Page 97 of Titan

A confirmation was all I needed, and I had it now. This was Ari’s mother.

“Then why are you asking about…”

“Arianna.”

Her eyes softened and her expression fell.

“That’s her name?”

“I take it that means you’re not going to deny she exists any longer.”

Julia looked away.

“I didn’t know what Bennett called her. My parents… they…” She let out a sigh. “It doesn’t matter. How do you know her?”

“Your parents, what?”

She scoffed and looked up at the sky.

“My parents made me give her up. They told me they’d cut me off if I didn’t hand over all parental rights to Bennett.”

My eyes narrowed. I hadn’t expected her to open up and tell me outright what happened. I was a complete stranger. Then again, maybe she wanted to get this off her chest.

“I didn’t want to leave my life behind to live on a council estate with his aunt and his brother. I was only with him because I knew my parents disapproved. You know how we all love to act out as teenagers. I didn’t want to have a baby at sixteen, so I gave her to him without complaint and agreed never to contact either of them again.”

“Did he want her?”

She nodded and stared at her hands.

“Bennett wanted her from the moment he found out. We never meant to get pregnant, but these things happen. She was always going to be better off with him.”

Julia visibly shivered and wrung her hands out.

“I don’t know whether to ask you about her. She’s all grown up now, I guess.”

I rubbed my fingers together, my gaze directed across the deck where I could see Edric and Theia standing inside. He was talking to her, but her eyes were darting around as if she was looking for me. It made my heart lurch. I wanted to be back with her, not talking to Ari’s mother.

“She is.”

“You’re not dating her, are you?”

“Me? No. Definitely not. She’s… it doesn’t matter who she is to me.”

She didn’t deserve to know anything about her daughter. Not when she admitted she didn’t want Ari. It wasn’t my place to tell her, anyway. It would be between her, Bennett, and Arianna.

“I guess not.”

Julia’s expression was sombre when I glanced at her. I might not have wanted to know her reasons for never being in Ari’s life, but I was glad she’d told me. Perhaps Ari would want closure regarding the topic. I could give her that without her ever having to be in contact with the woman who’d given birth to her.

“She’s happy, and I’d personally like it to stay that way for her sake. I suggest you stick to your promise not to contact her. Arianna doesn’t need someone who never wanted her in her life. She deserves better.”

I didn’t stop to wait for her reply, shoving off the railings and walking back towards the double doors. While I didn’t know Zayn’s girlfriend that well, I did respect her, especially since she made my brother happy. She was loyal to him. And she fit into our family. Our father may never have approved of her, and he would definitely not have approved of Theia either, but I did. I knew Ari was good for Zayn… just as Theia was good for me.

I didn’t have the energy to continue speaking to Julia. I hoped I’d given her something to think about and she would keep her promise. Ari didn’t need that sort of shit in her life.

When I got back inside, Theia spied me straight away. Her blue-grey eyes were full of concern. I made my way over to her and Edric. He had a whisky tumbler between his fingers and was still glaring at Verona. I ignored him, making my way straight over to Theia and wrapping my arm around her waist. Her hand went to my chest as she stared up at me.

“Is everything okay?”

---