Chapter 129
Chapter 129
VENUS
The first thing I felt was weight. Not the comforting kind-the heavy, suffocating kind that dragged me straight back into the dark.
62
The box. The dirt pressing down on me. The sound of my own ragged breaths bouncing off wooden walls. Gerald’s plea somewhere above, promising he didn’t want to do it but if he couldn’t have me, no one would.
My chest seized, panic clawing up my throat before I even opened my eyes. My fingers twitched against stiff sheets, needing to push, claw, escape
And then I felt it. Warmth. A hand wrapped around mine. Firm. Steady. Not rough. Not cruel. Familiar.
I forced my eyes open, breath stuttering in my chest. The hospital room came into focus slowly-too white, too bright-but real. Not the forest. Not the grave.
Aaron was slumped in the chair beside me, his big frame folded awkwardly, head bowed like he’d fought sleep until his body betrayed him. His hand still gripped mine like he feared I’d disappear if he let go.
For a second, I just stared at him. My heart ached at the sight. his usually sharp, untouchable face softened by exhaustion, hair mussed, dark circles carved beneath his eyes. He looked like he’d gone to war and lost every battle but still refused to surrender.
Because of me.
The memory hit me like a whip crack. Gerald. The box. The cold air as he dragged me through the woods, my wrists raw from restraints. Every time I begged. Every time I screamed. Every time I thought I’d die and Aaron would never know where I was.
Aaron would never know I didn’t sell him out to Dorian.
I squeezed my eyes shut, but it didn’t stop the memories. The dirt above me. The air running out. The absolute terror of being buried alive while his voice promised it wasn’t supposed to end like this and blamed
Aaron.
A shiver tore through me, violent and uncontrollable. My breath hitched, quick and sharp. Before I could stop it, a tiny whimper slipped out of me.
Aaron stirred instantly. His head jerked up, eyes snapping open, finding me with laser precision like he’d been waiting for me to need him.
“Venus?” His voice was rough, sleep-rasped but filled with a kind of desperate relief that made my throat tighten.
I tried to answer, but my voice felt stuck somewhere deep, trapped under all that fear. My fingers curled against his hand instead, clutching it like it was the only thing keeping me from sliding back into that grave.
He leaned closer immediately, free hand brushing over my hair with a gentleness that nearly broke me.
20:29 Wed, Jan 14 04…
Chapter 129
แคต
“Hey,” he murmured, his forehead dipping closer to mine. “You’re safe. I’ve got you, baby. Nothing’s gonna hurt you again p>
But my body didn’t believe him yet. I couldn’t stop shaking-the memories too vivid, too raw, My lips trembled as I whispered, barely audible, “He… he buried me alive p>
Aaron froze, every muscle going rigid. His jaw flexed like he was holding back a scream, his grip on my hand tightening protectively.
“I know,” he said softly, his voice trembling with barely leashed rage. “I know what he did, sweetheart. And I swear to you, Gerald Marlowe’s a dead man walking p>
1 blinked up at him, his words sinking past the fog of fear, anchoring me to something real. He wasn’t promising comfort he couldn’t give. He was promising vengeance.
And I believed him.
His hand moved to cup my cheek, tilting my face until I couldn’t look anywhere but at him.
“Look at me, Venus. You’re out of that box. You’re not in the ground anymore. You’re here with me. You hear that p>
My lips quivered. A tear slipped free despite my best efforts.
“What if he comes back? I-I don’t want to go back with him. Please don’t let him take me back p>
Aaron leaned closer, his forehead resting against mine, his voice low, deadly, and unshakable. “Hey, Venus You’re safe. I promise p>
Something in my chest cracked, letting in the tiniest breath of relief. I sagged against the pillows, still trembling, but tethered now-not to fear, but to him.
Aaron kissed my knuckles, his voice dropping to a whisper like it was meant for my soul alone.
“You survived hell, Venus. But I swear on my life, you’ll never have to survive it again p>
I didn’t believe him. Not because I thought he was lying, but because I knew-if Gerald hadn’t been found, he’d come after me again. And that thought sent a fresh wave of panic through me.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Breathe for me, Venus p>
I tried. I tried so hard, like my lungs were underwater and my chest was in a vice. I clawed for air like it was slipping between my fingers, like it was rationed like if I didn’t get enough in the next second, the earth would swallow me again.
Aaron’s voice cut through the spiral. Not loud. Not frantic. Just him.
