AURORA'S POV He threw his tie and coat on a chair in the corner of the room. I didn’t listen to what he said. The pain Herold had caused this man made it hard to get close to his true self. He was tough, but I hoped he wasn’t impossible to reach. I wasn’t someone who gave up and I wasn’t about to give up on a man who, I thought, had been let down by everyone else in his life. “Also,” I said in my teacher voice, ignoring his words, “during dinner, we will do the hard work of talking to each other.” I could swear my husband actually went pale. He looked like he might get sick. I kept going, not stopping. “You’ll tell me about your day, and I’ll do the same. Then, and only then, will we make love.” His eyes nearly popped out of his head at the word “love.” “The answer is no,” he said. “Fine. Let’s do the usual. I’ll say no to you for a few weeks. You’ll leave the bed unsatisfied, go to work, see Henry holding baby pictures, and then you’ll do it my way.” I smiled brightl
AURORA'S POV Something hot passed between us. I couldn’t stop looking at him. He walked toward me and I moved to the middle of the mattress Aiden flipped me onto my stomach and pinned me down on the bed then he pushed his knee between my thighs to open them while my ass stayed in the air, he grabbed my wrists and pulled them behind my back. The soft ribbon touched my skin, making me shiver. He wrapped the ribbon around my wrists, moving it the other way to tie me tightly. He did it fast and well, looping it again so I couldn’t move my arms. “So that’s how you knew how to tie us both with one hand,” I said, breathing hard. “It’s called a hogtie.” He gave the ribbon a little pull. “Lift your feet.” After that, he tied my legs, connecting the ribbon from my wrists to my ankles. I felt like a little pig ready to be cooked over a fire. I laughed, a little out of breath. Partly because I was excited, and partly because giving up control felt wild and fun. The bed moved as Aiden
AURORA'S POV The air felt heavy with sex and full of good feelings. “I don’t usually see them the next morning,” he said in a short, cold voice. “I never stopped to think what it looks” “Don’t talk to me about your prostitutes while we’re in bed!” I was yelling now. I was so deep in teacher mode that it was a miracle I didn’t send him to time out. He didn’t say anything, and I was mad I couldn’t see his face. “Actually, don’t talk about them outside the bed either.” “There are no whores anymore,” he shouted back. “You made sure of that.” “Good.” I felt very bossy for someone tied up and naked on a bed. “I hope your old flings lose all their money and get real jobs now that you’re not paying them.” “You’re crazy,” he said, his voice calm like always. “Well, lucky for me, hubby, you’re not exactly normal either. Now do what you want with me. And make it good.” Aiden pulled on the knot between my wrists and ankles, putting one gentle hand on my butt. He slid two fingers
AURORA'S POV I tried to make things more exciting so I invited Petar, Annabelle, Henry, Sandy, and Ariella to join us a few times each week since the cook made enough food to feed the whole neighborhood. One time, I even invited his parents. Aiden accepted the change with quiet patience. He didn’t like the extra socializing, but he put up with it, knowing our nights together made it worth it. We not only had dinner together every day, but I made sure to talk about my day. I shared funny stories about the kids I taught and what they said and did in class. Most of the time, he only answered with short groans. He didn’t talk much about his day at work and refused to discuss the Green Living lawsuit. I knew he wanted to ask me if I heard back from Herold Landon about that job. The answer, by the way, was a big, disappointing no. I didn’t give him any information. Instead, I waited for him to come out of his dark world and talk to me, his little wife. I wanted him to ask me about my d
AURORA'S POV He grinned at me, stood up from the bed, and gently pushed my head down until I was on my knees in front of him.“Alright but we’ll do it my way. I have rules,” he said.“Surprise!” I gasped. We both laughed. Then I said, “I’m listening.”“Lick it first. Really well.”He released his cock which was hard and pulsing. I grabbed it with my hand, my fingers almost touching, and started licking it from the base to the tip. He groaned, grabbing my hair and pulling it hard.“Faster,” he said.I did what he asked.“Use more tongue. More spit. More.”He spoke in that sharp, royal-sounding voice that made him seem like he ruled everything. I listened, feeling so turned on that I secretly hoped he wouldn’t finish yet, but throw me on the bed instead and fuck me hard even if I had my period.“Well,” he said in a calm voice, even while I was trying my best to drive him crazy with my mouth and tongue. “I planned to keep a clear line between a respectful wife and my hookups, but I gues
AURORA'S POV It took a whole month for Morgana Landon to call me. She said her husband gave her my number and asked if I could help the twins for a few hours while she watched. She wanted me to help them trace letters and numbers.“They are a little behind in learning. As you know, they need to reach some goals before first grade,” she said on the phone.I knew that. I was a pre K teacher. My job was to help four and five year olds learn to use training scissors, know letters and numbers, and get smarter and stronger so they’d be ready for school.We decided I would go to their house that Saturday. It worked well because I always visited Greta Reynolds on Saturdays. I did this every week, even though my husband didn’t like it. I could leave Greta’s early and use the extra time to be with Tinder and Tree.Aiden was never home on weekends anyway. He went to his ranch to be with his horses and never asked me to come. He always came back at night to sleep with me, but left very early th
