All Chapters of Failed Escape: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Claire POVThat night, Aaron was different.Wilder. Harder.The absolute ruler of the Moretti mafia empire drove me to the edge again and again, as if he meant to empty every ounce of strength he had inside me.The air was thick with a heavy mix of desire, sweat, and aged Cohiba smoke. The flames of passion had yet to cool on my skin.He leaned down, his breath hot and ragged against my ear."Claire," he murmured, voice low and rough, "Vivian's due back in a few days."For a heartbeat, my lungs froze.But the stillness lasted only seconds. I forced my composure back.The man who held the reins of the underworld, his power absolute.A faint sheen of sweat clung to his sculpted chest, catching the light, radiating a raw, primal allure.Tempting, yet dangerous.But soon, all of it would be nothing to me.Vivian was the daughter of Aaron's driver—the man who took a bullet for him and never made it home.Since then, Aaron had taken special care of her—out of guilt, out of a sense of debt

Chapter 2

Claire POVAfter Vivian came back, Aaron didn't call once.And I? I refused to throw myself at him again, to beg for a glance, to lose my dignity for the sake of being near him.Instead, I wrapped myself in the comfort of my freedom. Bella and I ate, drank, and laughed through our days, letting the world blur around us.That afternoon, as we lingered over red wine, sampling black truffles and caviar, Bella's phone buzzed. A news alert."WTF?!" she muttered, thrusting the screen toward me.Vivian's hand appeared, adorned with a pink diamond so large it seemed absurd. And, of course, the photos were everywhere."A five-million-dollar ring?! Aaron actually bought her something that expensive at an auction? That should have been yours!" Bella fumed.I gave a faint smile. "If she wants it... let her."Bella fumed. "And the media... they're already asking if she's about to marry Aaron. And she's doing that... coy act, neither confirming nor denying. She's shameless!"Bella was so angry she

Chapter 3

Claire POVThese days, I ate, drank, and played without a care. No longer did I worry about Aaron's daily routines or tiptoe around his business affairs. Life felt unburdened, almost blissfully carefree.Friends would occasionally send me updates about Vivian, but I merely smiled and let them slide. Back then, I would have tracked her every social media post, scrolled through every photo, hunting for the slightest trace of her and Aaron. I would then engineer "chance encounters," desperate for him to notice how much I cared.But now, all of that seemed utterly meaningless. The messages from friends were glanced at, and quickly forgotten. I had almost erased their existence from my mind. Deep inside, I simply didn't care anymore.A few days from now, I would leave this city entirely. Thinking of it made my chest feel light, unburdened. So when Aaron called, a rare thing these days, I answered with a cheerful voice."Claire?" There was a trace of surprise in his voice. "You...

Chapter 4

Claire POVAaron had been calling me for days since that dinner invitation.Every time his name lit up my screen, I thought of Vivian's soft, suggestive whispers that night, I let the phone keep ringing until it stopped.Then came a message:Aaron: Claire, please. Come out. I just want to see you.Me: Sorry. I'm done being someone's maybe.Once, no matter how angry I was, the moment he reached out, even just a little, I'd wipe away my tears, force a smile, and run straight into his arms.But things changed when Vivian came back.The more often she appeared, the less patient he became, with me, with us.He stopped being the man who tried. I was always the one apologizing, always the one asking to stay.Looking back now, I can hardly stand the woman I used to be.All I wanted this time was one last dinner on the 19th, the night before I leave, for closure.That afternoon, I curled my hair into the same soft waves I'd worn five years ago. The chestnut strands fell over my shoulders like

Chapter 5

Aaron POVThe voice on the other end was sharp enough to cut through air."Goodbye, my ex."Then... silence. The flat tone of disconnection hummed against my ear. I tried calling again. The line was dead.My ex... The ring box bit into my palm; I looked down and saw the faint dent it left in my skin.Inside, the pink diamond caught a glint of light, flawless, rare, larger than the one Vivian wore.I'd bought it from a private collector, and imagined putting it on Claire's finger myself, sealing a new beginning.And now... she'd called me her ex.She'd really meant it.I was no longer her anything.I stared at Bella; heat flared behind my eyes."Where is she?" My voice was low, dangerous — the kind that comes before something breaks.I reached for her, then stopped myself halfway, fingers curling into a fist before falling to my side.She shrank back, eyes wide but defiant."She didn't tell me. She said she'd take a plane, a train, maybe even a bus — as long as it's somewhere you'll

