All Chapters of The Night My Best-Friend Ruined Me: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Aria's POV“It's all your fault!” I pointed at Julian, immediately wiping that stupid smirk from his face.He couldn't, right?He can't take my baby from me…He can't, I won't let him.“I'm sorry—” Julian rushed up to me grabbing my arm to keep me from leaving, when I yanked my hand swiftly away from his.“Don't–” I was blazing with anger, ready to say anything before he cut me off“I'll do anything to help…” he said with pleading eyes, “just say the word my love.”I didn't say a word to him, my throat felt like it was closing up, choked by a fear so profound it stole my voice.But my eyes, however, were screaming. They were screaming at him, at Adrian, at the entire world that had just conspired to rip my son away from me.I turned on my heel not sparing him another glance and walked away.My every nerve was on high alert, I needed to protect Leo, I needed to keep my son with me, what would I do if he's taken?I increased my pace, not even caring if I bumped into anyone. Maybe I shou

Aria's POVThe next few days blurred into a relentless cycle of working with Julian in his clandestine lab, which was less a lab and more a fortified bunker under an abandoned warehouse.We were racing against the clock, to secure my research data before Edmund could corrupt or steal it.Julian moved with an intensity that was way more than I expected.I still smelt of his expensive cologne after that…hug?I still hadn't processed that kiss, that hug…it was a desperate comfort in a desperate time, but it didn't erase the betrayal at all, I almost felt like he did it on purpose.“Edmund's team just pushed a new encryption layer,” Julian announced casually, his eyes narrowed at a rapidly scrolling screen. “They're actively trying to pinpoint our ghost link. This is more aggressive than I anticipated.”I leaned closer, “Can you bypass it?”“Bypass? No. We need to adapt. It's like they're building new walls as fast as we're digging tunnels.” He ran a hand through his already disheveled hai

Aria's POVThe summit rehearsals were a blur of technical checks, lighting cues, and endless run-throughs of my presentation.Each slide, each carefully chosen word, felt like a weapon I was honing for the battle ahead. But even as I articulated the complex science of the cure, a part of my mind was elsewhere, scanning the periphery, half-expecting to see him.Adrian.I wanted to confront him about the lilies. To demand an explanation for that chilling note, for the audacity of invading my space, my memories. What game was he playing? Was it a threat? A twisted declaration?I rehearsed the words in my head, but he never appeared.The frustration simmered, a low burn beneath my professional facade. I even found myself reaching for my phone, my thumb hovering over his contact.The sheer idiocy of it made me snap back to reality. What would I even say? “Thanks for the ominous flowers, what's your deal?” I slammed the phone back into my bag, making me more frustrated.This wasn't about Ad

Aria's POV“You need to leave!” I immediately snapped, turning my face away from him and walking towards the bunker.The image of Leo's scared face was burned into my mind, and Adrian's presence felt like a magnet for danger.“What? N-no, I can't leave–” he started.“He's safe Adrian, don't bother.” I said plainly, not wanting to look at him, not wanting to see the intensity in his eyes that always seemed to pull me in. “A valid reason why I should leave, then I just might.” He stood put there, immovable. I finally turned to meet him, my resolve hardening.“Because wherever you go Adrian, there's trouble, that's why.” I stated, the words sharp with a truth I couldn't deny. “I can't allow Leo's life to be put at stake and you know that.”His gaze was unwavering, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “I saw your father Aria. At the cemetery. He made it very clear that he considers you, and by extension, Leo, a 'valuable asset.' And that he'd do anything to protect what's 'his'."My breath

Aria's POVThe air backstage at the Government Medical Summit was heavy with a nervous energy that mirrored the frantic beat of my own heart.The high-security convention center buzzed with the muffled sounds of a thousand conversations, the distant murmur of the press, and the rustle of delegates settling into their seats.This was it. The moment I had been preparing for, fighting for, for what felt like a lifetime.The very presentation that could change everything.My palms were slick with sweat, as I took heavy deep breaths. I ran through my notes one last time.It wasn't just about the science, the data, the undeniable truth of what I was about to reveal. It was about facing them. All of them.I peered through a small gap in the heavy velvet curtain, the front rows were filled with familiar faces. And there they were.Edmund had a faint, self-satisfied smile playing on his lips. Beside him, my father, looking every inch the patriarch, he believed was rightfully his. My eyes drif