Chapter 7

It had been two days since my mum came to see me. I hadn’t left my bed since then. I felt like I was rotting in it. I barely ate anything. There wasn’t much food in the house, and honestly, I didn’t care enough to fix that. I didn’t go to the family dinner she invited me to. She could go to hell, for all I cared.

The worst part was, I hadn’t gone to work. That was a big deal for me. I never missed work. I hardly even used my vacation days, and I always made sure to do my duties as the CEO. But this time, I just couldn’t bring myself to go in. I called my personal assistant and asked her to handle things for now. I told her I’d be back soon.

That morning, I woke up to the sound of the doorbell. It was strange because I hadn’t told anyone where I was staying. Only my mum knew, and I doubted she would show up this early just to check on me. Still feeling tired and heavy, I dragged myself to the door.

When I opened it, I froze.

It was Aaron.

He looked really good—almost too good for this hour. His hair was neat, his blue eyes were bright, and he looked freshly shaved. I felt my heart skip a beat. I didn’t expect it to be him, but I was so glad it was. I almost wanted to jump into his arms and hug him. I had missed him more than I wanted to admit.

“Hi,” he said softly. I noticed he was holding a bunch of flowers in one hand and a bag of packed food in the other. My face grew warm. I blushed.

“Hi,” I replied, feeling awkward.

“I’m sorry I came without telling you,” he said. “These are for you.” He handed me the flowers gently.

“Come in,” I said, stepping aside. I led him to the dining room and placed the flowers in a vase I hadn’t touched in weeks. When I turned back around, he was staring at me. There was something intense in his eyes. I almost got lost in them, but I quickly reminded myself why I left in the first place.

I had to protect myself.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“I brought food,” he said, pushing the bag toward me. “And I came to ask you to come back. I’m sorry, Lois. I really am. I didn’t mean to act the way I did. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

He looked so sincere, like he was truly sorry. For a moment, I thought maybe I had been too harsh. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as I thought. Maybe I could give him a chance to show he’d changed.

But then I remembered everything. The pain, the humiliation. The scars I carried weren’t physical, but they were deep. His friends had caused them—and he had just stood by. He could have stopped them. He didn’t.

I wanted to forgive him. I wanted to move on. I told myself he was just a kid back then, just like I was. He had been trying to fit in. And no, he hadn’t bullied me directly. But he also never defended me.

Still, I wasn’t ready to let go. Not yet. Something inside me still hurt too much.

“Thanks for the food, Aaron,” I said as I opened the bag. The smell of fried chicken and creamy pasta filled the air. My stomach growled. I had been starving, and this was exactly what I needed. Chicken was my favorite. Aaron knew that—he remembered. It was the one thing he never forgot about me.

“I respect your decision,” he said, standing up. “But I hope you’ll think about coming back.” He gave me one last look before turning and walking away.

I didn’t stop him. I couldn’t. If he wanted me back, he’d have to try harder.

I heard the door close. After a few seconds, I was sure he was gone. I sat down and ate. Every bite felt like heaven. Then I got up and took a long, hot shower. I needed to feel human again.

I told myself I wasn’t going to do this. But here I was, standing in front of the house I once called home.

Aaron’s car was parked outside. That made me more nervous than I expected. I didn’t know how he’d react to seeing me again. I was scared—but also hopeful. I missed having someone around. I missed the way things used to be, even if it hadn’t been perfect.

And I had work tomorrow. Staying here made more sense.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. The house smelled… different. It had a strong, sweet scent—almost too fancy, too feminine. It wasn’t like anything Aaron used before. Maybe he had cleaned the house and used some new spray? But that didn’t seem like him.

Feeling a little uneasy, I walked to the bedroom.

That’s when I heard the noises.

Strange, muffled sounds. Not voices—something else. Something weird. I slowly opened the bedroom door, and my whole world crashed down.

The girl from the café—the one I always got a bad feeling about—was there.

On top of Aaron.

Naked.

Kissing him all over.

My mouth fell open. I couldn’t breathe. My heart felt like it had stopped. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out. I just stood there, frozen.

She looked at me with a smug, evil smile. Like she had been waiting for me to see this.

Aaron didn’t even look up. He just groaned softly, lost in the moment, like I didn’t exist.

My heart shattered into a million tiny pieces. This was too much. I couldn’t handle it.

Tears poured down my face as I turned and ran.

I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back.

I just ran.