Chapter 254
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VENUS
Andrea’s call came before dusk.
I couldn’t sleep or eat after Aaron left.
I was worried and couldn’t stop wondering what Aaron had planned.
The phone vibrated in my hand before I even saw her name, I answered without greeting.
“Have you picked a date yet?” Andrea snapped.
No pretense. No mock warmth. Her voice was sharp, irritated, stripped of the smug calm she usually wore like perfume.
“No,” I said. “I haven’t p>
A beat.
Then she exploded.
“Shut up,” Andrea hissed. “Don’t insult me by pretending you still have choices p>
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“You don’t get to stall,” she went on, words coming fast now, clipped, angry. “You don’t get to think. You don’t get to hesitate. Since you can’t seem to pick a date, I’ve done it for you p>
My stomach dropped.
“It’s tomorrow,” she said. “Everything’s arranged p>
I swallowed. “Tomorrow isn’t p>
“I’ll be there,” Andrea cut in coldly. “In person. And don’t test me, Venus. You already know what happens if you do p>
Silence stretched for half a second-tight, vibrating.
Then, softly, almost venom-sweet:
“Don’t be late p>
The line went dead.
I sat there for a long moment, phone still pressed to my ear, the quiet roaring in my head. The whether didn’t help. It felt wrong-too gentle for what was happening.
Something was off.
Andrea wasn’t savoring this.
She was rushing it.
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That realization slid into my chest like ice.
I didn’t waste time questioning it.
I called Aaron.
He said he’d be there.
And only then did my hands start to shake.
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The hall was too grand for something this ugly.
Marble floors polished to a shine that reflected my nervous movements as I paced near the entrance. Tall windows. Soft lighting. Murmurs of voices that didn’t belong to us. Other people’s lives unfolding as if the world hadn’t red open beneath my feet.
ldn’t stop fidgeting.
ring. Untwisted it. Twisted it again.
the hell are you, Aaron?
“Venus p>
Her voice slid into my spine like a knife.
Andrea appeared at my side without warning, her red hair immaculate, green eyes sharp and bright with satisfaction. She didn’t smile-she smirked, like this was a private joke and I was the punchline.
She stepped deliberately into my space and bumped my shoulder, hard enough to jolt me.
“Oh,” she said lightly. “Sorry. Didn’t see you there p>
Lie.
She leaned in close, steering me toward a shadowed corner of the hall, away from the lawyers, away from curious eyes.
“You’re late,” she said.
“I’m here,” I replied, forcing my voice steady. “That’s what matters p>
Her eyes flicked over me, assessing. Measuring.
“You look tired,” she said. “Stress will do that.” she played with a strand of my hair.
I swallowed.
“If I sign those documents,” I said quietly, “you give me my daughter back. Immediately. No delays. No new demands. Or I swear to God, Andrea-there will be hell to pay p>
Her smile vanished.
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In its place was something far uglier.
“Don’t speak to me in that tone,” she hissed. “You don’t get to threaten me when I’m the one holding your fucking child p>
My blood ran cold.
“If I want,” she continued, voice dropping to a whisper, “I can make one call right now. Do you know how quickly things can end, Venus? Accidents happen. Executions happen p>
I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms.
“If you try anything shady,” Andrea went on, eyes glittering, “if you so much as blink wrong-I swear you’ll never see her again p>
I leaned in just enough to make sure she could hear me.
“I will sign,” I said. “And then you will give her back p>
She laughed softly. “I’ll be watching p>
Then she shoved me backward and stepped away, already smoothing her jacket, already wearing her mask again.
“Meet me here after it’s done,” she added over her shoulder.
I barely had time to steady myself before-
Aaron walked in.
My heart lurched violently.
For half a second, instinct screamed at me to run. To close the distance between us. To bury my face in his chest and let him hold me up.
I didn’t.
I forced my feet to stay where they were.
Aaron’s presence filled the space instantly. Suit immaculate. Expression closed off, controlled, almost glacial.
But his eyes-
They swept the hall once, sharp and deliberate.
And then they locked on Andrea.
I saw it.
The flicker of recognition.
The calculation.
The promise of violence held carefully in check.
He knew.
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His gaze returned to me, just briefly.
A barely there nod.
I’m here. Hold.
“Let’s get this done,” he said.
His voice was cold enough to cut glass.
If I hadn’t seen his eyes, I would’ve believed it.
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The conference room smelled like paper and ink and false civility.
Lawyers shuffled documents. Pens were aligned with obsessive precision. Chairs scraped softly as we sat across from one another.
Aaron didn’t look at me.
That hurt more than I expected.
The lead attorney cleared his throat and began reciting the terms-assets, properties, custody arrangements rendered meaningless by the absence of one child.
I barely heard a word.
My gaze kept drifting to Aaron.
His posture was rigid. His jaw clenched. His hands still.
When the papers were slid toward him, he didn’t hesitate.
He picked up the pen and signed.
Just like that.
My chest constricted painfully.
He didn’t pause.
Didn’t flinch.
Didn’t look at me.
The pen moved across the page with ruthless efficiency.
Finished.
The papers were slid toward me.
My hands shook.
I stared down at the document-at the signatures already inked, at the space waiting for mine.
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This was real.
This was irreversible.
I glanced up at Aaron.
He still hadn’t moved.
Hadn’t looked at me.
I searched his face desperately for something-anything-that told me this wasn’t the end.
Then his eyes flicked to mine.
Just for a second.
And there it was.
Not distance.
Resolve.
Do it.
I swallowed hard and picked up the pen.
My hand hovered above the paper, hesitating, the weight of everything pressing down on my chest.
I thought of Iris’s laugh.
Her sticky fingers.
The way she always said Mommy like it was the safest word she knew.
I signed.
The pen scratched across the page.
Final.
Absolute.
The lawyer gathered the documents with practiced neutrality.
“Congratulations,” he said, as if this were something worth celebrating.
The sound of the papers sliding into a folder felt like a door slamming shut.
I lowered the pen and let it roll from my fingers.
Done.
I didn’t look at anyone.
I just sat there, heart pounding, waiting for the moment everything changed.
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Because it had to.
It had to.
And somewhere beyond those walls, my daughter was either coming home-
Or everything we had sacrificed had been for nothing.
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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.