Chapter 6

Claire POVI had been keeping to myself, spending my days in quiet solitude.This place wasn't far from Aaron's territory, yet it was still within the Falcone family's domain—his most ruthless rivals. He wouldn't be able to find me easily here.Leaving Aaron and Vivian behind felt like a weight lifted. I no longer had to wake up each morning thinking about those disgusting people and the things they'd done.A faint pang of regret lingered, why hadn't I done this sooner?I'd discarded my old SIM, bought a new one under a false name, and kept contact only with Bella."Claire... you have no idea. Aaron's gone mad trying to find you," she said cautiously."Some of his Capos got replaced for failing him... and Vivian? She's been sent abroad.""His temper's dangerous these days. Nobody dares slip up."I let a faint, almost imperceptible smile ghost across my face."He's holding on to a love that exists only in his mind. The moment he sees it for what it really is, I'll no longer matter to

Chapter 7

Claire POVWhen I woke, the world felt unnervingly still.My head was heavy, my thoughts drifting in and out of clarity.The last image in my mind was Aaron leaning over me, pressing a towel against my face, its faint, chemical scent clinging to my skin before everything went black.The room around me was unfamiliar. Too refined, too perfect to belong to me.Cream-colored curtains swayed gently with the breeze, brushing against mahogany furniture that gleamed under soft, deliberate light.Every detail whispered of control. Of him.My fingers hesitated on the doorknob, half-expecting it to be locked. It wasn't.The door gave way easily, and I stepped out.He was waiting for me.Sitting on the sofa downstairs as if this were a perfectly ordinary day.When he looked up, something unreadable crossed his face. Then he smiled and walked over, lowered his head to press a kiss to my forehead."Finally awake," he murmured, "You were sleeping like a child."A shiver ran through me. My pulse t

Chapter 8

Claire POV"Claire," his voice was quiet now, "You can do anything you want, see your friends, work, disappear for a while... ""I won't stop you. Just...don't leave me for good."There was a tremor in his tone I'd never heard before, something almost human beneath the arrogance.Silence filled the car.Finally, my body stopped tensing, and his eyes... they slowly regained that familiar sharpness I knew so well.And in that moment, I realized...He could destroy me if he wished to. He simply hadn't.A sigh slipped out before I gave up struggling. "How did you know I got away?"He glanced at the phone beside him and smiled faintly."There was a tracker inside."Rage surged through me, and I lifted the phone, ready to smash it. But he just watched me quietly.After a long moment, he spoke in a low, almost remorseful voice."It wasn't until just now that I truly understood how wrong I was. I've been loving you in my own way, without ever stopping to think about what you actually want. I

Chapter 9

Claire POVCapo's car sliced through the night, the streetlights retreating behind us in a blur. Aaron held me close, his kisses light and scattered across my cheek, each one carrying a tenderness that made my chest ache."I'm late... I'm so sorry," he murmured, voice low, almost breaking.There was so much in his eyes—love, worry, a vulnerability he rarely let anyone see. My heart skipped, a small, involuntary flutter. I reached up, fingers brushing his jaw."It's okay," I said softly. "She didn't really hurt me."He lowered his gaze, exhaling unevenly. "It's my fault. I swear, I won't let you get hurt again. Not even a little."Then he rested his face against my shoulder, his body shivering just slightly. I let out a light, incredulous laugh. "Funny... I get hurt, and yet you're the one unraveling."He didn't answer, only tightened his embrace, holding me as if my safety could steady him too.The doctors treated my wound swiftly. It wasn't severe, but Aaron insisted I stay fo

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