All Chapters of Consumed By Darkness: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

AidenLeah left the bathroom without a word, and I stood there for a moment, breathing hard, before my fist slammed into the wall.The look in her eyes before she left had broken something in my chest. We were doing so well just hours ago, and I just had to ruin it. I always did and without remorse.Time passed slowly, the bathroom smelling faintly of soap and her shampoo, making the wait a torture. I finally walked out of the bathroom, peering through the slightly open door to listen to Roman's faint laughter and her speaking to someone else from the living room. I hated that she was hiding me, but I knew better than to walk out there now. So I backed into her bedroom instead, eyes taking in the way her things were arranged neatly, the photo of her and Roman on her dresser.I picked it up, my thumb tracing the edges and their smiling faces. They fit so well together that there was no room for me.I moved to her walk-in closet, fingers brushing over her clothes, opening drawers until

Leah"Careful," a paramedic warned as they rolled Aiden down, the stretcher rattling beneath his weight.I stumbled after them, my heart pounding so loudly that it drowned out everything else."Male, early forties. Collapsed after severe head pain," someone said."Is he going to be okay?" I asked for what felt like the hundredth time.I wiped at my face with the back of my palm, but the tears kept coming, hot and relentless, blurring the bright hospital lights into streaks."Ma'am." A nurse stepped in front of me, holding me back. "You can't go any further.""I— I need to follow him," I choked, reaching for the stretcher as it disappeared through the swinging doors. "Please.""Calm down, ma'am." Then more firmly, "What's your relationship to the patient?"I froze, the question echoing in my ears. My mouth opened, then closed. What was my relationship to him? His captive? Father of my child?"He's—" I began when a familiar voice cut in."I'm his friend."I turned sharply, my breath ca

LeahThe hall was crowded with parents who stood in clusters, voices raised as they blamed the school and threatened to withdraw their children. I stayed at the far end of the room, away from them, hoping no one dragged me into a conversation i didn't have the energy for.My gaze kept drifting across the hall to where Aiden sat on the opposite side. He was impossible to miss as he was bigger than everyone else. And it seemed people kept their distance from him because an empty pocket of space formed around his chair.I chewed on the inside of my cheek and forced myself to look away.I was sure our eyes met outside. Even when I walked in, the only reason I'd found his seat easily was because he'd been shamelessly watching me. But the moment I turned, he wasn't looking like I'd imagined it.So why the fuck was he ignoring me? Had he lost his memory again? Or had he simply decided I wasn't worth the effort anymore?The thought lodged painfully in my chest.I hated that I cared at all.A

Leah I was crying badly now, shaking so hard my knees nearly buckled. "There were times," I whispered, hating myself for what I was about confessing, "times I thought you did. You didn't even have to say it. I felt it, I believed it and I loved you too." My throat closed.  "And that's what makes this worse, Aiden. I fucking loved you and you still broke me. Even after all these years, even when I thought you were dead, you still owned my heart. Does that even make any sense?" His hand cupped my face gently. "You're right," he said, his voice wrecked and stripped raw. "I don't know how to love the right way. But I'm trying, Leah. I swear I am." I shook my head, tears spilling faster.  "You say things like that so easily," I cried. "You swear you won't hurt me again and then you do something even worse the moment I let you back in

AidenShe lay on the bed, her chest rising shallowly beneath the thin blanket. Her skin was pale, her face swollen, bruises already blooming across her cheekbones and jaw, angry purple and red that I knew would darken by morning. There were marks along her side, too, where he'd hit her.I sat close, one of her hands resting in mine, limp and cold as I watched her breathe, counting every rise and fall of it.I couldn't tear my eyes away from her, terrified that the moment I did, something would go wrong. That she'd stop breathing, and I'd miss it."There is no sign of internal complications, so she should wake up soon. We're monitoring her closely to make sure..." The rest of the doctor's words faded into the background.Soon? I lifted my head, my gaze drifting back to her face, the split in her lip tearing at my chest. When was soon? Minutes? Hours? Tomorrow?Fuck. I needed an exact time.If I hadn't gone to see Freya. If I'd been a jerk as usual and followed her even after she told