Chapter 25%
“Aria, are you okay?”
Nick’s voice cracked as he pulled me into his arms. His hands trembled slightly when he saw my shredded clothes, the bruises on my skin, the broken look in my eyes. Without hesitation, he yanked off his jacket and gently wrapped it around me.
“Youre safe now, I’ve got you. I’m taking you home.”
The disgusting men tried to step in, maybe thinking they still had a chance. Idiots. Nick’s men swarmed in from behind him like a wrecking crew, knocking them out one by one. Within seconds, those bastards were left groaning and crawling on the floor, their smug faces swollen and bloodied
Nick carried me to the car like I weighed nothing. When he got a closer look at the handprint on my face, his jaw clenched and his eyes turned glassy &
“I’m so sorry, Aria. I should’ve gotten to you sooner… I should’ve protected you”
Now that I was finally safe, the adrenaline drained out of me, leaving only exhaustion behind. I leaned back in the seat, took a breath and asked calmly, “How did you find me?”
“I tracked your phone.” Nick kept his eyes on the road. “At first, it didn’t work. I had to call in the best hacker I know back home to crack the signal. Once we got a lock, I drove straight here. It’s not far from my place–just took a little while.“2
nted to say something
His grip tightened on the wheel. I could feel it he was still rattled by what almost happened. He looked like he wanted to say else, but I beat him to in.
need to tell you about Valentina. She-”
“I know,” he cut in.
Nick didn’t even flinch. His voice was eerily calm, too calm–and that caught me off guard.
“What?”
“I know everything,” he said flatly. “I know she’s married. The second she heard about me and Gianna, she ran off to get plastic surgery to make herself look like her. She was trying to worm her way into my house, seduce me and bleed me dry to bankroll her husband.”
My brows furrowed. “How do you know all that?“3
“I had her investigated,” he said, eyes fixed on the road. “She and her husband are in custody now. My lawyers are making sure they don’t walk out free.
Then he turned to me, his gaze softening as he reached for my hand.
“Ana come back to me. Let’s start over. I need you. Jayden needs you too.”
I pulled my hand back slowly, the chill in my voice unmistakable. “Why do you want me back?“}
He hesitated for half a second, then said, “Because I love you“!
I let out a quiet laugh, one without warmth. “If those men had… If something had happened to me today and your friends found out, would you still want me?”
His expression cracked. For a second, I saw it–that flicker of hesitation But then he said, “Of course. I love you. All of you.”!!
He said it convincingly. Maybe even believed it. But I could see through him. Nick was the type who cared deeply about appearances, about pride. He couldn’t stand the idea of someone tumishing what he sawas his. If I had been violated… he might still “love” me, but he’d never let me face the world again. At best, he’d hide me away like a secret
The same way he lossed Gianna aside when her past caught up with her 3
I stared at him for a long second, then said quietly, “Nick, you can lie to everyone else, but not to yourself. Your pride will always matter more than your love for me.“L
And that was the truth
Strangely, I felt a sense of relief. Thank God I never fell in love with him. If I had… I don’t even want to think about where I’d be now.
Nick’s face darkened. He didn’t argue. Didn’t say another word. Just drove me back in silence and dropped me off at my place.X
After I showered and scrubbed every trace of that nightmare off my skin, I finally curled up in bed. My body still ached, but the worst was
Over
Then my phone rang.
It was Jayden
My first instinct was to ignore it. I was sull reeling from everything that had happened tonight and I honestly didn’t know if I had the emotional energy to deal with him right now. But then I remembered–Nick had saved me. Whatever his reasons were, he had stepped in when it counted. Maybe.. just maybe, answering wouldn’t hurt.”
I swiped to pick up the call
“Mom! I heard what happened. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
Jayden’s worned voice echoed from the other end of the line, cracking a little with panic.
*Tm fine, Jayden,” I said flatly. “You don’t need to worry.”
