Semua Bab Forbidden By Her Sister's Husband : Bab 331 - Bab 340

Aria stood in the cramped kitchen of her apartment, wrapping both hands tightly around a chipped ceramic mug. She let the heat from the cheap black tea seep into her stiff, freezing fingers.The radiator in the corner of the room clanked loudly, fighting a losing battle against the bitter Baltimore morning. Aria shivered. She pulled her oversized, frayed gray cardigan tighter across her chest. The heavy wool stretched taut over the undeniable, rounded swell of her stomach. She shifted her weight from foot to foot on the cold linoleum, pressing one hand firmly against the dull, persistent ache settling deep in her lower back.She had not slept for more than twenty minutes at a time the entire night.She had spent hours tossing and turning on the thin mattress, her mind completely restless. Something had felt wrong since yesterday evening. A heavy, suffocating pressure hung in the damp air of the slum, making the hair on her arms stand up.It started when she took the heavy garbage bins

The realization hit him with the crushing force of a freight train. She was terrified of him. She thought he had come here to hurt her. Damian’s face lost every ounce of its remaining color. He raised his hands slowly, palms facing outward, keeping his bleeding knuckles visible to show he was not going to grab her. "I am not going to hurt you," Damian said quickly, his deep voice shaking with fear. "Aria. Please. Do not pull away from me." Aria stood pinned against the doorframe. The absolute shock rapidly burned away. It was replaced instantly by a freezing, impenetrable wall of survival instinct. The anger and the agonizing grief she had locked away to survive violently erupted in her chest. She slowly lowered her arms from her stomach. She straightened her spine, refusing to cower in front of him for another second. "What are you doing here, Mr. Cross?" The words left her mouth completely devoid of any emotion. They were flat, cold, and entirely dead. She did not call him Dami

As she approached, Damian shifted. The legs of his wooden chair scraped softly against the floorboards. He stood up. He stepped into the aisle, placing his large frame in her path."Aria," Damian said. His deep voice was rough, scraping like sandpaper against the quiet hum of the bookstore. "You need the calories. Tell me what you want to eat, and I will have it brought here."Aria did not break her stride. She did not blink. She kept her eyes focused on the brass handle of the front door. She walked forward, forcing him to either step aside or physically collide with her.Damian’s jaw tightened. At the very last second, he stepped back, giving her the space. The sleeve of his heavy coat brushed against her shoulder as she walked past him. She pushed the door open and stepped out into the freezing winter wind without looking back.The cold hit her face like tiny needles. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and began the long walk to the diner.Behind her, she heard the heavy

They walked out of the alley and onto the cracked sidewalk. Behind them, the heavy engine of the SUV purred loudly. The headlights remained off. The massive, blacked-out vehicle rolled slowly away from the curb. It crawled down the street, keeping pace with them. Aria gritted her teeth. She stared straight ahead at the broken streetlights. She hated the sound of that engine. She hated the low, steady hum of the tires against the pavement. The slow, relentless stalking felt suffocating. He was a silent, immovable shadow trailing her through the darkest parts of the city. They walked for six blocks. The bitter wind cut through her jeans, chilling her skin, but she refused to shiver. She refused to show any sign of weakness while he watched her from the heated cabin of his luxury car. They finally reached her decaying apartment building. Leo stopped at the bottom of the concrete steps. He crossed his arms over his chest, standing firm on the pavement. He turned his head and stared d

The heavy wooden doors to the kitchen swung open.Leo stepped out, wiping his hands on a stained apron. The cook scanned the room, his dark eyes immediately cutting through the diner to lock onto the corner booth. He didn't approach or say a word. Leo just planted his feet and gave Damian a flat, freezing stare.Damian held the look. He felt no anger toward the man. His security team had pulled Leo's file days ago, so Damian knew his background, his shifts, and his routine. All Damian felt was a grim, hollow gratitude. Leo walked her home in the dark. Leo stood guard when Damian couldn't.It was the same with the teenager at the bookstore, Rose. Damian spent his afternoons sitting quietly in the bookstore café, while Rose spent her shifts standing behind the register, glaring at him with bright blue eyes. She looked at him like she wanted to slide a knife between his ribs.He respected the girl for it.He had tried sending catered food to