Chandria’s POV“I want to make you mine,” he groaned.I couldn’t move. I looked into his eyes, but then I remembered… I can’t trust him completely. What if this is just a trap?“Aiden, please… let go.” My voice cracked a little when I said it. I didn’t mean for it to sound weak, but it came out that way. I tried to push at his arm, but he didn’t move.“I’m—” I started, but he cut me off.“I don’t want to let go of you,” he said quickly, his voice low. His eyes were locked on mine, and there was this stubborn fire in them that made my stomach twist. “I like seeing your face. I like seeing the way you look beneath me.”My chest tightened. My body felt too heavy, too hot. I didn’t even know how to react to that.“Aiden, if you’re trying to do something, we can’t. Not right now. Both of us are injured.”My ribs still ached every time I breathed too hard. His shoulder wasn’t any better. We were both wrecks, and here he was acting like…like this.“I know,” he admitted. He didn’t even try to
Chandria’s POV“Is that so?” Aiden whispered under his breath as he slowly pushed his hand down.My heart was beating so fast I swore it was about to burst out of my chest.Did I hear that right? Daniel ordered this?Daniel wasn’t even at the Sovereign Assembly. But word must have traveled to him anyway. Somehow, it always did. And from the way his butler delivered the message, it wasn’t a joke.Daniel really wanted me dead.I swallowed hard. My mouth was dry, and my palms are sweaty. I was terrified. Both for my life and my baby’s.Aiden looked up and pointed his gun at the men surrounding them, “Take care of him. Boil his skin and peel it off. Make sure he suffers until he dies here.”“What?! Please!” he begged. “I already told you everything. Won’t you spare me?!”Aiden’s expression didn’t change. His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that made my skin crawl from dread.“No.”That one word hit harder than the gunshot did.Aiden stepped forward and grabbed the man by the j
Chandria’s POV“I’ll finish him once I get home. Make sure he’s bound and can’t escape.”I heard a voice before I even opened my eyes.It sounded familiar, but everything felt so heavy. My head was pounding like someone had slammed a hammer against it. My eyesight was blurry, shapes moving around me but nothing clear. I tried to move, but it was useless.Then I felt someone grabbed my hand. Before I could even process what was happening, I was pulled into a tight hug. It was warm and strong. Almost desperate.“W-Who are you?” I asked weakly, like I hadn’t spoken in days.“It’s me Chandria!”I blinked hard. The blur in my vision finally cleared, and when I looked at him, my chest tightened. His face came into focus. His eyes locked onto mine, and I whispered his name.“A-Aiden…”He gave a small nod.“How are you feeling right now?” he asked. His tone was serious, almost cold, but I could see it in his eyes, he was panicking. He was trying to stay calm, but he wasn’t.“I’m fine,” I said
Chandria’s POVI grabbed his arm, desperate, my voice shaking in panic. “We need to get out of here!”I tried to pull his hand over my shoulder, ready to drag him if I had to, but before I could even steady him, another gunshot ripped through the air.The sound was so loud it echoed in my chest.Then I felt something hot, sharp, and burning.The bullet went through me.I froze.My mouth opened but no words came out, just a sharp gasp. Shock hit me harder than the bullet. My whole body went numb for a second. The noise around us suddenly got louder. The screams, crying, people shoving, running, all of it blending into chaos.“C-Chandria?”The entrance doors burst open, and the crowd stampeded toward the exit.“Chandria! FUCK!”Beside me, I heard him shouting something, but the noise was too much. His words blurred. My head felt heavy, like it couldn’t keep up. My knees buckled, and I dropped down on one.I gritted my teeth and forced myself back up, refusing to collapse. I looked at hi
Chandria’s POV“Or we should say, you don’t even belong in this assembly. What are you even doing here?”Agatha’s voice cut through the room, sharp and cold, aimed straight at me.Daniel’s mother.Before I could even answer, Jenny, Daniel’s sister, jumped in like she had been waiting for the chance to strike.“Well, you see, Mother, she’s with Aiden Morelli. She probably seduced him. Or worse, sold her body to him. For all we know.”The people around them chuckled under their breaths. I felt their stares, heavy and judging, like I was some stain in their perfect little gathering.Then Mr. Collins stepped forward. He held a glass of wine in his hand, the liquid swirling as he tilted it slightly. His eyes scanned me from head to toe, filled with disgust.“It’s such a shame you’re here after leaving my son. And now, standing in front of us with a different man. Tell me, is that how cheap you are?”It wasn’t the first time I’d been insulted, but hearing it like this, in front of everyone,
Chandria’s POVThe Collins are known to be one of the most powerful families.That’s what I used to believe too, back when I was still with Daniel. I thought they were untouchable. Respected. Clean. But everything flipped the moment I found out the truth—that Daniel isn’t just some rich guy living off his family name.Since then, I don’t know what to feel about him anymore. Or about them. The whole family suddenly feels… different. Dangerous. Every time I see them, I can’t even look at them the same way.Right now, they’re here. All of them. Their eyes are on me, whispering to each other while their gazes run up and down my body.I know they’re judging me. I can practically hear the thoughts in their heads, the comparisons, the criticisms.And if the Collins are here, then that only means one thing—Daniel might be here too.Worse, he could be here with Catherine. The thought alone makes my chest tighten. I don’t want to deal with that. Not tonight.I try to focus on the noise around m