AARON'S POV Fuck! I didn’t expect to see her standing there. The soft creak of the wooden floor under my shoes had echoed across the silent room, and there was my mother, Martha Rhys. Still as a statue, her perfectly manicured fingers brushed gently against the corner of the picture frame sitting on my nightstand. It was the one photo I hadn’t managed to take down. Liv and I, smiling, happy, locked in a moment that now felt like a goddamn lie. “What are you doing in my room?” I asked, my voice dry and brittle like I’d been chewing on sand. She turned slowly, guilt sitting heavily in her eyes. It wasn’t the look of a mother who stumbled into her son’s space by mistake. No. She had come here with purpose. And I wasn’t in the mood. “Aaron,” she said softly, folding her arms. “I came to apologize.” I scoffed, stepping further in and tossing my keys onto the dresser. “Apologize? For what? The years of silence? For showing up at my door only when it’s convenient for you
LIV'S POV I held Kaelon's arm tighter the moment Louisa said those words. The Prestons? Here? At Kaelon's office? The nerve. The utter audacity. I glanced up at Kaelon, searching for his expression. His jaw had gone tight, eyes stormy and unreadable. But he didn’t say anything immediately. Instead, I pressed my palm firmer into his sleeve, letting him know he wasn’t alone in this. He looked down at me and for a fleeting second, something tender softened his features. He tugged me closer to him, his hand finding mine in a swift but quiet gesture. That was all I needed. Reassurance. And just like that, I squared my shoulders. I walked beside him as we stepped into his office. My heart pounded like a damn drumline, but I kept my expression composed. The room smelled faintly of lavender and polished wood. The large glass windows flooded it with light, casting long shadows over the sleek furniture. Kaelon’s office was every inch a CEO’s intimidating, cold, precise.
KAELON'S POV I had not rested after leaving Viv in Evelyn’s care. The sky outside was already painted in soft, silvery blues, hinting at the fast-approaching dawn when I arrived at the mansion. My eyes burned from the lack of sleep, but I didn’t care. Instead of heading straight to bed, I opted for a hot shower. I let the water cascade over my skin, washing away the tension that had embedded itself into my shoulders. After drying off, I dressed in one of my charcoal suits and rolled up the sleeves slightly. Something about the morning air called for simplicity. No tie, just an open collar and the intention to impress no one but her. Liv. I walked into the kitchen, and for once, didn’t summon any of the staff. They deserved their rest. I wanted this moment to be mine. I made her breakfast, scrambled eggs with caramelized onions, crispy turkey bacon, pancakes, and a fruit parfait I layered with a clumsy but determined hand. The smell filled the kitchen, coffee an
LIV'S POVThe first thing I noticed was the cold.It wasn’t a bitter kind of cold, not the type that chilled your bones, but the absence of warmth, his warmth. My hand stretched across the sheets automatically, eyes still closed, expecting to brush against the firm heat of Kaelon’s chest or tangle my fingers in his hair. But the space beside me was empty, deserted. The linen was cold as ice. My eyes fluttered open slowly, squinting against the soft gray light that filtered in from the high windows.My smile faltered.He hadn’t slept beside me all night.I sat up in bed, my fingers absentmindedly tracing the slight dip his body had left in the mattress. Only, there was none. He hadn’t even come to bed. I could feel the irritation bubble in my chest, creeping up slowly, threatening to spoil the serene memory of last night. The way he had held me, touched me, looked at me as though I were the only person who mattered.God, I was so naive.Throwing off the blanket, I swung my legs over
AARON’S POVFuck! I paced.Back and forth, barefoot against the cold marble tiles of my penthouse living room. The city lights flickered far below, uncaring, as if my life hadn’t just collapsed in front of the whole damn nation. The air was thick with tension, stale with regret, and somewhere in the background, the silent TV still replayed Kaelon’s public declaration to Liv. I had muted it earlier, but the images were enough. His eyes, that voice. Confession. Love.He had won. And I was left with the taste of ashes in my mouth.The door creaked open. My mother stumbled in.Her heels clicked messily against the floor, her perfume arriving before she did. Expensive. French. She clutched her purse loosely, her lipstick slightly smudged, her eyes dazed and watery. She had been drinking."Mother! Where the hell have you been?" I asked, voice already hoarse from shouting into silence all night.She closed the door behind her, sighing. "Aaron, sweetheart... not now. I just got back.""Answ
VIV’S POVA low hum buzzed overhead, like the whisper of faulty lights or the presence of something just beyond comprehension. My eyelids fluttered open, heavy and slow, like they were coated in molasses. My head ached, dull and pounding, the kind of pain that came from something chemical. Not sleep. Not exhaustion. No, this was induced.I tried to sit up, but the cold, hard surface beneath me made the process difficult. Hard bed. It was an iron bed with a very little mattress underneath it. I took my hands to inspect my baby and sighed in relief when I felt the round bulge.Where the hell was I?I turned my head slowly, blinking at the dim ceiling light above. Everything felt like a memory just out of reach. Flashes came in bursts. Me slipping through the back of the hotel, pressing the elevator button repeatedly like a madwoman, praying I could vanish before anyone saw me. Then... women. Hands. Voices. And nothing.Just as I pushed up on my elbows, about to make sense of my surround