The vibe for this chapter, I don't know but I did it with this song playing. Maybe you can understand my thought process if you listened along?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh8qQ4ng14g

(TW: Mentions of suicide and overdose)

Thank you to Anonymous8418 for becoming a new patron.

Thank you as well to the other patrons, OdeToAKite, Danielle Warvel, Michael and  JewBot9000.

Seraphina sat alone in her room, her thoughts consumed by the events of the day. Every interaction Aric had with other women replayed in her mind, magnified by her own insecurities and worry.

When she heard the sound of running water from the bathroom, she knew it was the perfect opportunity to confront him.

Knocking lightly on the door, she called out, "Aric?"

From inside, his muffled voice responded, "Yeah?"

"What did you do today?"

There was a brief pause before Aric replied, “Oh, uh… just helped the people, checking on projects, stuff like that. Why?”

Seraphina gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to burst into the bathroom and demand answers. Instead, she forced herself to remain composed,

“Nothing. Just curious.”

Aric felt guilty and replied back, “Okay, okay. I was at the bakery again. Then I went to Kim's shop before helping the people.”

“Why were you there? You've been there consistently now.”

“I'm making a cake and I decided to delegate that task to Mira. Plus I paid her handsomely.”

“But even so, you have not told me who's that cake for.”

Aric sighed but kept his tone low, “Can we talk after I bath? It's abit awkward seeing my skin wrinkled up.”

She felt impatient but chose to understand, “Fine. But you'll speak about it okay?”

“Yes, wife.”

Aric sunk deeper into the bathtub and blowed bubbles into the water.

Ivy facepalmed and sat down on her chair, [Okay then. So, you know that she stalked you. And she probably knows that you know that she stalked you. So you probably know that-]

Aric rolled his eyes and made his voice low,

“Okay, let's not do that now. I'm not in the mood for 'you know, she know, they know' jokes.”

He put his hand on his forehead and thought in his head,

Now I need to figure out how to tell her that 'Heyyy, I am making a surprise for you and I really don't want you finding out but you are scary and I don't know what to do.'

Also, I need to figure when the crown gets here and where the hell is Callista...She's supposed to still be in Ashwick thanks to Kayla's report and Evelyn's but apparently she's been extra sneaky.

Then I need to figure if I want to continue staying here or not.

Ivy crossed her legs and ate a burger, [So, what do you want to do? Do you plan on leaving Seraphina after the crown? If so, where are you going to go next?]

Well, Thorin might be down taking me and maybe I could live over there. I don't even want anything special for real you know?

I'll just have a normal home so I can have just a laid back life.

[Did you just quote the trope of those Japanese Light Novel of wanting a laid back life??]

I mean, you do it all the time. You don't see me complaining that much.

[Yeah, but that's because I’m charming and funny. You’re just avoidant.]

Aric gave her the middle finger while she stuck her tongue out.

[Look, Aric. You can think about this after you celebrate Seraphina okay? Callista and Crown should be lower priority. You have more important things to think about. Like making sure, 'that' is ready.]

It's ready. I saw it today. It's really pretty. Claire and the rest did really good.

He stood up from the bathtub and walked out of it. He grabbed his towel and looked at the mirror in the shower. He didn't want to admit it outright but he looked handsome.

Damn. Still can't believe, I'm in this body.

Ivy whistled, [You know. I still can't get over the fact that you got 8 inches and that was not from Vayne.]

Could you please not stare at my dick? I literally want my privacy and I have been kind enough to let you come in when I bath.

The least you could do is not look at it.

Ivy finished her burger, [Fine, fine. Go get ready, pretty boy. Your wife wants to know the flavour of that cake along with the psychology behind it. I'm sure.]

*****************************************

Aric came out from the dressing room and was in his black nightwear. The room was silent except for the faint rustling of sheets as Seraphina shifted to see him. Before she could spiral further into her own thoughts, Aric said while stretching,

“Wear something nice tomorrow.”

“Why? We still have a few shops that need your technology installed and there's no events happening.”

Aric chuckled softly, “Just don’t worry about it. Whatever you wear is always nice. But trust me on this one, it’ll be worth it.”

“I can wear something nice tomorrow but...I want to know the real reason behind those visits.”

