Aria’s POV
The text had co last night.
I’d stared at my phone screen until the words blurred. Until they stopped looking like words and started looking like a death sentence.
Finn.
Of course it was Finn.
*You owe , Aria. Five years of marriage. Five years of food, shelter, clothing, dical care. Do you think any of that was free? My lawyers have calculated everything. You owe the Nightfang family $200,000.*
Two hundred thousand dollars.
The number made want to laugh. Or scream. Or both.
*And since Lilith will be living with , you’ll also need to pay child support. $2,000 per month. Non-negotiable.*
My hands had started shaking. I couldn’t stop them.
*If you can’t pay, you have two options. Co to . Apologize on your knees. Give a son. Then maybe—maybe—I’ll consider forgiving you.*
*Or you can wait for the lawsuit. And prison.*
*Your choice.*
I’d thrown up after reading it. Barely made it to the bathroom in ti.
Two hundred thousand dollars. Plus child support. For a daughter who hated . For a marriage that had been nothing but pain.
Prison.
He was threatening with prison.
And the worst part? He could probably do it. The Nightfang family had money. Power. Lawyers who could twist anything into whatever shape they wanted.
I was nothing. A Shadow Moon Oga with an empty bank account and a broken heart.
What chance did I have?
---
I worked a double shift today.
My feet scread. My back ached. But I needed the money. Every dollar. Every tip. Every single cent I could scrape together.
It wouldn’t be enough. I knew that. Even if I worked every day for the next ten years, I’d never save two hundred thousand dollars.
But I had to try.
I had to do sothing.
Because I would not go back to Finn. I would not apologize. I would not give him another child to use as a weapon against .
I’d rather die.
"Aria, table seven needs their check."
I nodded at the manager. Grabbed the check. Walked across the floor on autopilot.
Smile. Serve. Clear. Repeat.
Don’t think. Don’t feel. Don’t break down in front of custors.
That’s when I felt it.
Eyes on .
Heavy. Intense. Burning into my back like a brand.
I knew who it was before I even turned around. I could feel his presence across the room. His pheromones reaching even through the crowd.
Kael.
He was here. Again.
Why wouldn’t he leave alone?
I delivered the check. Collected the paynt. Kept my back to the VIP section where I knew he was sitting.
Don’t look. Don’t engage. Don’t give him the satisfaction.
But I could feel him watching. Every ti I moved. Every table I served. Every step I took.
His gaze followed like a shadow.
What did he want? To humiliate more? To watch suffer? To laugh at the pathetic Oga who’d actually believed his lies?
Tears burned behind my eyes. I blinked them back.
Not here. Not now. Not in front of him.
The hours crawled by. Each minute felt like an eternity. My body moved on autopilot while my mind spiraled.
Finn’s text. Kael’s eyes. The money I didn’t have. The prison that might be waiting.
Everything was falling apart.
Everything had already fallen apart.
Finally—finally—my shift ended.
I practically ran to the staff room. Changed out of my uniform. Grabbed my bag.
Get out. Get away. Don’t let him corner you.
The back exit. I’d use the back exit. Slip out before he noticed. Disappear into the night like the nobody I was.
I pushed through the staff door. The cool night air hit my face.
Freedom. Almost.
I walked faster. My heels clicked against the pavent. The employee parking lot stretched before , empty except for a few scattered cars.
Just a few more steps. Just—
A black sports car pulled in front of .
Blocking my path.
My heart stopped.
No.
The driver’s door opened. Kael stepped out.
He looked like he always did. Devastatingly handso. Dark hair falling across his forehead. Those black-gold eyes fixed on with an intensity that made my knees weak.
I hated that my body still reacted to him. Hated that my heart still raced. Hated that so pathetic part of still wanted him.
"Move," I said. My voice ca out stronger than I felt.
He didn’t move.
Just stood there. Watching . That unreadable expression on his perfect face.
"I said move."
Nothing.
Anger flared in my chest. Hot. Sudden. Welco.
Anger was better than pain. Better than despair. Better than the crushing weight of everything falling apart.
"What do you want, Kael?" I spat his na like a curse. "Haven’t you done enough? Haven’t you humiliated enough?"
Still nothing. He just stared at with those empty eyes.
"Is this funny to you?" My voice cracked. "Watching suffer? Is that why you keep coming back? To see how broken I am?"
A muscle twitched in his jaw. But he said nothing.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I turned. Started walking in the opposite direction. I’d find another way ho. I’d walk all night if I had to. Anything to get away from him.
"Aria."
My na on his lips. Low. Dark. A command I couldn’t ignore.
Keep walking. Don’t stop. Don’t look back.
Footsteps behind . Fast. Getting closer.
A hand closed around my wrist.
He spun around.
And suddenly we were face to face. Inches apart. So close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. So close his pheromones wrapped around like a suffocating blanket.
Ebony and frost. Dark and intoxicating.
My breath caught. My heart slamd against my ribs.
His grip was firm. Not painful. But inescapable.
"Let go of ," I whispered.
His eyes searched my face. Those black-gold irises reflecting the streetlights. Sothing flickered in their depths. Sothing I couldn’t read.
"I said let go!"
I yanked my arm. Useless. He was too strong.
"Stop running from ." His voice was rough. Strained.
"Why?" Tears burned in my eyes. I couldn’t stop them this ti. "So you can hurt again? So you can remind what trash I am?"
His jaw clenched.
"You’ve made your point, Kael. I’m nothing. I’m nobody. I was just a ga. A toy. Entertainnt for your girlfriend." The words poured out like poison. "I got it. ssage received. Now let go."
His grip tightened. He pulled closer.
Our chests nearly touched. I could feel his heartbeat. Fast. Unsteady.
The air between us crackled with sothing electric. Sothing dangerous.
For one insane mont, I thought he might kiss .
For one insane mont, I wanted him to.
Then his free hand moved.
He shoved sothing against my stomach. Paper. An envelope.
"Take it."
His voice was ice. Cold. Dead.
All the heat between us evaporated.
I looked down. The envelope was thick. Heavy.
"What is this?"
"Money." The word ca out flat. "Paynt for that night."
My blood ran cold.
Paynt.
For that night.
The night we’d slept together. The night I’d thought ant sothing. The night I’d been drugged and terrified and he’d saved and then—
He was paying .
Like a whore.
The envelope burned against my fingers.
"No." The word ca out broken. "No, I don’t want—"
"I don’t care what you want." His voice was brutal. rciless. "I don’t want to owe anything to soone like you."
"Stay away from after this." His voice was cold. Final. "We won’t have any relationship from now on. Pretend I don’t exist. That shouldn’t be hard for you."
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