore.”

Threading his hand through hers, he waited to see her response at the contact. The dark pupils of her eyes flared, and he was desperate to hold her. He wanted to kiss her and make the last few months disappear, but he couldn’t. The need to confess sat heavy on his mind and he squeezed her hand before stepping back. Pushing away from the table, he rubbed his hands over his face, debating back and forth about what words to say. But at the end of the day, it did not matter. Nothing would make his news better. Unable to contain it any longer, he blurted the truth out.

“I slept with the Morrigan—I didn’t know it was her. You have to believe me. When I walked inside the hotel room in Boston, you were standing there. You had gone missing and we didn’t know where you were. I was so happy to see you. To know you were safe. My head accepted it was you without question. I had literally been to hell and back to find you. But when I woke up…the magic that bitch used faded and I saw the truth of what I had done.”

“Choo…choo…” Nate played with Thomas the Tank Engine, unaware of the tension in the room.

Ella had managed not to say a word or react; she simply lowered her head. He knew the words he had used were as deadly as poison. The thought of losing Ella was now at the front of his mind as he waited. Torn with the need to give comfort and at the same time give her space, he stood, helpless.

Eventually, she lifted her head and faced him. “You…you stayed the night?” Ella said, her voice disbelieving.

Marcus stood rigid. He knew how it sounded. How impossible it was. In his twisted conscience, did he once doubt it was Ella? Yes, he had, but with the Morrigan, he was powerless to resist. In all honesty, it seemed a bizarre dream he couldn’t escape, and he didn’t want to at the time. Ella always called to him. Always.

“Ella…I thought it was you.”

She stepped right in front of him and smacked his shoulder. It was the first time she had touched him, and she thumped him again, using him like a battering ram.

“Tell me…was the Ella you slept with pregnant? Because the last time I was me, not this watery mess…I was. I was carrying your child. Now, not only have I lost my baby, but my husband has slept with the very woman who has made it her mission to destroy my life.”

She pummeled his chest with her tiny fists, and he let her throw the punches that did little to physically hurt him, until she became exhausted. Not caring whether she wanted him to hold her or not, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, and stroked her hair, kissing her head, desperate to keep her near.

“It didn’t mean anything. Ella, you’re all that’s important to me,” he said above her. But she shrugged out of his arms and he let her go.

“But you thought it was me, which means at the time it did.” She staggered away, wiping her nose, and he watched as she gathered Nate up into her arms.

“When I looked at you that first moment back in the Shadowlands, besides fear there was an overwhelming sense of hurt and betrayal. I didn’t know