Chapter 159
Chapter 159
VENUS
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The ride back to the penthouse was a blur-one long, suffocating silence broken only by the rasp of Aaron’s breath, sharp, like he was holding himself together just for me.
I pressed against him in the back seat, his arm locked around my shoulders like iron. Colton drove, jaw clenched, eyes hard on the road, but the air between him and Aaron was brittle, razor-thin.
I barely noticed. My eyes were open, but I wasn’t seeing the city lights or the blur of streets rushing past. All I saw was that room. That wall. That body that used to be my mother, mutilated into a message.
I did you a favor, sweetheart.
The words pulsed through me like a drumbeat, relentless and mocking. I buried my face into Aaron’s chest as if it could stop the horror from replaying in my head.
By the time the car rolled into the garage, my body was trembling again, exhaustion dragging me under only for fear to yank me awake. Aaron didn’t let me walk inside. He scooped me out of the car like I weighed nothing, ignoring the staff, the guards, the stares. His stride was clipped, furious, vibrating with a storm he refused to unleash in front of me.
Colton followed, silent shadow, but when Aaron glanced over his shoulder, the look he gave him could’ve flayed skin.
Inside, Aaron carried me straight to his study. He didn’t set me on the couch or leave me in a chair, he lowered into the seat with me in his lap, his arms locked around me, holding me like I might shatter if he let go for even a second.
“Talk to me,” he murmured against my hair. His voice was gravel, strained, fraying at the edges. “Tell me what’s in your head, princess p>
My lips trembled. I wanted to speak, to scream, but every time I tried, the only thing that surfaced was the image of Martha’s throat, raw and open, and the words written in her blood. My stomach lurched, bile clawing up, but there was nothing left to bring out.
Aaron’s hands tightened on me, desperation bleeding into his tone. “Don’t go silent on me. Don’t let her win even in death. Stay with me-here p>
That cracked something in me.
“I-she-” My voice broke, sobs catching in my chest. “Why would she… why would she leave that message? Or did someone? A favor? What favor, Aaron p>
His jaw clenched against my temple. For a moment he was silent, and that silence cut sharper than words.
Finally, his voice came, low and lethal. “She wanted to poison you one last time. To make you carry her filth even after she was gone p>
The words stung. They burned. But they made sense.
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Chapter 159
“She was still my mom,” I whispered, fragile, foreign even to my own cars.
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Aaron’s breath stuttered, like he didn’t know how to touch that wound. His hand slid up, cupping my jaw, forcing my face toward his. His eyes were storm-dark, furious and aching. “No. She gave up that right the day she chose to break you instead of protect you. Blood doesn’t make family, princess. Choice does. And I swear to you-whatever she left behind, I’ll burn it out of your path before it ever touches you p>
Tears spilled hot and helpless down my cheeks. “You can’t burn it. I saw it. I’ll always see it p>
He crushed me tighter against him. “Then I’ll hold you through it. Every time it comes back, every night it claws at you-I’ll be there. I’ll carry it with you until it doesn’t weigh you down anymore p>
I clung to him, sobbing into his chest. “And if it never goes away p>
His answer was immediate, savage. “Then I’ll carry you, too p>
The dam broke. I shook in his arms, soaking his shirt with tears, fists twisted in him like if I let go I’d vanish into the memory.
Somewhere in the haze, the door creaked. Colton. His voice was low, hesitant.
“We need to talk about what happened. The police p>
Aaron’s head snapped up, his glare lethal. “Not here. Not now. Not in front of her p>
“She deserves to know p>
“I said ” Aaron’s voice was sharp enough to slice steel. He shifted me closer, protective, as though Colton himself was a threat. “Not. Now p>
The room went silent except for my broken sobs. Colton’s jaw ticked, but he nodded once and stepped out, the door clicking shut behind him.
Aaron bent his head back to me, his lips brushing my hairline. “Ignore him. Ignore the world. Right now it’s just you and me. Nothing else matters p>
His arms were the only place I couldn’t see Martha’s blood.
But I knew the moment I closed my eyes, the words would be waiting.
I did you a favor, sweetheart.
And I wasn’t sure I’d ever escape them.
At some point exhaustion dragged me under. My body gave out before my mind did, collapsing against Aaron’s chest in his study. His hand never left my hair, his voice a low murmur in my ear-steady, anchoring, coaxing me down into something that wasn’t peace, but close enough to sleep.
But the darkness wasn’t kind.
Behind my eyelids, the wall waited. The words waited. Martha’s voice whispered them like a lullaby meant to
20:37 Wed, Jan 14
Chapter 159
choke me. I did you a favor, sweetheart.
៤៩ ៤០
I whimpered in my sleep, thrashing, but Aaron never loosened his grip. His chest was iron beneath me, his heartbeat steady, defiant. Every time the dream dragged me closer to the blood, his hand tightened in my hair, pulling me back.
And when I finally slipped fully into unconsciousness, he was still there-still watching. Still guarding.
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20:37 Wed, Jan 14
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.