Chapter 139
Chapter 139
VENUS
The page trembled in my hands. Or maybe it was me trembling, and the paper just mirrored it back.
Adoptive parents: Dain Astor / Martha Astor.
(61)
The words sat on the page like a wound I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying all my life. I stared until the letters blurred, until even my own name looked foreign, like it belonged to someone else.
I was adopted.
No-not just adopted. Lied to.
Every year, every memory, every “I love you, he loves you in his own way” from Martha… every time I’d tried to rationalize Dain’s cruelty… all of it cracked wide open. I wasn’t even their daughter.
And Aaron knew.
The date at the corner of the document-just one day before we got married in Rome-that’s what shattered
Aaron had known. Not recently, not in the chaos of the last few months. He’d known before the wedding. Before every whispered promise that he’d protect me. Before he swore I was safe with him. Before he told me he’d keep nothing from me.
And he’d said nothing.
The papers slipped from my fingers, scattering across the rug. My lungs refused to work the way they were supposed to. Every inhale was sharp, jagged, like glass scraping the inside of my chest. My vision tunneled until all I could see was Aaron’s handwriting scrawled across one of the attached notes. His handwriting, his mark, proof of the secret that wasn’t meant to reach me.
My stomach lurched. I pressed a hand to my mouth and stumbled to my feet, the room tilting around me.
Why hadn’t he told me?
Why would he keep this buried?
And worse… what else hadn’t he told me?
it
I staggered toward the balcony, fumbling with the door latch. The glass fogged under my breath as I shoved open and stumbled outside. The cold air hit me like a slap. I gripped the railing so hard my knuckles went white, as if it could keep me upright, keep me from splintering completely.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.
The memory of Gerald’s voice from the night before pressed into my skull, whispering my name in that same venomous tone. Gerald’s shadow mixed with this fresh fracture, and suddenly it felt like my chest was
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Chapter 139
caving in.
That’s why Martha could drug me so easily. After everything I did for her.
I was there when Dain landed in a ditch.
I was there when she got her cancer diagnosis.
I worked multiple jobs.
I even sold myself into a marriage contract with Aaron.
And I wasn’t even hers.
“Aaron,” I whispered to no one. Not because I wanted him here, but because my body had been trained to reach for him when everything broke. And now… now I wasn’t sure if that instinct meant safety or another
trap.
I needed air.
I needed someone to tell me I wasn’t losing my mind.
I needed someone, anyone, who wasn’t him.
61
I spun back inside, shoved on the first shoes I found, and headed for the elevator. But of course, the guards were there.
“Mrs. Sinclair.” The taller one blocked my path, his stance stiff. “Mr. Sinclair’s orders are that you remain inside p>
The title burned like acid. Mrs. Sinclair. As if I still fit neatly into that box, as if nothing had just shattered.
“I need to go out,” I said. My voice was too thin, too raw.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Strict orders. No exceptions without his approval p>
Something inside me snapped. “Don’t call him.” My words came out sharper than I meant, desperation clinging to every syllable. “Don’t you dare call him. Just-just let me out. Please p>
The shorter guard glanced at the taller one. “Ma’am, we can’t p>
“You can.” My voice cracked, but I pressed on. “You don’t understand. I can’t stay here. I can’t breathe in this place. If you don’t let me out, I’ll-” My chest hitched. I pressed a hand hard against it, as if I could hold myself together. “Please. I won’t go far. I just… I just need someone else right now p>
The taller one hesitated, his jaw tightening like he was weighing the risk of losing his job against the sight of me unraveling in front of him. Finally, he exhaled. “Fine. But only if we come with you p>
“Yes,” I breathed. Relief rushed through me. “Fine. Whatever you want. Just… not here p>
Within minutes, I was in the backseat of one of Aaron’s cars, the guards in the front. My pulse wouldn’t calm.
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Chapter 139
61
My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Every moving shadow outside the window felt like Gerald lurking, ready to strike,
But then a thought pierced through the panic-a place. A safe place. Or at least, one that had felt safe once.
“Take me to Rosemary’s,” I said suddenly.
The guards exchanged a look. “Mr. Sinclair’s mother p>
“Yes.” My voice cracked. “Please. Just take me there p>
The house was exactly as I remembered-warm, lived-in, stately but not cold. A place with history in its walls.
The maid opened the door with a kind smile. “Mrs. Sinclair p>
“Venus,” I cut in quickly, almost choking on the other name. “Is Rosemary here p>
“She’s in the garden,” the maid said gently. “Go on through p>
The garden glowed under the filtered sunlight. Rosemary sat at a wrought-iron table, a glass of juice in her hand, a book open beside her. She looked up at the sound of footsteps.
“Venus?” She set her glass down at once, concern knitting her brows as she stood and hurried toward me.
I stopped halfway, chest heaving. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.” My voice was so small I barely recognized it.
Her hands gripped my arms, grounding me. “What’s wrong? Where’s Aaron p>
That question broke me. My throat closed around a sob I couldn’t stop. Tears spilled hot and fast as I crumpled against her.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she murmured, pulling me into her arms. “It’s alright. You don’t have to explain. Just breathe. You’re safe here. Come, sit with me p>
She guided me back to the table, her touch steady, maternal in a way I hadn’t realized I’d been starving for. She pressed a tissue into my hand and waited as I tried to piece myself back together.
“I found something,” I whispered, staring at the crumpled tissue. “In Aaron’s office p>
Her brows drew together, but she stayed quiet.
“It was a file. On me. At first I thought it was just a background check, but then-“My throat constricted. “It said Dain and Martha weren’t my real parents p>
Her lips parted, but she said nothing. She just reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
“They lied to me. My whole life, they lied. And Aaron-” My voice cracked again. “Aaron knew. Before we even got married. He knew and he never told me. How could he… how could he keep something like that
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Chapter 139
from me p>
The words dissolved into another sob.
“Sweetheart,” Rosemary said softly, “I don’t know the details, but I know my son. If he kept this from you, it wasn’t to hurt you. He’s stubborn, controlling, reckless but never cruel. Not with you p>
I shook my head. “It feels like betrayal p>
“Because it is,” she admitted gently. “But betrayal doesn’t always come from malice. Sometimes it comes from fear. From love twisted into the wrong shape. You deserve the truth. And you’ll get it. But don’t lose yourself in the shadows before you hear him out p>
61)
Her words should have soothed me. They didn’t. Not fully. But they gave me something to cling to, a thread in the chaos.
I nodded weakly, wiping at my face.
And that’s when the door slammed inside the house.
A heavy sound, sharp and furious.
Moments later, footsteps thundered down the hall.
Aaron burst into the garden-hair mussed, tie loose, his eyes wild. Disheveled, furious, and laser-locked on
“Venus.” Hs voice was a storm.
I froze, breath caught in my throat as his gaze swept over me, then the guards, then back to me like I was the only thing in his world that mattered and the only thing he might destroy.
田
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.