Chapter 157
Chapter 157
VENUS
The city felt colder than it should have for morning. Maybe it wasn’t the air but the guilt riding shotgun in my chest. By the time Colton pulled up outside the house, I was wound tight, already bracing for the battle that wasn’t with Martha but with Aaron, if he ever found out.
The guards were the first wall.
They stood at the door, dressed sharp in black suits, earpieces gleaming under the pale sun. Aaron’s men. Loyal, immovable.
“Miss, where are you going?” The older one asked, voice even but eyes sharp.
“Out,” I said flatly, stepping forward.
They didn’t budge.
“I can’t let you leave the premises without clearance from Mr. Sinclair p>
My blood boiled instantly. That name. Always that name. Mr. Sinclair. Like Aaron wasn’t just Aaron. Like I wasn’t me-I was property tucked under his title.
“Clearance?” My laugh came out sharp and cold. “I don’t need clearance. I’m not a prisoner in this house p>
“Miss p>
“Move.” My voice cracked like a whip.
The younger one shifted, uncomfortable, but still, neither moved.
I felt the frustration claw its way out of me, years of people deciding for me, containing me, boxing me in. First Gerald, then my parents, then Aaron’s watchful shadow.
“Please move”
They didn’t.
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I tried to remain calm. They were just doing their job.”I’m pretty sure the order was to protect me and not to box me in and restrict my movement. ”
Their hesitation was everything.
I pressed harder. “He’ll crucify you for keeping me locked in like a child. He’ll crucify you harder if he hears
it from me p>
Their eyes flicked to each other. Cracks in the wall.
And then Colton’s voice cut through, smooth but edged like steel. “She’s with me. My men are outside. She’s
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Chapter 157
not going unprotected. If you’ve got an issue, log it with Aaron later. But right now? She’s leaving with me p>
The older guard bristled. “Our orders p>
“My responsibility.” Colton’s tone snapped like a command, sharp enough that even I blinked. “And if you think Aaron will punish you for trusting me, you don’t know your boss half as well as you think you do p>
The tension stretched, thick and ugly, before they finally relented. They stepped back, tight-jawed, still glaring like they were swallowing knives.
I swept past them, chin high, every nerve alight with victory and guilt rolled into one.
Colton opened the passenger door of his car for me, giving me that look-the one that said he didn’t approve, but he understood. “Get in p>
60
The drive was quiet. Too quiet.
I stared out the window, heart thudding faster the closer we got to my old apartment. The streets were familiar, but they looked smaller now, shabbier, like time had shrunk them. Or maybe it was me who had grown into someone who no longer fit inside these cracked walls of memory.
Colton broke the silence. “You sure about this p>
“Yes.” My voice was too quick, too sharp.
He hummed low, unconvinced. “Aaron will kill me p>
I turned, meeting his eyes. “Aaron doesn’t get to decide this. Not everything is his battle to fight. Some things are mine p>
Colton studied me a moment before nodding once, resigned. “Then let’s end it p>
We pulled up outside the building, the old brick washed dull by weather and years. My stomach flipped at the sight. I hadn’t been back here since the day everything shattered.
Colton killed the engine and turned to me. “Wait here. My men will sweep it first p>
I opened my mouth to argue, but his expression-cold, immovable Ashford steel-shut me down.
“Fine,” I muttered, crossing my arms as he and two of his men slipped out, heading inside.
Minutes stretched. Too long. The silence in the car was suffocating. My fingers tapped against my thigh, restless, impatient.
One of Colton’s men outside shifted, carpiece pressed tight as if listening to something. His brow furrowed.
My heart stuttered.
Then, the call. “Colton,” the man at the door barked into his radio. A pause. Then he glanced toward the car.
7
60
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Chapter 157
“Upstairs. Now p>
Colton’s silhouette appeared at the window above, framed in the dull light. My pulse spiked.
He came back down a minute later, eyes shadowed, jaw locked tight.
“Venus,” he said low, leaning into the car window. “Stay here with my men. Don’t move p>
Something in his voice-gravel, finality-made my stomach drop.
“What did you find p>
“Nothing you need to see p>
“No.” My chest tightened, panic sparking hot. “What aren’t you telling me p>
“Venus. Stay here p>
Then he was gone, back up the stairs, his strides clipped and sharp.
I lasted three minutes. Maybe less.
The silence clawed at me, louder than screams. My imagination filled it: images of Martha waiting, Martha laughing, Martha plotting. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t sit there like some caged thing while the truth lived and breathed just floors above me.
So I opened the door.
“Miss Venus,” one of Colton’s men tried, stepping forward.
“I’m going.” My tone brooked no argument.
They followed anyway, silent shadows as I climbed the narrow stairwell, each step heavier than the last.
The hallway smelled of dust and stale air. My old door loomed at the end, paint chipped, lock scratched.
Colton was there. Standing at the threshold. His body blocked most of the doorway, rigid, a wall of steel and
secrets.
“Colt?” My voice cracked.
He turned, sharp, eyes flashing.
“I told you to wait in the car p>
But I barely heard him, because past his shoulder-just a sliver of the apartment beyond-something caught
my eye.
The smell hit me first. Coppery, sharp.
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Chapter 157
And then I saw it.
Red.
A gasp ripped from me before I could stop it, my hand flying to my mouth.
“Venus p>
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My heart slammed against my ribs. “What-what? Who… how?” My brain buffered, useless, stuttering like an engine in the cold.
Colton stepped toward me slowly, carefully, like I was a wounded animal ready to bolt.
“Venus, hey. Hey, look at me.” His voice was steady, controlled, the way one speaks to someone dangling on the edge of panic.
My breaths came fast, ragged. “Where is she? Where-what p>
I tried to push past him, but his hands caught my arms, firm, grounding.
“Not like this,” he said low, eyes boring into mine. “You don’t want to see it like this p>
But I already had. Just enough.
Blood.
And not a little.
It was smeared, splattered, painted like some cruel artwork across the worn linoleum.
My knees buckled.
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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.