Sweet Hatred Chapter 322: Confessions

ARIA

Kael didn’t stop touching . Not once.

His hands stayed in all the small places, my knuckles, the side of my face, the strands of hair that kept slipping forward only for him to tuck them back behind my ear again and again. His lips pressed soft, grounding kisses against my forehead, my temple, even the crown of my head like he couldn’t get enough of convincing himself I was still here.

It wasn’t that usual heated desire. It wasn’t hunger.

It was desperation. The kind that spoke words to . That said sothing like, If I let go of you, even for a second, you’ll disappear.

And for the first ti, I understood. I finally saw why he always ca back no matter how cruelly I pushed him away. Why he refused to let go even when I swore he should. It wasn’t ego or control like he claid or that I wanted to believe, it was because losing would’ve destroyed him. The sa way it did to .

The realization made ache with guilt. My throat burned as I whispered, "I’m sorry."

Kael hushed instantly. His mouth ghosted over my skin, my jaw, my cheek, the side of my face.

But still... it bled through .

The boy. The one with his eyes and dark hair. The smile that had gutted awake. My chest hollowed with the grief, my stomach twisted until I thought I might break. I wanted to tell him. God, I wanted to tell him. But the words clawed up my throat only to splinter there.

So I just buried myself deeper into him. I held him tighter, as if I could keep him inside my ribs, hide in the cage of his chest. If I couldn’t confess my grief, then at least I’d choose love in this mont.

When he shifted like he ant to get up, I startled, clutching him. "Don’t leave ." My voice cracked, pitiful. "I don’t want anything else. Just... stay."

He froze, then without hesitation scooped into his lap like I weighed nothing at all. He tucked into him, like I belonged there, wrapping in his arms until I couldn’t tell what was happening around anymore. His forehead pressed against mine, his voice was like a vow that burned through .

"I’m not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever."

The words should’ve suffocated . They should’ve felt like chains. But instead, my chest cracked open with sothing softer.

But he didn’t stop there.

"I don’t rember the last ti I was happy before you Aria."

Tears filled my eyes before I even knew it. I pressed my palm against his chest to steady myself, but he caught it and trapped it there, holding to the beat of his heart.

I laughed, broken and trembling through my tears. "You’re so cheesy," I whispered, brushing my nose against his, "even though I just confessed I love you."

And then he smiled, sothing I thought I’d never see again. Not the sharp smirk he used on everyone else, but soft, rare, real. And it killed .

It destroyed in a way his cruelty never had.

His smile faltered, and his voice ca ragged, torn open. "Even if you hate tomorrow, even if you push away again... I’ll still be here. Always."

I couldn’t speak. My chest was too heavy, too full, so I just clung tighter. My tears slipped silently into his shirt, and he didn’t let go.

Eventually, the exhaustion dragged down. My eyelids fluttered, my body too weak to fight it. I curled into his chest, ear pressed to the steady drum of his heartbeat. His hand stroked through my hair over and over, anchoring , his lips brushing my temple like a benediction.

I thought I heard him whisper I love you again, maybe twice, but I was already slipping into sleep.

And the last thing I felt before the darkness claid was him, warm, unmovable, holding like he’d never let go.

I woke to warmth again.

For the first ti in what felt like forever, my sleep hadn’t been plagued with blood or screams or shadows, I’d just... slept.

I shifted slightly, intending to slip out of bed, but Kael’s arm tightened imdiately, caging in.

"Don’t," he murmured, voice rough with sleep. His nose buried into my neck like he hadn’t even realized he was awake.

I huffed quietly. "I need to get up."

"No," he said simply, pulling closer. "You’re not moving."

"Kael, "

"Aria," he cut off, that warning edge in his tone softened by how husky and tender it ca out. "Don’t even try . You’re staying right here."

I sighed, glaring at his chest because glaring at his face was impossible with how close he had . "You’re ridiculous."

He only tightened his hold. "And you need rest. You can argue later."

I tried again, wriggling, but the man was immovable. A fortress of muscle and stubbornness. My only escape would’ve been biting him, and even that I doubted would work.

But eventually he let be. But not really.

Food arrived shortly after we were both awake. He insisted on plating it himself, carrying the tray like it was a priceless artifact, and placing it across my lap while I was still tangled in blankets.

"Seriously?" I asked as he poured juice for . "I’m not an old woman, Kael. I can hold a cup."

He didn’t even look up. "You don’t get to touch a single thing. Not today."

"Kael, "

He shut up by leaning over and pressing his mouth against mine, stealing the protest right off my tongue. Slow, soft, annoyingly effective. By the ti he pulled back, I was glaring again, my lips tingling, my pulse racing.

"Stop doing that," I muttered.

He finally looked at then, and for the first ti in days, his mouth curved into a chuckle. A real one. Low and warm. "God, I missed that."

My glare wavered, heat crawling up my cheeks, but I tried to mask it with another huff as I picked up a fork. Or at least attempted to, because he plucked it right out of my hand and started feeding himself.

I groaned, half from embarrassnt, half from the unbearable tenderness bleeding from him. "You’re unbelievable."

He leaned in again, kissed the corner of my mouth like he couldn’t help it, and whispered against my skin, "Good. Don’t forget it."

And just like that, I lted into him again, no matter how much I wanted to pretend otherwise.

After eating, I thought I could escape but he didn’t let walk to the bathroom. He scooped up like it was the easiest thing in the world, ignoring my grumbles, and carried all the way.

The steam was already curling in the air before he set down on the cool marble. His hands were careful, unhurried, peeling away my clothes like I was porcelain, not flesh and bone. He didn’t say a word, but his touch was reverent, like every button undone was a silent apology.

The water washed over in a soothing stream, and then Kael’s hands were in my hair, working the shampoo gently into my scalp. His big, scarred fingers massaged slow circles, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from fluttering shut.

By the ti he rinsed and conditioned my hair, my whole body had turned pliant under his care. He pressed soft kisses to my temple, my shoulder, the crown of my head, like he couldn’t stop himself.

When he wrapped in a towel and lifted out, my chest tightened. Not from weakness, but from the tenderness radiating from him.

He dried slowly, thodically, his touch never straying into hunger but carrying sothing deeper. Sothing I finally understood.

By the ti he was brushing through my damp hair, I found myself whispering the question I hadn’t dared before. "That girl. Erin. The one I saw you with..."

Kael’s hands stilled in my hair.

For a mont, the silence was unbearable. I almost told him to forget it, but then he sighed, resting his forehead against the back of my head.

"I t her the day I ca to the hospital," he said quietly. "After your father." His voice dipped lower, heavy. "She ca to with letters. With a picture of and Ivan. Said she was his sister..."

My stomach flipped. Guilt lanced sharp through .

"I verified it," he continued. "Their DNAs matched."

I swallowed, staring at my hands in my lap. My chest felt like it was caving in.

"And that night..." His voice cracked just faintly before he caught it. "...that night you saw us, it was Ivan’s death anniversary."

My heart broke. The air around thickened, pressing down on my ribs.

I turned slowly to face him. He wasn’t hiding his expression anymore. The weight in his eyes made my throat close up.

And all I could think, how easily I’d believed the worst of him. How easily I’d let my fear paint him cruel when all along he was drowning too.