All Chapters of THE COST OF LOVING YOU : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Nico looked away, staring at the window, at the buildings outside. He remembered how she felt underneath him…tight, warm, trembling. He remembered the way she looked when she woke up, confused and soft. He remembered the photo she held and the question in her eyes.“I don’t know anything about her. And I don’t care.” Nico’s voice was low, rough. “It was a transaction. It’s finished. She got what she needed. I got what I wanted. End of story.”“Is it?” Ethan raised both eyebrows. “Because you sound like a man trying very hard to convince himself of something. Usually, when you’re done with something, you throw it away and never think about it again. You don’t look like you’re throwing anything away. You look like you’re waiting.”“I am working.” Nico picked up the pen again, gripping it hard enough that his knuckles turned white. “If you have work to do, do it. If not, get out.”Ethan stood up, still grinning, shaking his head. “Alright, alright. Deny it all you want. But mark my words

She searched his face. Saw the hunger there, and a flash of something softer. “Deal,” she said.Nico pulled out his phone, tapped twice, and sent a text. “Car will be here in fifteen. Finish your shift if you want. Or walk out now. Your call.”Ava looked around the bar…. sticky counters, half-drunk patrons, Jess pretending not to eavesdrop from the other end. She untied her apron and dropped it on the bar.“I’m done.”He put a hand on her lower back as they headed for the door. She didn’t pull away.Twenty minutes later, they arrived at One57, and he led her through the private elevator, hallway, into the same bedroom.“Welcome home, Ava.”Nico locked the door behind them. The click echoed.Ava stood in the middle of the room, still rocking that black dress from the bar. She watched him cross the room, each step deliberate.He stopped close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. His fingers found the zipper at her back and pulled it down inch by inch. The dress lo

“He loves an idea of me.” She looked out at the city lights, millions of them blinking on and off. “He doesn’t know the parts that count. Just like everyone else.”Nico stood up and walked over to her. He didn't touch her, though every nerve in his body screamed at him to pull her close. He stood beside her, looking out at the skyline instead, hands in his pockets.“Everyone hides things, Ava,” he said quietly. His voice had dropped, losing its sharp edge. “You think you know people… you think you see them every day, and you have no idea what’s buried underneath.”She glanced sideways at him. The profile of his face was hard, set, but his eyes looked far away, focused on something only he could see.“Like what you hide?” she asked.He was quiet for a long time. Long enough that she thought he wouldn't answer.“When I was a kid… I grew up fast. Too fast.” Nico spoke slowly, carefully, choosing words he had never said out loud to anyone. “My father was a hard man. Dangerous. Enemies eve

She didn’t know how long she sat there, staring at the cold coffee, and fighting the tears. She didn’t notice when the bell chimed again and the footsteps until a shadow fell over her table.She looked up, expecting Parker to have come back. Instead, it was Nico.He stood there, coat unbuttoned, hands in his pockets. He wasn’t angry. He just looked… concerned. He had seen it all from the doorway. He had watched Parker leave. “Parker?” he asked softly, sliding into the seat opposite her like it was the most natural thing in the world.Ava wiped her cheeks roughly with the back of her hand, nodding once. “He found me. He asked questions. He suspects everything, Nico. He thinks I’m in trouble. He hates that I won’t let him help.”Nico leaned back against the booth, studying her. The anger he had felt earlier—the jealousy that had roared in his chest seeing her with Parker—was gone.“He cares about you,” Nico said, stating it as a fact. “He loves you. Anyone can see that.”“I know.” She

Parker stood frozen where she had pushed him, his hands still raised in the air as if he could He stared at the way she pressed herself flat against the wall, chest heaving, eyes wide and terrified, as if he was some kind of monster instead of the boy she used to love.“Avoid kissing you?” Parker repeated, his voice trembling. He took a step forward, and she flinched visibly. He laughed then, a harsh, jagged sound that held no humor at all. “So that’s it, isn’t it? You pull away like I’m sick. You act like touching you is the worst thing in the world now. Is it because I have nothing to offer you anymore? Is that why?”“Parker, no… Ava’s voice came out shaky, breathless. She held her hands out in front of her, palms facing him, trying to create a barrier. “It’s not about what you have or don’t have. It’s… everything is just different now. I’m different. Please, just listen to me.”“Different.” He spat the word out. “Yeah, I see how different. You wear clothes I can’t afford. You wear