The hallway outside the on-call rooms was quiet, but Aria's footsteps echoed sharply as she closed the distance between her and Mark. He was leaning casually against the wall near the nurses' station, flipping through a chart like nothing was wrong. The sight of him so calm and unaffected lit a fire in her chest.
"Mark," Aria called, her voice sharp and commanding.
He looked up, his easy smirk faltering at the sight of her storming toward him. "Aria? What's—"
Before he could finish, she grabbed the front of his scrub top and shoved him hard against the wall. The force caught him off guard, and the chart slipped from his hands, clattering to the floor.
"What the hell are you doing?" Mark snapped, his surprise giving way to annoyance.
"What the hell are you doing?" Aria shot back, her voice trembling with fury. "Lexie is in pieces because of you. She's crying, questioning herself, wondering if she even matters to you. And all you can do is stand here like everything's fine?"
Mark frowned, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. "I told her the truth, Aria. What else was I supposed to do? Lie to her?"
"No, Mark," Aria spat, her voice venomous. "You were supposed to be better. You don't get to blow up her life and act like you've done her a favor. You got Callie pregnant, and what you just expected her to be fine with it. You don't get everything you want Mark. You blindsided her. You made her feel like nothing!"
Mark opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get a word out, Aria's fist connected with his jaw. The crack of the punch echoed in the hallway as his head snapped to the side, and he stumbled slightly against the wall.
"What the hell, Aria?!" Mark yelled, clutching his jaw as he glared at her, stunned.
Aria stepped closer, her eyes blazing with fury. "That's for Lexie," she hissed, her voice low and dangerous.Mark opened his mouth to respond, but Aria cut him off, her voice rising. "She loves you, you idiot! She's been giving you chance after chance, and this is how you repay her? By making her feel like she's competing with your daughter and now a baby that you now just want her to play step mother."
"I didn't mean to hurt her," Mark said, his voice quieter now, though the defensiveness still lingered.
Aria let out a bitter laugh. "You didn't mean to? Mark, you don't get points for good intentions when your actions wreck the person you claim to care about. You know what? Forget it. You don't get to hurt her like this and keep coming around like nothing's changed."
Mark's jaw tightened. "I love Lexie, Aria. I'm trying to figure this out—"
"No," Aria interrupted, stepping closer, her voice cold and resolute. "You don't get to 'figure it out' while dragging her through hell. Stay away from her, Mark. Do you hear me? She's not your emotional punching bag, and she's not your backup plan. If you care about her even a little, you'll give her space to heal and decide what she wants. If you really love her, Mark, you'll let her go. You'll step back and let her figure out what she deserves—which is a hell of a lot more than this mess you've made."
She took one final look at him, her expression filled with quiet disdain. "You stay away from her, or you'll have me to deal with. And trust me, Sloan—you don't want that."
Without waiting for a response, Aria turned and walked away, her heart pounding in her chest. Mark stood frozen, his confidence shaken, as her words echoed in his mind. This time, there was no charm or quick excuse that could save him.
~
Aria sat next to Meredith, listening as Richard placed a worn leather journal on the table. She knew that handwriting instantly—Ellis Grey's.
YOU ARE READING
Shooting Stars
Fanfiction"But he's Evil Spawn." "Don't you think I know that. I didn't wake up one day and suddenly decide I was going to be in love with Alex Karev." Being the daughter of a world renowned surgeon was never destined to be easy. The first born of the Grey tw...
