Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Billionaire’s Betrayed Bride: Kabanata 181 - Kabanata 190

AIDEN'S POV The bass had been vibrating through my ribs. That was the first thing I registered.Not the music or the crowd, just that low, relentless thud that made everything inside me feel hollow.I shouldn’t have been there, I didn’t even like bars. I hated shouting over music just to be heard. Hated the way strangers brushed past like personal space didn’t exist. But recently I kept finding myself here.Going home felt worse. Home meant silence and silence meant thinking.Thinking about Riley, about the way she’d been distant, the way she avoided certain conversations and the way I kept telling myself it was nothing while knowing it wasn’t.So I stayed.I was halfway through my drink when Sofia appeared. She slid onto the stool beside me like she belonged there.“Didn’t expect to see you here,” she’d said, signaling the bartender before I could respond. “Two of whatever he’s having.”“I didn’t ask…”“Relax,” she cut in smoothly. “You look like you need it.”The second glass had

AIDEN'S POV My head felt like it had been split open and stitched back together wrong. That was the first clear sensation when I woke up.A dull, relentless pounding behind my eyes. My mouth was dry and my tongue felt heavy. Even breathing seemed like too much effort. I groaned, trying to remember how I'd ended up in this flashy pink room.I forced my eyes open wider, squinting against the morning light filtering through sheer curtains.My stomach dropped. Where the hell was I?Fragments tried to surface. Music, bass, Sofia, Riley’s face, disbelief. Then stepping outside.After that… nothing.I pushed myself upright too quickly and immediately regretted it. The room tilted and my head throbbed harder. I pressed my fingers to my temples and inhaled slowly, trying to steady myself.Think. Did I go home with someone?The thought made something in my chest twist violently.No, I wouldn’t have. Would I?My gaze moved around the room again, more carefully this time.There were framed pic

RILEY’S POVI didn’t move for a long time after Claire stopped talking. I sat there like someone who had just been handed a truth I wasn't ready to unwrap. My fingers hovered over her phone, then retreated, then hovered again.Claire just watched me without bothering to interrupt. She probably thought this mattered.Finally, after minutes of contemplating, I unlocked it.My thumbs moved slowly like the phone screen was a fragile glass.Claire leaned in slightly, not enough to invade, just enough to catch the tension in my posture.I typed: Did you get home safe?The text felt dry and weird. I just stared at it, my jaw tightened.The next second I deleted it and typed again.>About this morning…I paused, longer this time. Then deleted againClaire exhaled through my nose. “You’re exhausting yourself.”I shot her a look. “I don’t want to sound desperate.”“You won’t.”“I don’t want to sound like I regret pushing him away.” I ran my fingers through my hair.“Do you?”I didn't answer. T

RILEY’S POVI arrived at the café first. Reasons? I needed the extra minutes to breathe.This used to be one of our favourite hangouts back in the days.The café smelled like coffee and something sweet I couldn’t name. Late afternoon light poured through the glass windows, warm and indifferent to the fact that my entire emotional stability was balancing on one conversation.I chose a table near the corner. Not too exposed or hidden. Just neutral.My hands wouldn’t stop fidgeting, so I wrapped them around a cup I hadn’t even tasted yet.Every time the door opened, my heart reacted before my mind did. It was an action I couldn't quite explain.The bell above the entrance chimed a few minutes later and he walked in, looking composed and handsome as usual.His eyes found me immediately and for a second, neither of us moved. Then he walked over and sat across from me.“Hi,” he smiled.“Hi.” That was how two people who'd been in love decided to start.Silence settled quickly, thick but ho

RILEY’S POVMy apartment was too quiet when I got home. That kind that pressed against one's ears and made every small sound feel exaggerated.I dropped my bag on the console table with a soft sigh and kicked off my shoes, my head still replaying everything Aiden had said earlier. I didn't understand why my walls had suddenly crumbled around him. Was it the baby? Hormones?It felt weird when I thought of it, how fragile I'd felt with him. It was because I was tired, I assured myself. I was exhausted and needed to get all of that off my chest. But now that he knew everything, what next?I was halfway to the kitchen when the knock came.Claire had texted me earlier that she was spending the night out.I frowned, glancing at the clock. Too late for deliveries or neighbors.The knock came again, slower this time. Intentional.I walked to the door, not anxious, just mildly irritated.I opened it and my irritation evaporated.Ethan stood there, like it was normal for him to be here at th