AURORA'S POV I smiled. “It’s not so little for me.” Not that I was doing it for the money. I had already decided to give away every dollar the Landons paid me. It didn’t feel right to spend Aiden’s enemy’s money. “You and your husband must have your own bank accounts,” Morgana said, looking at me in a new way. Her face lit up. “We do.” That was true. Aiden and I did have different accounts. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t use his money. I just chose not to. I only spent what I earned every Friday at Little Genius. The big amount of money Aiden sent me stayed in my account. I didn’t touch it. “Okay. Three times a week. And full Saturdays too. I need time to do my work,” Morgana said, holding out her hand. I shook it. “Half a Saturday. I visit my former grandmother-in-law on Saturdays “Oh, right.” She had told Aiden. That gave her away. “Deal,” she said. I turned to the twins. “Guess what? We’re going to make cookies shaped like letters today! I brought everything we need. Are
AURORA'S POV.“Morgana,” I started carefully. I didn’t know how long I would be with this family, but I knew they needed me. “Tinder is”“I know,” she cut me off, playing with her necklace. “His therapist said it’s too early for a real diagnosis so for now, we are watching him closely, but I don’t really understand what is going on with him.”“Criticizing him won’t help,” I said, putting my hand on her arm. “Every child is different. They grow at different speeds and need different things. French lessons are the last thing they need. Tinder, especially, needs lots of love, affection, and attention. He needs to know you love him no matter what. If you’re confused, just think about what he’s feeling. He’s starting to realize he is different.”Her shoulders dropped with a big sigh and I could see from her tired face that she had wanted to talk about this with someone for a long time.“ I really don’t know what to do. My family raised happy kids and we don’t have any history of problems.
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
AURORA'S POV I couldn’t lie, so I gave a small smile and shrugged, trying to look confident. “Your secret is not really a secret anymore. That’s not good for someone who is the head of Green Living. Anyway, I’m here to tell you that was the last time you hit your son. I’m going to report this to Child Protective Services. I’ve done this before, so I’ll tell you what will happen. I’ll file a report, and CPS will come to your house within a day to check on the kids. They’ll see the bruises on Tinder and find other signs of abuse or neglect. When they do, they’ll take the kids to a foster home and charge you with a crime.” Morgana looked like she was going to choke. “I’ve worked with many schools and know some people at CPS. I can probably help Morgana get full custody, since she didn’t hurt the kids. Now, as for you” I looked at Morgana. She slid down the wall, crying hard on the floor and face was wet with tears. “You should always put your kids first.” “I did.” Morgana he
AURORA'S POV “I’m leaving after today, but things are going to change here. I wanted to tell you.” I sat Tinder down in front of the burnt cookies. We didn’t eat them. His big brown eyes looked at me like I was the only thing keeping him safe. “Change how?” he asked. “Your dad isn’t being nice to you. He’s doing bad things, and I can’t always be here to help you. One day, you’ll grow up and think about what I’m going to do. And even though there's a possibility that you might hate me, or thank me in the future.” I shook my head as my eyes started to fill with tears, but I didn’t let them fall because Tinder needed me to stay strong. He deserved more. He deserved everything. “No matter how you feel about me later, I’ll understand. I think your dad is going to get into big trouble soon because of me. But you will still have your mom and your brother. They are the ones I want you to think about, okay? They are what matter most.” He nodded slowly. It was a lot to hear. Even I didn’t
AURORA'S POV When Daniel knocked on the door, I pulled him inside really fast. He was wearing a black shirt, jeans, and had his usual serious face. “His laptop will probably have a password,” I said, still holding the door, my heart beating fast. I never broke the law. Not for anything or anyone. I didn’t even cross the street when the light was red. My love for my husband was making me crazy. Daniel walked past the living room without looking at the boy and went up the stairs. I followed him and pointed at Herold’s office. Daniel put on some gloves, took a tool from his backpack, and opened the locked door easily. We both went inside. I kept thinking about Tinder, who was downstairs watching TV, waiting for me. I felt very bad. I was about to change his life forever. Even though I knew it was the right thing because of his bad father, I also knew Tinder might hate me for it. “So Aiden was right,” Daniel said with no feeling, turning on the laptop and sitting in Herold’s chair.