Chapter 136
Chapter 136
VENUS
It started to feel… routine.
If you could call waking up in the middle of the night, shaking and gasping, a routine.
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The first night, I told myself it was just a fluke. Too many emotions, too much noise, and then sudden quiet. But then it happened again. And again. And again.
By the third night, I didn’t even hesitate anymore. I just padded down the hall, bare feet brushing the carpet, and climbed into his bed like I belonged there. Like I’d been doing it my whole life.
And Aaron never once made me feel like I was intruding.
If anything, it was the opposite.
The second my body hit the mattress, he’d pull me against him, no questions, no hesitation, just his arm locking firmly around my waist, his chin brushing the top of my head like he was making sure I stayed exactly where I was. Sometimes he’d murmur low reassurances until my breathing matched his. Sometimes he didn’t speak at all, just let his warmth and steady heartbeat work their way under my skin until sleep came for me again.
I noticed things in those nights I hadn’t before.
The faint scar just below his collarbone. The way his breath slowed in deliberate sync with mine, like he was willing my body to calm. How his fingers would press into my hip not tight enough to hurt, but in a way that said don’t even think about moving away from me.
There was security situated at the front of the door.
It should have been claustrophobic.
Instead, it felt… necessary.
But it wasn’t just the nights.
During the day, he was always there. Like a shadow. Or maybe a wall, solid, unmoving, impossible to get around. He’d be in the kitchen when I wandered in, reading a newspaper he didn’t seem interested in. In the living room when I curled up on the couch, laptop open in front of him but untouched. In the hallway when I went to the bathroom, leaning against the wall like he just happened to be there.
He’d go somewhere private to talk about Gerald p>
He didn’t want me to hear but I knew he was still missing.
And I noticed something else, too.
He wasn’t working.
20:31 Wed, Jan 14
Chapter 136
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Aaron was many things-ruthless, cold, calculated-but lazy was not one of them. He didn’t take breaks. He didn’t “unplug.” His work was practically an extension of his bloodstream. And yet… days passed and he didn’t so much as glance at a stack of documents. No meetings. No calls. No slipping away for “just an hour” to handle something.
At first, I thought maybe he was taking a leave because of me.
Then I realized he hadn’t left the penthouse in four days.
I didn’t want to ask.
But curiosity has teeth, and mine sank deep before I could stop it.
It was late afternoon. We were in the living room, a half-empty mug of tea warming my hands while he sat across from me in one of those impossibly deep armchairs, his posture all effortless dominance.
“You’re not working,” I said finally.
He looked up from the book he’d been pretending to read, one brow lifting. “Observant p>
“And you haven’t left in days p>
“That bothers you?” His tone was unreadable, but the way his gaze sharpened made my pulse stutter.
“It makes me feel… guilty.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “Like you’re stuck here babysitting me when you should be p>
His mouth curved, but it wasn’t a smile. “What makes you think I should be anywhere else p>
I shifted in my seat. “Aaron p>
He exhaled slowly, closing the book and setting it aside. “I didn’t want to tell you yet p>
“Tell me what p>
“Not important p>
“Liar,” I said flatly.
That got me the faintest twitch in his jaw.
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. “Why aren’t you going to work p>
He looked at me for a long moment-too long-before he finally said, “Because I’m not the CEO anymore p>
The words hit harder than I expected. “What p>
A
He shrugged like it was nothing. “Dorian’s running the show now p>
My fingers tightened around my mug. “Because of me? Because I disappeared? And the contract p>
20:31 Wed, Jan 14
Chapter 136
“Venus.” His tone snapped through the air like a whip. “This isn’t your fault p>
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I opened my mouth to argue, but he was already leaning forward, elbows on his knees, pinning me with that unblinking stare.
“To be honest, I needed the break. When you were gone, finding you was the only thing that mattered. Everything else could burn for all I cared.” His voice dropped lower, harder. “They wanted the seat? I let them have it p>
My chest tightened. “You just… let them p>
“They think they won.” He smirked, dark and dangerous. “They don’t realize I’ve got enough dirt on all three of them to make them beg to hand it back. I can take it any time I want p>
The sheer casualness of it floored me. “You…” I shook my head. “You’ve always wanted that position. It was the reason you married me in the first place p>
His expression shifted-less arrogance, more… something else. Something heavier.
“I thought I did,” he said quietly. “But when you were gone, I realized there’s more to life than boardrooms and titles. I was scared, Venus. I haven’t felt fear like that since I was Eight, standing in a hospital room while they wheeled my mother into surgery after she lost the baby p>
I blinked.
His gaze locked on mine, unyielding. “I never want to feel that again. And I sure as hell never want to lose you p>
Something in my chest cracked wide open at that. Warmth-heavy and disorienting-spread through me until it was all I could do not to melt right there on the couch.
And for the first time since I’d woken up in that hospital bed, I let myself believe it.
Believe that maybe-just maybe-I wasn’t a burden.
I was the center. The anchor. The reason.
AD
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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.