Chapter 190
Chapter 191
VENUS
The machines hummed, steady and cruel. Beep. Beep. Beep. Each one a reminder that Aaron was still alive -still tethered here, still mine. But God, he looked too still, too pale, his strength carved away by sterile white sheets and tubes that snaked like shackles around him.
I clutched his hand tighter, pressing my lips to his knuckles. They were cool against my mouth, but not cold -not lifeless. I let my tears soak into the sheets, my voice low, ragged.
“You hear me, Aaron Sinclair?” I whispered. “You don’t get to quit on me. Not after everything. Not after you tore apart hell to keep me breathing. You fight. You always fight. So fight now. For me. For them p>
My palm slid to my stomach, trembling over the curve that was just beginning to show. “For our babies p>
The room was dim except for the glow of monitors and the flickering television bolted into the corner above. It had been on since Connor wheeled me in, muted to a whisper of static light. Background noise. Nothing more.
Until movement caught my eye.
I lifted my gaze, my throat tightening when the screen sharpened into chaos.
A front yard. Cameras flashing like fireworks. Police cars lined across a manicured lawn. And at the center p>
Caroline Sinclair.
Her wrists cuffed, her immaculate hair disheveled, her face twisted not with shame but with fury. Two officers flanked her, steering her down the steps of her mansion while reporters shouted, microphones thrust like spears.
The chyron screamed across the bottom:
CAROLINE SINCLAIR ARRESTED FOR ROLE IN DAUGHTER’S KIDNAPPING.
The world tilted beneath me. My grip on Aaron’s hand slipped.
No. That couldn’t be real.
I blinked, my chest heaving, but the image didn’t change. The Sinclair matriarch—elegant, untouchable, venom wrapped in silk-dragged into the open in iron cuffs.
“Is this ” My voice cracked, breaking on the words. “Is this real p>
Connor, who’d been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, pushed himself forward. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t soften it. Just reached for the remote and clicked the volume up. The television’s sound cut through the hum of machines, harsh and loud.
“…police confirm Caroline Sinclair has been taken into custody for questioning, following the discovery of
20:50 Wed, Jan 14 J
Chapter 191
transcripts and surveillance footage linking her to Gerald’s kidnapping operation p>
Connor’s jaw tightened. He gave me a single, grim nod. “It’s real p>
(58)
I shook my head, clutching at the wheelchair’s armrest until my knuckles whitened. “But-she-” My throat burned. “She’s her mother p>
“She’s an accomplice,” Connor said flatly. No hesitation. No room for doubt. “They raided Gerald’s hideout. Found his phone, his call logs, his footage. It wasn’t just suspicion, Venus. It’s fact. She was in contact with him. She visited him. This wasn’t spur of the moment, it was deliberate p>
I pressed my hand hard against my lips, trying to stop the sound clawing its way out of my chest.
On the TV, the footage shifted, showing Caroline ducking her head as officers pushed her into the back of a squad car. Flashes of cameras lit her face-streaked mascara, lips pressed in a hard line. Not remorseful. Not broken. Just furious at being caught.
And then
The camera panned.
Dorian.
He stood to the side, his tall frame rigid, his face carved into stone. He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. His hands hung loose at his sides, but everything in his posture screamed restraint like he was one twitch away from shattering. His eyes, those storm-colored eyes, followed the car as it pulled away.
There was no rage in them. No grief. Just something colder. A grief too old and too deep to bleed anymore.
My breath stuttered.
Richard appeared next, fumbling with his phone, his face red with panic as he shouted into the receiver, pacing the lawn while his wife was shoved into the back of a cruiser. A man frantic to salvage the empire crumbling around him.
It was all unraveling before my eyes, splashed across every screen in New York, maybe the world.
My stomach turned.
“Sabine,” I whispered, my throat raw. “God. How does she feel in all of this p>
Connor didn’t answer at first. His silence pressed heavy into the room, heavier than the beeping monitors, heavier than the news anchor’s voice droning over the chaos. Finally, he moved closer, crouching so his sharp gaze was level with mine.
“She’s with Rosemary,” he said quietly. “That’s where she needs to be. But Venus…” He hesitated, as if choosing the sharpest blade in his arsenal before he gave it to me. “This isn’t about Sabine right now. This is about you. About Aaron. About keeping yourself steady. Because if you crumble, this all goes with you p>
I closed my eyes, my chest heaving, his words cutting like glass.
20:50 Wed, Jan 14
Chapter 191
Caroline Sinclair.
The woman who had despised me, tried to undermine me at every turn, looked at me as though I were nothing but filth dragging her empire down.
And she’d orchestrated this. Not for Sabine. Not for Gerald. For me.
(5)
An elaborate plan to destroy me, so twisted that even when her daughter was dragged into the fire, she didn’t flinch. Didn’t stop.
She hadn’t cared.
I turned back to Aaron, my tears slipping hot and furious down my cheeks. His face was still, but even in his unconsciousness, I imagined I could hear him-the sharp bite of his voice, the steel in his conviction.
She’ll never win.
Not against us.
I tightened my grip on his hand, leaning close until my forehead brushed his. My voice shook, but it was fierce, carved from the rawness in my chest.
“She tried to destroy us,” I whispered. “But she failed. She will rot before she takes another thing from us p>
The TV buzzed behind me, replaying the scene again and again-Caroline dragged away, Dorian silent in the storm, Richard unraveling.
But I didn’t look anymore.
My eyes were on Aaron. My hand on his. My vow wrapping around us like armor.
“We’ll survive this,” I told him, my tears dampening his skin. “You, me, our babies. We’ll rise from it. And when you wake up, Aaron Sinclair, I’ll make damn sure the first thing you know is that she lost. And we didn’t p>
The machines kept their steady rhythm. The world outside spun in chaos. But in that room, with his hand in mine, I chose fury over fear.
Because Caroline Sinclair had taken enough from us.
And I swore she would take nothing more.
20:50 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.