Aric looked at her deeply. He walked towards the best while being conflicted and confused,

“You know, back in my world, people don't usually question these kind of things. But, I believe it isn't that well known here.”

“To put it simply… the visits to Mira, the errands, all of it, it’s for a surprise for you tomorrow.”

His words sent a flicker of warmth coursing through her veins, though she quickly suppressed it, refusing to let herself be swayed too easily.

“You’re not making any sense. Surprises? What are you planning?”

He scoot himself in bed and looked at her with soft eyes,

“Seraphina...I know this is not my place to say but I know what happened last year. And the year before.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Aric gently touched her hand and she didn't pull back,

“I know what he did. I saw it.”

Seraphina’s lips tightened. Her voice came out bitter, “So? What do you mean by that?”

“What I'm saying is that...you don't deserve what happened. What I'm saying is that...”

He took a breath, choosing his words carefully, “Look, I know asking you to trust me after everything is… a lot. I know asking you trust a man after what happened...is hard. But just for tomorrow, can I lead you somewhere? Somewhere special?”

“I just want to show you that...you are special and you deserve good things in life. That you deserve happiness just as much as the next person.”

Seraphina studied him intently, her sharp blue eyes searching his mismatched ones for any sign of deception. To her surprise, all she found was honesty.

Why would he go this far?

“So, what do you want me to wear?”

“Hmm.” He grinned. “Anything that makes you beautiful.”

She squinted at him. “Seriously? Nothing specific?”

“Nope. Whatever makes you pretty.”

She let out a groan. She was frustrated and flustered.

“Ugh. Seriously, just tell me what this is about! I’m anxious, Aric!”

Aric let go of her hand, laid back with his arms folded behind his head, and smirked.

“You’ll like it… I think.”

Seraphina stared at him, utterly unimpressed. The audacity of this man to get all cryptic and mysterious right before bed.

What is he even planning?

Aric spoke up which broke the train of thought of Seraphina's,

“Hey, Sera. Can I ask you a question?”

Seraphina regained her composure and laid down, “Sure, what is it?”

“What did you do that night? Last year's birthday.”

She exhaled sharply, “Didn’t you see the memory? I just slept through the whole thing. I wasn’t... bothered.”

“Oh, I know you slept but... what did you really do? Because when I saw you through his memories, you were passed out... your fingers smelled like tar and your mouth reeked of alcohol. Like, it was really strong to the point you could kill someone with it.”

She stared at the ceiling. Her voice became quieter, “Why should I tell you?”

“You don't have to.” He paused. “Just know that, I understand why you tried that. I understand.”

She was genuinely surprised and immediately turned her face towards him. He was turned too and they locked eyes to each other, as if reading into each other's soul,

“How would you know...”

“Because I tried it too.” he said without hesitation. “Over and over and over. I tried it so many times that I figured out exactly where the line was between dying and just surviving.”

“I tried many other ways too. Knife, rope, medicine, drugs, gun...but I never really see through the end. I was too much of a pussy to finish the job.

He scoffed to himself, “Anyway. It’s not about me. I’m just... glad you survived it. Maybe your magic stopped the overdose, maybe it was something else. But either way... I’m glad you’re here. I'm glad you're alive.”

“I hope tomorrow will be special to you.”

He smiled at her, “But even if it's not, I will do my best to force it to be one.”

Seraphina's chest felt heavy but light at the same time. As if someone who went through similar pain understands why she did what she did.

Why he didn’t scold her like James and Margurite did when they found out.

...I guess, it really does take someone broken to understand someone broken.

She murmured, just low enough that he couldn’t hear, “I was too hard on you... I’m glad you’re here too.”

“What was that?” he asked.

Seraphina put on a smile and hugged him. Aric felt suffocated from being in her chest but she squeezed him harder,

“Nothing. I'll make sure to wear something real nice tomorrow. Let's go to sleep.”

I know this might be a little surprise given the vibe of the chapters but I have hinted enough of what was going with Seraphina's state.

I also wanted to explore what Aric saw when he merged with Vayne.

Thank you for reading Reincarnated into a Failed Marriage. (if you want, patreon is up to chapter 103 now.)

Also, click the next chapter. It's an extra featuring Evelyn since she's everyone's fav side character.