Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Chapter 96
AARON
He hit the wall, coughing, blood smeared across his lip.
“Touch her again,” I growled, my voice a low, dangerous rumble, “and I’ll break every bone you’ve got left p>
He grinned through the pain, the bastard. “You assume I touched her p>
“You really want to test me p>
“Oh no,” he rasped, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “I want to show you something p>
He staggered over to his desk, pulled out a sleek black folder, and slid it across the table.
I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
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But curiosity was poison, and I was already infected. My hand reached before I told it to, unfolding the flap slowly.
It wasn’t more photos.
It was the contract.
Ours.
Every line. Every clause. Every condition we agreed on.
But this wasn’t my copy.
It was hers.
A copy only Venus should’ve had.
Dorian leaned back like a king watching his pawn fall. Smug. Pleased.
“I told you,” he said, coolly. “You don’t know her like you think you do p>
And for the first time in years-
I didn’t know what was real anymore.
I stared at the contract in my hands like it was a loaded gun-silent, heavy, and pointed straight at my chest. Her signature stared back at me in elegant, deliberate ink. Like her. Like every secret she hadn’t said.
The paper curled beneath my fingers, brittle under pressure.
Dorian watched me, unflinching.
“You went through her things?” My voice was low, slow, laced with a threat.
“No,” he said simply. “She gave it to me p>
My pulse stuttered.
Liar.
But even as I called him that in my head, a part of me-the part I hated-paused.
12:18 Mon, Jan 5 GMj
Chapter 96
Because Venus was careful. She’d held back more than she gave, and I’d let her. Trusted her.
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“Believe what you want,” Dorian continued, shrugging. “But you of all people should know, Venus plays the long game. The girl you married isn’t just pretty lips and desperate tears. She’s calculating. Smart. Maybe even smarter than you p>
I stepped closer, fists curling. “You don’t get to talk about her p>
“Oh, but I do.” His grin was sharp now. “While you were busy playing protector, she was busy covering her tracks. That sweet act? It’s leverage. A performance. Every time you bought her silence, she was banking your guilt p>
My silence wasn’t agreement.
It was shock.
Not because I believed him. But because I wasn’t sure I didn’t.
That photo of her and Dorian. The contract. The way she clung to me one moment and vanished into herself the next.
That doubt he planted? It didn’t just root. It grew.
“You said it yourself,” Dorian said, voice casual as he adjusted his cuffs, “you’ve got eyes everywhere. So why didn’t you see it? Why didn’t you notice the little lies, the changed passwords, the calls she takes in the bathroom p>
He smirked. “You’ve been so busy falling for her, you forgot what this marriage really was p>
My jaw clenched.
She made it look like she was trying. She made me try.
And that was the cruelest part.
He tossed another folder toward me-thicker this time. It hit the desk with a dull thud.
Photos. Transactions. More receipts.
“She sold you out for a bigger amount, Aaron. I’m just giving you a little heads up. The blogs are going to start posting
soon p>
I didn’t respond.
He laughed again. “Don’t play games with me, Aaron. I’m always one step ahead. How easily you forgot about Andrea p>
Andrea.
A different life. A different betrayal.
But the echo? It was the same.
I turned and walked out without another word, the folder clutched in one hand like it might disappear if I let go.
The drive back to the penthouse was a blur of neon and doubt.
Venus was still in London-probably laughing, dancing, drinking overpriced cocktails with Gianna and Sabine, wearing that silver dress I liked too much on her. Too much skin. Too many eyes.
And here I was, unraveling like a rookie over a goddamn contract.
12:18 Mon, Jan 5 GM •
Chapter 96
But it wasn’t just the paper.
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It was her silence today. The look she gave him in that photo. That unreadable softness in her eyes when she said she trusted me.
The thought made my throat tighten.
I hated that I was even thinking about it. That I couldn’t just toss the folder into the fireplace and pretend none of this existed.
But what if it wasn’t a lie?
What if everything Dorian said- What if it was just a sliver of truth hidden in a web of manipulation?
That’s how Venus played her cards. Close to the chest. Always ten steps ahead. I’d admired that about her once. Now it felt like a noose tightening.
Back at the penthouse, I dropped the folders onto the table and poured myself a drink. Whiskey. Neat. The only thing in my life that didn’t lie.
I stared out over the city, the skyline bleeding into night, and tried to remember where it all changed.
Was it the night she fell asleep on my chest like she belonged there? The way she called my name after that first kiss— shaky, unsure, mine?
Or was it when she stood in front of Caroline like a fucking queen and tore her to shreds with nothing but words and spine?
Maybe it was all of it. Maybe it was none.
Maybe it was me.
I downed the glass in one swallow.
My phone buzzed once. Twice.
Her name.
I didn’t touch it. Didn’t want her words. Not tonight.
Not with Dorian’s voice still ringing in my ears
You don’t know her like you think you do.
Maybe I didn’t.
But she didn’t know me either.
Because the next time we spoke? I wasn’t coming with questions.
I was coming for truth.
And if she thought secrets could save her,
She’d forgotten who she married.
12:18 Mon, Jan 5
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.