LOGINAaronThe house didn’t feel like home.That was the first thing that hit me.Not because anything had changed.But because I had.The walls were the same soft color, the couch still slightly worn at the edges, the small crack near the window still there like it had always been. Even the air smelled the same—warm, familiar, safe.Safe.That word didn’t sit right anymore.I stood just inside the doorway for a second too long, my bag still hanging off my shoulder like I hadn’t fully decided to stay.“You’re just going to stand there?” my mom’s voice came from the kitchen.I blinked, forcing myself to move.“I’m coming,” I said.She was already pulling things out—vegetables, spices, oil—moving like she always did when she wanted to keep her hands busy.“I’ll cook something proper,” she said. “You need real food.”I leaned against the counter, watching her.“You don’t have to—”“I want to,” she cut in quickly.That was that.She didn’t look at me again after that, but I could tell she was
Aaron***************The gate closed behind me with a quiet, final sound.Not loud. Not dramatic. But it felt like something ending. I didn’t look back. I told myself I wouldn’t.Because if I did, I might hesitate. And if I hesitated, I might start thinking. And if I started thinking, I might turn around.And I couldn’t afford that. Not right now. The air outside felt different.Colder. Real. I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and kept walking, my steps slower than I expected. My body still felt off, like it hadn’t caught up with the fact that I was no longer trapped.Every sound made me aware. Every passing car. Every movement. I hated that.Hated that I couldn’t just exist without checking over my shoulder.I reached the road and flagged down a taxi, my voice steady when I gave the driver the address.“My mom’s place.” Saying it out loud did something to me. Grounded me.Reminded me that there was still a version of my life that existed outside all of this.A version whe
I wish I could tell him how I really felt.Not the surface version. Not the easy words people say when they want something but don’t want to risk losing it.The real version. The kind that doesn’t leave room to pretend after. But I couldn’t. Not when I knew exactly what I was up against.I leaned against the balcony railing, the night air cool against my skin, but it did nothing to settle what was building inside me. The estate stretched out below, quiet, controlled, untouched by the chaos that had nearly swallowed Aaron whole just hours ago.Everything looked normal.That was the lie.Because nothing about this situation was normal anymore.I exhaled slowly, my gaze unfocused as my thoughts circled back to him again.It always came back to him.The way he looked standing there earlier, trying to act like he was fine when every part of him was screaming otherwise.The way his hands shook even when he tried to hide it.The way he didn’t push me away immediately when I kissed him. That
I knew I needed to go home. Not because it was safer. Not because anything out there made more sense than what was happening inside this house. But because I couldn’t breathe here anymore. Everything about this place felt controlled. Measured. Watched. Even the silence felt like it belonged to someone else.Zayden’s house wasn’t loud, but it wasn’t quiet either. It was the kind of quiet that pressed against your chest and reminded you that nothing here moved unless he allowed it I couldn’t think properly here. And right now, thinking was the only thing I had left.So I packed.Not carefully. Not neatly. Just fast, like if I slowed down for even a second, I might change my mind. I grabbed my bag from the chair and threw it open on the bed, stuffing in clothes without folding them. Shirts. Jeans. Whatever my hands landed on first. I paused at the drawer Winter was coming.The thought felt strange after everything that had happened, like the world was still moving forward without asking
Morning came slowly, like it was afraid to arrive.The light outside the window crept in thin and pale, slipping through the curtains without warmth. It didn’t feel like a new day. It felt like the same night refusing to end properly.Aaron had not slept again after the nightmare.He had drifted in and out of shallow rest, each time snapping back to awareness like something inside him refused to let go of vigilance. His body felt heavy now, like it belonged to someone else.When he finally forced himself to sit up, the room looked unchanged.That was the cruelest part.Everything outside him acted normal.Inside him, nothing was.He swung his legs off the bed slowly, pressing his feet to the cold floor. The chill grounded him slightly, but not enough to quiet the noise in his head.A soft knock came at the door.Aaron stiffened.“Mira,” came a voice gently from the other side. “It’s me.”Only then did he breathe again.“Come in,” he said, voice rough.The door opened.Mira stepped ins
The house had finally gone quiet.Not the kind of quiet that felt peaceful, but the kind that arrived after something violent had already happened and the world didn’t know how to behave anymore.Aaron sat on the edge of the bed in Mira’s guest room, staring at his hands.They were clean now, That somehow made it worse.The blood was gone. The bruises had been cleaned and patched. The cut on his cheek had been covered neatly, almost carefully, like someone had tried to erase what happened without actually changing it.But his body remembered, Every muscle still felt like it was waiting for the next blow.He pressed his palms together slowly, as if trying to convince them to stop shaking.They didn’t listen.The door was closed. Mira had checked on him twice already, then left him alone after realizing he wasn’t really present.He appreciated it. He couldn’t have spoken anyway.Because the moment he stopped moving, the moment everything became still, it all came back.The warehouse. Th
Aurelio didn’t raise his voice.That was always how you knew he meant it.He stepped farther into the study, slow, deliberate, hands visible, posture relaxed in the way only men with power could act, His smile never reached his eyes.“A shame,” he said mildly, glancing once more at the exposed file
The rain hit the streets like a thousand accusations, each drop pounding against the pavement as I bolted from Zayden’s house. My lungs burned, my vision blurred with tears that wouldn’t stop, mixing with the downpour until I couldn’t tell where my grief ended and the storm began. The world felt t
Zayden didn’t speak.Neither did Aaron.The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, broken only by the faint hum of the house settling around them. Zayden stood with his hand still resting on the doorknob, as if he hadn’t meant to close it, as if this—Aaron standing in the study surrounded by pro
Aaron woke to silence, it felt unnatural.For a moment, he didn’t know where he was. The ceiling above him was unfamiliar—too high, the ,chandelier, the designs felt familiar tho, the air heavy with the faint scent of bourbon and something like smoke smell. His body ached in a dull way, like he’d b







