Chapter Eighty One

Jason's POVI was aware of my friends and teammates downstairs. Mum said that Aiden planned a welcome home party. But what was a party without booze? Or music. It felt like a half-assed attempt to cheer me up, but I wasn't in the mood for any of it.I just said hi to a lot of them, listened to them tell me to get better soon, and I went upstairs to my room.What I hadn't expected was seeing Aria walk in a few minutes later, looking all shy and pretty. She was wearing a flower-patterned dress.When she entered, for a second, I honestly thought I was dreaming. That she wasn't really standing there... But when she said "Hey," I couldn't even trust myself to say a word."Hey yourself," I managed. She smiled, barely, and she stepped closer, until she was standing right in front of me."Jason..." she started softly.Right there, I let everything in. The goddamn pain, all the guilt, all the words I'd said to her. Everything. And I couldn't even bear to look at her."I'm sorry," I said quic

Last Updated : 2025-11-07

Chapter Eighty Two

Aria's POV"What is she doing here?" The first thing Dary could say when she spotted me standing beside Emily where those 5 words. I could feel her gaze, raking through me, from my messy hair down to my worn sneakers. Every inch of me, felt exposed. I glanced down at my feet, my lips pressing together, self-consciousness taking its toll on me.Dary didn't wait for an answer. "Mum... what is she doing here?" She dragged across the linoleum floor, stopping right in front of Emily."Um... she... she was the one who found him... unconscious." Emily stuttered, actively avoiding the fiery gaze of her husband, Grant, who stood a few feet away, arms crossed."What... what was she doing in his room?" Dary proceeded to ask. She wasn't letting this go.Oh shit. What would Emily say in my defence? My stomach clenched. My mind raced, trying to conjure up some plausible, innocent explanation, but all I could think of was the truth, which sounded anything but innocent in this context. I chewed m

Last Updated : 2025-11-14

Chapter Eighty Three

Aria's POVThe doctor hesitated. "Are you... Sure about that?"Emily didn't blink once. She'd already made up her mind. "Yes. I'll do whatever makes my son happy."Gosh! Did I say how much I admired the way her voice wasn't shaking this time? The way it didn't waver? It was the first thing in the last ten minutes that sounded so... solid?The doctor's eyes swept around the room, scanning everyone's face, clearly expecting someone...anyone... to object.And I did wait too. But they were all silent. Not one of them uttered a sound. No one said anything. Not one word. And when the silence stretched too long, my body finally exhaled... You know? Like I'd been holding my breath underwater?The doctor nodded once and motioned toward the hallway. "Alright. Follow me."We started walking, Dary and I. At first, her arm brushed my arm lightly, but then I slowed down, trailing half a step behind her. I was so ready and relieved to see my boyfriend, to see Jason, to confirm with my own eyes tha

Last Updated : 2025-11-18

Chapter Eighty Four

Aria's POVMy mouth parted a little, but nothing came out at first. My brain was buffering. Company falls? What?Emily must've seen the confusion on my face because she dragged a shaky breath and glanced around like she wanted to make sure no one else was listening."Aria..." her voice lowered even more, "You don't understand. If Dary leaves, if she walks away from Jason, then her parents withdraw everything.""Everything?' I repeated, because I swear my brain wasn't braining."Everything," she confirmed. "Their partnership. Their funding. Their contracts. Their investment. All of it. They've been tied to us for decades."My eyebrows shot up. "Tied... because of Dary and Jason?"Emily pressed her lips together. "Yes. Dary's father... he built half of Grant's expansion. He paid for the factories, for the new branches, for the equipment. Jason and Dary were always supposed to... You know... end up together. It was always the plan. The family's plan. And now that she's pulling away...""

Last Updated : 2025-11-18

Chapter Eighty Five

Aria's POVThe smell of dust and something metallic... was it old engine oil or the coppery scent of my own blood?... pulled me toward a shallow, miserable consciousness.My head throbbed. The world behind my eyelids wasn't blackness anymore, but a nauseating, swirling grey. I tried to move my fingers, but they felt heavy, taped down by sleep and pain. Yeah, it had to be pain. I heard the sound of the engine, the crunch of tyres on a gravelly road. Great. We were still moving.I forced my eyes open.We weren't on a highway anymore. The road was narrow, flanked by fields and scrubland. Liam was beside me, his profile dark against the dim light, his hands steady on the wheel. He hadn't bothered to look at me.I tried to speak. My throat was dry, and the sound that came out was a pathetic, choked cough.Liam's head finally turned. His smile was gone. His expression now was cold, and utterly devoid of the warmth he'd always shown me."Oh, good. You're up." His voice was flat. "Don't bo

Last Updated : 2025-11-19

Chapter Eighty Six

Aria's POVThe lodge became my prison.The days bled into each other, marked only by the weak, yellow light slanting through the dusty window and the tasteless, pre-packaged food Liam tossed at me.My head still ached.Liam didn't hurt me physically after that first night. He'd sit at the broken table, scrolling through his phone, ignoring my desperate questions about Jason. He only spoke to reiterate his insane philosophy. He was protecting Jason's future."How long?" I asked him on what I thought was the fourth day. My voice was hoarse from disuse."Until I get the call," he said simply, not looking up from his screen. "Until Grant confirms Dary is back in the picture and the contracts are signed."But on what I knew was the sixth night, Liam was sloppy. He'd always gone out to get supplies... he always drove a long way, paranoid about being tracked... and came back smelling faintly of beer, muttering about the market price of lumber.He fell asleep hard on the cot, his phone char