AIDEN'S POV THE PAST The first time I went to a juvenile treatment clinic was when I was fourteen. Earlier that week, I hurt myself so badly that I was still bleeding and had lost some teeth. My face was so swollen that it took three people to recognize me when they found me on the library floor. My mother went with me to the clinic in Switzerland. She didn’t want to go. I wore a coat, hat, and sunglasses to hide my bruises, like a celebrity trying to stay unnoticed. My mother didn’t say much on the flight from England to Zurich, except for one quiet sentence after the flight attendants had passed by. “Your father can’t know.” That was the first thing she said. Not asking how I was. Not asking how it happened. “Your father can’t know.” I didn’t say anything. She was right. Father couldn’t find out. And honestly, there was no way to explain what happened. One moment, I was sitting in the library studying hard to be first in my class like always, feeling a strange pressure i
AIDEN'S POV "Well,I guess it's because I have something called Tourette's syndrome." I leaned back in the chair, looking at all the white around me. It felt calm, and that made me feel better. There was a long silence from the other side of the window. "How long have you known?" "About a week." I heard pages turning on a clipboard from the other side. I smiled sadly. Usually, it's the patient who doesn’t know. "How can that be? It says here your tic attack happened two days ago," another voice said. It was a middle aged woman's voice. Both doctors had accents. One sounded Italian, and the other probably Swiss from the French side. "Yes," I said slowly, giving them time to write. "But I felt the attack coming in the days before, so I looked it up." "So you knew it was going to happen?" the Swiss doctor asked, surprised. "The attack." I nodded. She gasped. "Poor thing," she said. It wasn’t very doctor-like. "Well that's a new one. I’ve never been called that before,"
AIDEN'S POV After weeks of not seeing or hearing from Herold at Evon, I finally saw him at the main chapel. I felt both happy and scared. I waved at him from across the chapel. There were lots of students between us, and we all wore the same uniform. Herold saw me and looked away. A sharp pain hit my chest. That scared me. I couldn’t feel anything. Feelings would cause more nerve attacks, and nerve attacks would make Father kick me out. I did like baby Henry, but I didn’t want him to take the oldest son’s spot as heir to King Royal Pipelines and Father, Mother, and Henry were the only family I had left now. Herold probably hated me. After Sunday Mass, I walked across the lawn with my hands behind my back, looking at the grass and frowning. I didn’t care much that I had Tourette’s. It was annoying, yes but after reading a few books and medical papers about it, I had made a decision. I would beat it before I finished school and went to college. And when I make a decision, I always
AURORA'S POV The third time I ran to the bathroom to throw up, I gave up. I shut my laptop and hid it under my bed, like the videos could still hurt me. I couldn’t watch my husband back when he was just a teenager being hurt, beaten, stuttering, crying, laughing, losing control and getting it back anymore. I wanted to hurt Herold Landon with my own hands and I knew, deep down, that I really could do it if I ever got the chance. Herold’s face wasn’t in the videos. But his voice was. You could hear why he did what he did. At six thirty in the morning, I got up and went to the shower. My eyes were swollen from crying all night. I knew two things for sure: One, I was going to make sure Landon paid for what he did, even if it was the last thing I ever did. Two, Aiden didn’t know how to feel anything after all he’d been through. But even someone who doesn’t feel love still deserves love. He still deserved peace, a place to belong, and a real home. From now on, I was going to give my
AIDEN'S POV She walked quickly toward me. “I kicked him out the night he came. You would’ve known that if you had answered any of my calls. Or if you had let me see you when I came to your house.” Your house. Of course, it was mine. Why would it be ours? I had taken her from the plain apartment I put her in, moved her into a guest room, and thought she would…what? Feel anything for the place? “Do you want a prize for staying loyal?. " She stopped right in front of me and her smell filled the room, making it hard to think. I wanted to grab her, shake her, push her out, kiss her, sleep with her, yell at her. All those things showed feelings and no control. “Daniel told you, didn’t he?” She tilted her head, watching me. She meant Herold Landon’s laptop. She must have seen the videos. “He works for me.” “So does the rest of the city.” “You too. So stop digging into my business before I cut you off.” “We both know I’m not here for the money. I want to talk about what I f
AIDEN'S POV Aurora raised an eyebrow, looking at me with eyes so intense, if I had a heart, it would have broken for her. She clearly wanted me to care. “And you, what would you have done if Herold did something to me?” she asked softly. A cold shiver ran through me as I remembered the torture, burns , beatings and being locked in a dark church for hours, only with my demons to keep me company. Coming back to him, asking him for more. To pay for my father’s sins. To mourn our friendship. To numb my feelings and just like that, I remembered who I was. Who Herold Landon had made me. Who my father, my whole family wanted me to be. A sad smile twisted my face. I leaned down, my lips near my wife’s ear, my hot breath in her pale hair. “And I wish he’d finished what he started, Aurora, so I could finally marry someone better than you. You were a mistake. A stupid, careless mistake. I can’t wait for the divorce.” I felt, but didn’t see, her step back and that’s when I realized I