“Venus.” That voice. That command. That grounding anchor I used to fall asleep to. Except now, it was all! had to keep from drowning.
20:30 Wed, Jan 14 M…
Chapter 129
61
“Breathe for me. Now.” His hands came up to cradle my face-gentle but firm-like he was daring my panic to fight him.
“In through your nose. Slow. Come on, baby. Right here with me p>
I tried, but my throat refused to open. My ribs spasmed like they were locked. I felt the machines beep faster. The cold sweat. The overwhelming weight of the grave pulling me back down
“I’m not losing you,” Aaron growled. His forehead pressed to mine again, and this time, it wasn’t soft. It was desperate. Fierce. His breath mingled with mine, his voice low and rough against my skin.
“You’re not going back. You hear me? He doesn’t win. Not today. Not ever p>
And for a second, that rage-his rage-burned brighter than my fear.
I clung to that fire.
Sucked in a breath. Shaky. Rushed. Not perfect, but it came.
Another.
Slower.
Another.
The screaming inside me dulled to a whimper.
Aaron’s hand moved down to press lightly over my sternum. “Good girl. That’s it. I’ve got you p>
That praise-soft and reverent-cracked something open inside me. Not panic this time. Something older. Something hurt.
I closed my eyes. Tears slipped down my temples.
“He kept saying it wasn’t supposed to happen like that. He kept blaming you.
Aaron didn’t speak.
He went still in that dangerous, barely-contained way men do when they’re balancing on the edge of
vengeance,
“He said… he said…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. The words rotted on my tongue.
Aaron’s thumb brushed across my cheek, wiping a tear away with an intimacy that made the pain sharper.
“I know what I said to you before you left,” he whispered. “And if I could take it back, I would burn every bridge in this goddamn city to do it p>
I swallowed, but it felt like broken glass. “I didn’t give Dorian anything. I tried to tell you. My mother-she was the one who leaked the files. Not me p>
20:30 Wed, Jan 14 M…
Chapter 129
“I know.” Two words. No hesitation. No doubt.
“You believe me now?” I asked fragile, afraid of the answer.
61
Aaron’s jaw clenched. “I punished you for a sin you never committed. I pushed you into his arms. That’s on me p>
His honesty shattered me. I started crying silently-the kind of tears you don’t sob. Just… leak. Because your body doesn’t know what else to do with the ache.
“I was so alone,” I whispered. “When Billy and Dain took me. When he-Gerald-took me. In that box. I kept thinking about how you’d never find me. That maybe you’d moved on. Maybe I didn’t matter anymore p>
He tensed so hard I could feel the muscles in his forearm lock.
“Don’t you ever-” his voice broke, raw and hoarse. “Don’t you ever think that again p>
I reached for him weakly, and he rose, lifting the hospital blanket and sliding into the bed beside me with care, cradling me to his chest like I was the most precious, breakable thing he’d ever held. My head pressed over his heart, and I listened to it thump violently.
“I never stopped searching,” he whispered. “I haven’t slept properly since you disappeared. I would’ve burned the whole goddamn world to ash to find you, Venus. You don’t move on from someone like you p>
My lips trembled. “But I’m not the same anymore p>
“Good,” he said fiercely. “Because the girl you were back then wasn’t afraid of fire. But the woman you are now survived it. You think I’d want anything less than the version of you that spit in hell’s face and clawed her way back to me p>
I wanted to believe that.
I needed to.
But guilt was a shadow that lingered, no matter how warm the light.
“I still feel him,” I admitted. “On me. In me. Like he’s still in my veins somehow p>
Aaron’s arms tightened around me like he could strangle the memory out of existence.
“Then I’ll hold you until the feeling dies. And when it comes back, I’ll fight it with you. Every time. I don’t care how long it takes p>
“You shouldn’t have to p>
He pulled back just enough to tip my chin up with two fingers, forcing my eyes on his
“You think I want easy, Venus? I want you. The real you Scarred Shaken. Strong. I’m not afraid of the mess. I just need you to let me in p>
The truth in his voice-low, gravelly, cracked but solid-melted something inside me. For the first time since
20:30 Wed, Jan 14 M…
Chapter 129
I was dragged into that nightmare, I felt… not safe, exactly.
But safer.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Okay p>
And then I did something I hadn’t done since before the abduction
1
I let myself breathe him in. Let myself sink into him. Let myself hope that maybe… maybe I could come back from this.
Aaron didn’t say another word.
He just held me tighter.
And this time, I didn’t resist.
AD
Comment
Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.