Aaliyah’s POVI didn’t know how long I sat frozen. My eyes darted from Henry’s body sprawled on the ground to the person who fired the shot. My heart stopped when I saw her.Aurora.Her chest rose and fell fast, her gun still pointed in my direction, smoke curling from the barrel. Her eyes… there was shock in them, maybe even grief, but I didn’t believe it. Not for a second. She had fucking just tried to kill me bur Henry…“No…” I whispered, my lips trembling.I dropped to my knees and scrambled toward Henry. His blood was pooling beneath him, dark and thick, soaking his shirt. I pressed my hands against the wound as if I could stop it, as if my palms could hold in his life.“Henry, no. Please, please don’t die. Not like this.” My voice cracked.His eyes fluttered open, heavy with pain. He coughed, his lips trembling into the ghost of a smile. “Aaliyah…”Tears blurred my sight. “Don’t talk. Just hold on. We’ll get help. You’ll be fine, you’ll see—”He shook his head weakly. “Listen… m
Aaliyah’s POVI didn’t even know when the gasp left my lips. One moment, my breath was steady, the next it was lodged in my throat as if someone had wrapped both hands around my neck. My eyes blurred, tears gathering without my permission.My son.He was in Aurora’s arms. Sleeping, unaware, innocent.And Aurora… she stood there with that dirty little smirk on her face, proud of herself like she’d won the war. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach, a prayer bursting inside me before I could think.Please… please, God, save my son. Take me instead. Just don’t take him.Orrin moved forward instinctively, his broad shoulders tense, his jaw clenched. But Aurora’s voice cut through the air like a blade.“Don’t take another step if you know what’s good for you.”Her tone was dripping with venom, calm but commanding. And Orrin—he actually stopped.My chest tightened as my eyes flew back to my son. My son in her arms. Every second she held him was agony, like knives carving at my insides. I
The sun was sinking lower, bleeding orange and crimson across the sky as we pulled up to the mansion. My men had done their job. By the time Aaliyah and I stepped out of the car, most of John’s guards who had been stationed outside were already on the ground, tied up, beaten, or groaning in pain. The air reeked of gunpowder and sweat.The place looked like old money—tall iron gates, a driveway lined with trimmed hedges, pillars standing proud at the front. Whoever owned it thought themselves untouchable. Tonight, I was going to prove them wrong.I glanced at Aaliyah. Her eyes were fixed on the mansion, hard and unblinking, her body stiff like she was preparing to walk into hell itself.“This part is mine,” I told her firmly. My voice carried more command than suggestion. “You stay here. I’ll go in with the men, clear everything, and bring Elias out to you.”She turned to me immediately, her jaw tight, her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Don’t start this here, Orrin. That’
Orrin’s POVLisa slumped back against the bed the moment the words left my lips. Her face paled, her fingers tightening on the sheets like she was holding onto the last thread of reality. My eyes drifted past her, toward Aaliyah.She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t even moving.She just sat there, her eyes fixed somewhere past the wall, her body rigid, her face so empty it almost didn’t look like hers.I’d seen her cry before. I’d seen her laugh, I’d seen her furious, but this—this hollow expression, this lifelessness—made something in my chest crack.I swallowed hard and stood, the chair scraping against the floor.“I’m leaving,” I said, my voice low but firm. “I’m going to find Elias.”Lisa’s hand shot out, her fingers curling around mine before I could step away. Her grip was surprisingly strong.“What now?” Her voice broke. “Where are you even going to find him?”I turned my head toward Aaliyah again. Nothing. Not even a blink. The distance in her eyes scared me more than the misunderst
Henry’s POVThe office was quiet except for the shallow, tense breathing of the man slumped against the wall. My lawyer. Well, not mine anymore.His lips bled, a red streak across his chin. Orrin’s fists were still balled, his chest rising and falling.I stood a step back, arms crossed, trying not to show how rattled I was by the scene unfolding. I had known Orrin was a brute when he needed to be, but watching him drag the lawyer by the collar, slam him against the desk, and punch him until the wood rattled, it made me realize how far he would go.And it made me realize how far I might have to go too.The lawyer groaned, wiped his face, and spat blood onto the floor. His eyes flickered between me and Orrin. “You both are shit and done as fuck when I deal with you. You lay another hand on me and I’ll have you jailed. I swear, I’ll bury you both in lawsuits.”Orrin laughed. He leaned close until their noses almost touched. “Do it. Go ahead and try. You think prison scares me?”The l
Henry’s POVAurora was gone.I stood there in the middle of her empty room, staring at the stripped walk-in closet, the bare drawers, the cold emptiness of the space that once smelled like her perfume and vanity creams. It was all gone.Something smelt wrong. Very wrong.The divorce wasn’t even finalized yet, so why the hell would she run now? Why disappear so suddenly, like a thief in the night? My gut twisted.I darted toward the drawer where I’d found those documents before. My hand yanked it open, my eyes sweeping frantically through. Empty. Nothing. I crouched down, pulled open the lower ones, shoved my hands around the inside as if something might magically appear but there was nothing.My throat tightened. “What the fuck is happening…”This wasn’t just Aurora being impulsive. This wasn’t just her taking her clothes and her jewelry and running away. My guts told me she was scrubbing away evidence, pulling strings I couldn’t see yet. My instincts screamed it.I pulled my phone f