AIDEN'S POV I let go of the empty vodka bottle, watching it roll to Henry's stall. That asshole almost cost me a wife. What a jerk. The car stopped, the engine turned off, and the person stepped out, the sound of boots on leaves really annoying me. “Aiden? Are you there?” Henry’s deep voice called. When did my brother start acting all serious? “No,” I growled, knowing he was coming in anyway. He did, stopping at the door with his hands on his hips. “Sandy had the baby. I have a daughter.” I thought I’d feel relief that it wasn’t a son, someone to take over Royal Pipelines, but I just felt nothing. Normal people would be happy for their brother, but I wasn’t normal. “Congrats,” I said with a bored tone. “Are they both okay?” “Yeah.” “Good. I set up a trust for your daughter. Three thousand dollars each month until college.” “That’s not why I’m here but thanks for the gift” Then he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. “Daniel found out Herold put Thomas Reynolds on t
AIDEN'S POV He ignored me and knelt down to pick up more manure. A childish idea of revenge popped into my head. I crouched down to grab as much manure as I could. “She never loved your fake personality, idiot.” Hunter swung his arm back like he was throwing a baseball, hitting me in the chest. I threw my manure ball at his face, hitting his neck and chin. Now we were both in deep trouble. Literally. “Stalin had a better personality than you, moron. She was always stupidly and I’ll add, unreasonably in love with you!” He threw another ball at me. I threw one back at him. “She owed a lot of money,” I shouted. “I paid it. That’s why she married me.” “I know!” Henry laughed loudly, leaving the manure and jumping on me. He pushed me to the ground, grabbing my blazer’s collar as he pinned me down. “I know, because after the night Aurora agreed to your offer in the snowstorm, I went to her door. I knew I had to fix things. Not for her, or for you, but for my wife. I didn’t w
AIDEN'S POV Please don’t let it be Grinder or Nature Valley. The smile on his face was so big it looked like it might break. “Tanya” I drove to Herold Landon’s house as soon as I kissed my new niece, Tanya, hello. She was a little pink ball with a head full of red hair, just like her mom, and blue eyes, just like her dad. The loud crying, she probably got from Michael Phelps. The kid could scream so loud, it felt like it would blow the roof off. All in all, Tanya was one of the cutest babies I had ever seen and a great addition to the family. I really appreciated how Sandy didn’t call me out for being a terrible person for what I did to her best friend. She took my congratulations with a smile that wasn’t very warm, even though it was clear I was the reason her husband had come back to her hospital room all beaten up with two black eyes. A few hours later, I saw Herold, in dirty sweatpants and messy hair, walking from his front door to a truck with a cardboard box in his hand.
AIDEN'S POV He ignored me and knelt down to pick up more manure. A childish idea of revenge popped into my head. I crouched down to grab as much manure as I could. “She never loved your fake personality, idiot.” Hunter swung his arm back like he was throwing a baseball, hitting me in the chest. I threw my manure ball at his face, hitting his neck and chin. Now we were both in deep trouble. Literally. “Stalin had a better personality than you, moron. She was always stupidly and I’ll add, unreasonably in love with you!” He threw another ball at me. I threw one back at him. “She owed a lot of money,” I shouted. “I paid it. That’s why she married me.” “I know!” Henry laughed loudly, leaving the manure and jumping on me. He pushed me to the ground, grabbing my blazer’s collar as he pinned me down. “I know, because after the night Aurora agreed to your offer in the snowstorm, I went to her door. I knew I had to fix things. Not for her, or for you, but for my wife. I didn’t w
AIDEN'S POV I let go of the empty vodka bottle, watching it roll to Henry's stall. That asshole almost cost me a wife. What a jerk. The car stopped, the engine turned off, and the person stepped out, the sound of boots on leaves really annoying me. “Aiden? Are you there?” Henry’s deep voice called. When did my brother start acting all serious? “No,” I growled, knowing he was coming in anyway. He did, stopping at the door with his hands on his hips. “Sandy had the baby. I have a daughter.” I thought I’d feel relief that it wasn’t a son, someone to take over Royal Pipelines, but I just felt nothing. Normal people would be happy for their brother, but I wasn’t normal. “Congrats,” I said with a bored tone. “Are they both okay?” “Yeah.” “Good. I set up a trust for your daughter. Three thousand dollars each month until college.” “That’s not why I’m here but thanks for the gift” Then he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. “Daniel found out Herold put Thomas Reynolds on t
