All Chapters of Blunt Pain: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

AspenShe didn’t remember how she got out of the arena, only that the noise stopped suddenly. The music faded into the background and the lights around her dimmed. Everything hushed into a low hum of traffic and the rough scrape of breath in her own chest.She leaned her hands against a concrete wall outside the side entrance and bent forward, gasping. Her whole body shook. It wasn’t from the cold. It was because she had nowhere to go. She pressed her forehead against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut.She pulled her phone from her pocket. There was no signal inside the concrete structure. She had no missed calls, no messages. It was just her reflection in the dark screen—red-rimmed eyes and wet lashes against a pale complexion. She was just a girl who had walked away from the person she had loved without reservation.She headed back to the hotel and hastily packed her bags. She took her bracelet off—the charms Axl had chosen so carefully. Charms that meant something to both of them

AspenThe weeks blurred together quietly. Her broken heart refused to heal. North never called and neither did Axl. She didn’t call North either. Their silence was answer enough to the burning questions in her heart. If either of them wanted to fight for her, they would have. That was the truth she forced herself to swallow every morning. Her body changed in slow, subtle waves. It became her main focus. Something she could control.She wore looser clothes and bought sundresses instead of jeans. Fresh vegetables and fruit replaced the frozen pizzas and instant noodles that had once filled her cupboards. She started exercising gently, following pregnancy-safe routines she found online. Every morning, she stood in front of the mirror and told herself she mattered. Her baby mattered.She started sleeping on her side. She researched everything. She read articles at midnight about development milestones and nutrition. Through it all, she kept a diary. One day, maybe Axl would want to know.

NorthIt had been four long weeks. He hadn’t heard from Aspen or Axl. Charlotte had moved out of their Cambridge apartment, but he still saw her around campus. She avoided looking at him, and he knew he had to do something about it. Avoidance didn’t erase what had happened. It just let it rot quietly beneath the surface.His father had given him hints, and he’d done his own digging, even hired a private investigator. They’d lost five hundred million dollars when Weston had taken over their largest company. The smaller ones were still technically theirs, but the foundation had cracked. Now North could take them all back if he wanted to. He was in two minds about doing it. They were no longer wealthy in the way they once had been. They still had assets, but if they wanted to maintain their lifestyle, they’d have to start selling. Pride would have to come before comfort.North’s phone buzzed on the coffee table, dragging him from his thoughts. He looked at the unknown number on his scree

AxlHis phone buzzed and he exhaled slowly, staring at the screen before flipping it face down on the counter. Even now, there were expectations of him, places he needed to appear at, people to meet, cameras to smile at.“Is there a way to get out of this building without anyone knowing?” he asked.North frowned as he scooped pasta onto two plates. “Why?”“Because we can’t be seen leaving or coming back. I can post something saying I’m in Cambridge visiting my friend. That gives us an alibi. People already know I don’t do the whole ‘public appearances and autographs’ thing unless I have to.”North set the plates down and leaned against the counter. “Yeah. There’s a maintenance staircase. It leads into an alley at the back. No cameras.”“Good.” Axl nodded once. “Tell me more about this house Weston has. You’re sure he’s there?”“He goes every last weekend of the month. Sometimes more. It’s remote. Quiet. No neighbors for miles. He calls it his escape.” North’s jaw tightened. “He’ll be

NorthHe rubbed the sleep from his eyes and fumbled for his ringing phone, squinting at the unfamiliar brightness of the screen. His room was still dark, the early morning light barely filtering through the curtains.“Hello,” he muttered, voice thick.“North?”He went rigid. “Mom?”“Honey… have you heard from your father?” Sleep vanished instantly.Only four days had passed. Four long, stretched, suffocating days. He had known it wouldn’t take long. Weston St. John was not a man who could disappear quietly. He was too powerful, too visible, too connected.“No,” North said carefully. “Not since that night he came to tell me I wasn’t really married to Charlotte.”There was a sharp inhale on the other end. “What?” she whispered.“So you didn’t know?” North sat up slowly. “What’s going on?”“Nobody’s been able to reach him,” Janine said. “Patrick Marsh called me this morning. He thought maybe Weston had mentioned something to you.”North swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood,