LOGINAaron’s POV (Six Years Ago)Hatred.It wasn’t an emotion I felt often, not even toward people who deserved it — but in that moment, staring at Paul’s smirking, drunken face, hatred filled every part of me like poison twisting through my veins.He never deserved my mother.He never did right by her.He never understood her softness, her kindness, the way she loved wounded animals and broken people. She was a warm light in every room she entered — and somehow she ended up with him. This walking disgrace of a man.And now he was threatening the one thing in my life that actually meant something.Ethan.A guilty knot formed in my chest, getting heavier by the second.If he had told Ethan's family…If he told Connor…God. Connor.Connor would kill me. Literally kill me. He’d see me as some older guy feeding into his brother’s confusion, experimenting with him. And Ethan’s parents? They’d never look at me again. They’d think I corrupted their son. That I tricked him.And worst of all well,
Aaron's POVEthan’s voice used to calm me.Now it scraped down my spine like broken glass.“He saved you?”The question wasn’t just a question — it was an accusation, a demand, a wound ripped open. His eyes were hard, bright, shaking. I did that. I put that pain there.And it killed me.“What do you mean he saved you? Saved you from what? What the hell did you get yourself into that you needed saving?”I swallowed.God, of all the things I’d ever wanted, telling him this was last on the list. But lying?No. I couldn’t lie anymore. Not to him. Not when he was staring at me like I was a stranger wearing someone he used to love.“I need you to listen E—”“Don’t call me that.”The words came out sharp, cutting right through me.“You don’t deserve to say my name.”I felt that.Right in my ribs.He had every right to say it. And still — it crushed me.I stepped closer before I could stop myself, hands trembling because I wanted to reach for him but I knew he’d move away.“I didn’t just disa
Aaron’s POVHis face God, that face, watched me like I was the only person in the world who could explain why his life suddenly didn’t make sense. He stood there waiting, brows drawn, chest rising and falling too fast, hoping I’d give him an answer that wouldn’t destroy everything.I didn’t know where to start.How do you tell the person who has loved you—unconditionally, stupidly, consistently—for the past seven months that everything was a lie?Not just parts of it.All.How do you look him in the eye and say, "You don't really know me. You never did"?My throat closed up. My spirit failed me. I couldn’t breathe, much less speak.“What’s going on?” he asked quietly, stepping closer. “Are you okay? Aaron—you don’t look good.”I shook my head, my voice barely above a whisper.“I’m fine.”“You’re not,” he said. “You look like you haven’t slept. What’s wrong?”I swallowed hard.“It’s time, Ethan.”He frowned. “Time for what?”"I have to tell you everything."His expression softened inst
Ethan’s POVI woke up with a headache that felt like it had been welded into my skull. I didn’t even bother checking my phone. I didn’t bother looking toward Aaron’s side of the house. I just threw on clothes, grabbed my keys, and got the hell out.I wasn’t in the mood for staying at home.Not with the wedding tomorrow.Not with the weight of everything pressing behind my ribs like a ticking bomb.I was going to enjoy whatever tiny sliver of freedom I had left. If I stayed in that house, I’d suffocate. Between Aaron’s silence, Benson’s demands, and my own thoughts clawing at me, I needed space.The wedding was tomorrow. Tomorrow. Everything was going to unfold so fast I wouldn’t even know where to put my feet. One day I was a normal guy with a normal job, and the next, I was legally married to a billionaire—at least in the eyes of a legal practitioner. And for some reason Benson still needed more. More proof. More show. More control.A complete wedding event.For an already existing
Aaron’s POVI stared at my phone screen once more.The text sat there, bold and sharp, the blinking pointer burning into my retinas like it knew my entire life was about to change.I’m so sorry, Zoey, but there’s been a lot of personal issues resulting in the cancellation of the wedding.My thumb hovered over the send button.I should send this.I really should.But my body felt frozen, like my bones had turned into ice and someone had locked me inside myself. Every time I swallowed, it felt like I was swallowing glass.Something about the way Ethan walked back into the house tonight—quiet, exhausted, still gentle—made everything in me collapse. He looked after my mom. He made sure she was okay. He came home even though he was scared and anxious. He was still trying.My chest burned.He didn't deserve what I had been doing to him.He didn’t deserve the silence, the secrets, or the way I kept pushing the truth further down like it was some rotting thing I could bury.It was unfair—unfa
Ethan's POVI took a deep breath as I packed the last of my things, forcing my hands not to shake. I had been prolonging going back to Aaron for an hour and thirty whole minutes. Pathetic. I kept pacing around the office like some stranded cat, picking up one item, then putting it down, then staring at the wall like it held an answer.I didn’t even know what I was scared.Or maybe I did.Maybe I just didn’t want to say it out loud.I guess it was the unknown—everything between Aaron and me still felt like a thin wire I kept balancing on. And with Connor suddenly showing up, shaking everything inside me, I hadn’t fully recovered from it. His presence had awakened this old version of me—the one who hated disappointing his family, the one who still cared too much what they thought.I finally pulled the zipper on my bag shut and made myself stand. My legs were rigid, as if opposing me somehow. I grasped my keys, swallowing hard.It was almost like heading toward something vaguely hazardou