AIDEN'S POV Aurora raised an eyebrow, looking at me with eyes so intense, if I had a heart, it would have broken for her. She clearly wanted me to care. “And you, what would you have done if Herold did something to me?” she asked softly. A cold shiver ran through me as I remembered the torture, burns , beatings and being locked in a dark church for hours, only with my demons to keep me company. Coming back to him, asking him for more. To pay for my father’s sins. To mourn our friendship. To numb my feelings and just like that, I remembered who I was. Who Herold Landon had made me. Who my father, my whole family wanted me to be. A sad smile twisted my face. I leaned down, my lips near my wife’s ear, my hot breath in her pale hair. “And I wish he’d finished what he started, Aurora, so I could finally marry someone better than you. You were a mistake. A stupid, careless mistake. I can’t wait for the divorce.” I felt, but didn’t see, her step back and that’s when I realized I
AIDEN'S POV She walked quickly toward me. “I kicked him out the night he came. You would’ve known that if you had answered any of my calls. Or if you had let me see you when I came to your house.” Your house. Of course, it was mine. Why would it be ours? I had taken her from the plain apartment I put her in, moved her into a guest room, and thought she would…what? Feel anything for the place? “Do you want a prize for staying loyal?. " She stopped right in front of me and her smell filled the room, making it hard to think. I wanted to grab her, shake her, push her out, kiss her, sleep with her, yell at her. All those things showed feelings and no control. “Daniel told you, didn’t he?” She tilted her head, watching me. She meant Herold Landon’s laptop. She must have seen the videos. “He works for me.” “So does the rest of the city.” “You too. So stop digging into my business before I cut you off.” “We both know I’m not here for the money. I want to talk about what I f
AURORA'S POV The third time I ran to the bathroom to throw up, I gave up. I shut my laptop and hid it under my bed, like the videos could still hurt me. I couldn’t watch my husband back when he was just a teenager being hurt, beaten, stuttering, crying, laughing, losing control and getting it back anymore. I wanted to hurt Herold Landon with my own hands and I knew, deep down, that I really could do it if I ever got the chance. Herold’s face wasn’t in the videos. But his voice was. You could hear why he did what he did. At six thirty in the morning, I got up and went to the shower. My eyes were swollen from crying all night. I knew two things for sure: One, I was going to make sure Landon paid for what he did, even if it was the last thing I ever did. Two, Aiden didn’t know how to feel anything after all he’d been through. But even someone who doesn’t feel love still deserves love. He still deserved peace, a place to belong, and a real home. From now on, I was going to give my
AIDEN'S POV After weeks of not seeing or hearing from Herold at Evon, I finally saw him at the main chapel. I felt both happy and scared. I waved at him from across the chapel. There were lots of students between us, and we all wore the same uniform. Herold saw me and looked away. A sharp pain hit my chest. That scared me. I couldn’t feel anything. Feelings would cause more nerve attacks, and nerve attacks would make Father kick me out. I did like baby Henry, but I didn’t want him to take the oldest son’s spot as heir to King Royal Pipelines and Father, Mother, and Henry were the only family I had left now. Herold probably hated me. After Sunday Mass, I walked across the lawn with my hands behind my back, looking at the grass and frowning. I didn’t care much that I had Tourette’s. It was annoying, yes but after reading a few books and medical papers about it, I had made a decision. I would beat it before I finished school and went to college. And when I make a decision, I always
AIDEN'S POV "Well,I guess it's because I have something called Tourette's syndrome." I leaned back in the chair, looking at all the white around me. It felt calm, and that made me feel better. There was a long silence from the other side of the window. "How long have you known?" "About a week." I heard pages turning on a clipboard from the other side. I smiled sadly. Usually, it's the patient who doesn’t know. "How can that be? It says here your tic attack happened two days ago," another voice said. It was a middle aged woman's voice. Both doctors had accents. One sounded Italian, and the other probably Swiss from the French side. "Yes," I said slowly, giving them time to write. "But I felt the attack coming in the days before, so I looked it up." "So you knew it was going to happen?" the Swiss doctor asked, surprised. "The attack." I nodded. She gasped. "Poor thing," she said. It wasn’t very doctor-like. "Well that's a new one. I’ve never been called that before,"
AIDEN'S POV THE PAST The first time I went to a juvenile treatment clinic was when I was fourteen. Earlier that week, I hurt myself so badly that I was still bleeding and had lost some teeth. My face was so swollen that it took three people to recognize me when they found me on the library floor. My mother went with me to the clinic in Switzerland. She didn’t want to go. I wore a coat, hat, and sunglasses to hide my bruises, like a celebrity trying to stay unnoticed. My mother didn’t say much on the flight from England to Zurich, except for one quiet sentence after the flight attendants had passed by. “Your father can’t know.” That was the first thing she said. Not asking how I was. Not asking how it happened. “Your father can’t know.” I didn’t say anything. She was right. Father couldn’t find out. And honestly, there was no way to explain what happened. One moment, I was sitting in the library studying hard to be first in my class like always, feeling a strange pressure i