Page 8 of Her Former Bear Mate

"Not really."

This was painful.Aditi was sure she'd had more engaging conversations with her comatose patients.Maybe she was wasting her time, maybe there was no coming back from this.

Lena finally looked at her."We don't have to talk, you know."

"I was just trying to be friendly."

"Don't.We're not friends."

The words stabbed Aditi straight into the heart, even if she knew they were true.

An arm was suddenly slung over her shoulder and she and Lena were pulled into a weird three-way embrace by her overly enthusiastic cousin."Look who it is, my favourite couple!"

Kiara always had the worst timings.

Aditi shrugged her cousin's arm away, not for the first time wishing she was allowed to hit people."We're not?—"

"We broke up," Lena said simply.It sounded so cold, so diminishing like she was sharing a fact about the weather or something boring and unimportant.

"You're joking me."Kiara's bright smile fell away."Oh, goddess.You're not joking.I'm sorry, I didn't know that.Aditi, why didn’t I know that?"

Aditi shrugged, trying to come across just as aloof.She wasn't sure if she managed since her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest."We haven't seen each other in a while."

"Still...I'm hurt, I thought we told each other these kinds of things."Kiara pouted and stood between them with an expectant smile, as if she was about to get the juicy details.When nobody said anything, she finally got the message and sheepishly excused herself like she hadn't just thrown a bomb on the conversation.

Lena looked anything but amused."I need some water."

"I can?—"

Without another word, Lena marched away and Aditi wasn't so foolish to chase after her ex.It was obvious that whatever she was after, connection or closure, she was the only one yearning for it.Somehow, that made her feel even lonelier.She thought that even if they were over, at least they were doing this breakup together.

She was clearly mistaken.

While she picked up her drink, Alix came from the other side of the garden.The expression on her face made it clear she saw it all and had lots of thoughts about it.

Aditi sighed."Can you pretend you didn't see any of that?"

"I wish but I got some serious second-hand embarrassment from that."Alix was never anything but honest.

"Was it that bad?"

"I physically cringed.”

“What a disaster.I don’t think this is salvageable.”Aditi swirled her glass and downed the last of her cocktail.“I’m such a fool.We’re not going to get back together, are we?”

“I don’t know… I believe in you two.You’re perfect for each other.”

“Are we though?I want to get mated, she doesn't.That's kind of the end of the road, isn't it?”Aditi muttered, well aware that it was delusional that she ever thought they could work past this.The truth was a bitter pill she needed to swallow.And ironic, so damn ironic, considering it had been Aditi who spent her whole life claiming she didn't want a fated mate.She'd considered herself so lucky when they started dating when Lena agreed, thinking they were defying all that fated-mate bullshit.That what they had was realtruelove, something that was built upon their trust and belief in each other instead of something like fate.

But when that trust broke, the relationship inevitably toppled with it.

She glanced at Lena one more time, marvelling at how devastatingly beautiful but cold she looked.

Everything inside Aditi ached but she knew it was time to let go.

FIVE

Lena

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