(Aiden’s POV)“Argh!”I groaned; the throbbing pain in my jaw and around my eye pulled me out of unconsciousness. They said you would see stars or time would stop, making you see everything around you in seconds, but that did not happen to me.Everything went dark.I squeezed my eyes shut when everything seemed blurry and slowly opened them again. I moaned, squinting, wondering where I was and recollecting what happened. Even though I had been an asshole around women in the past… that was if I had been… no one dared hurt me because women liked my company, and I was heavily guarded. No one messes with Adam Knight, and I didn’t need to do that since I was treated royalty wherever I went. “Argh!” I tried to get up, but Colleen sat on the couch, pushing me back.“Here! I don’t want you to think we’re irresponsible like you.” Colleen frowned deeply, shoving the ice pack on my cheek.“Ouch!” I snarled quietly, snatching the cold compress from her.As if it was an automatic response, Will
(Aiden’s POV)“I don’t ever want to know him.”I never realized how sharp those words were until I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. My heart cried in extreme pain, realizing my best friend had disowned me. Jessamine did not look at me again. As if I did not exist, she walked toward her mother, took our son from her after Benedict cleaned her wound, and sat on her old bed. She kissed his tiny hand and murmured she was sorry that his father was dead.“Mr. Knight,” Will said, his voice apologetic as he called me.“What?” I asked without looking at him.“Your father called, asking you to return home,” he informed me in his low voice as if they could not hear him.Sonia flickered her eyes on my bodyguard but kept her lips pressed. She turned her back and talked to Benedict quietly. Benjamin had always been on my side, but like his wife, he was quiet and stared sadly at her daughter. Unexpectedly, it was Colleen who approached me, anchoring her arm on mine and tugging me out of her si
(Aiden’s POV)“I can’t talk right now, Xavier,” I muttered, almost in a hushed tone.My eyes flickered on Aaron and Sasha, who were eyeing me curiously. I sighed and leaned my head on the backrest, squeezing my eyes shut as I wondered whether I should ask Sasha to call our lawyer. “If that’s what Jessamine wants…”I sighed, thinking hard. What does Jessamine want? Doesn’t she want to hear my side? Will she ever forgive me? But what do I want? I breathed again, unsure of what I wanted at the moment. More questions popped into my mind, making me dizzy and hurting as it still led to one thing – I lied and took advantage of my best friend. “Let’s talk as soon as I return. I had a meeting in a minute,” Xavier said and paused.I am sure he is waiting for me to say more, but as soon as he returns from his business trip and visits Jessamine, he will know everything. Knowing Xavier as a protective friend and more like a brother to Jessamine, he will not let this pass and would never help m
(Aiden’s POV) “You?” Aaron’s brows clumped together. His mouth half-opened, and it took a while before words came out. “You did… What?”“I told you already. I assaulted -”He groaned, shaking his head as if he did not understand what I said.“I heard that part, Adam.” Aaron stood up and stepped toward my table. “What I don’t understand is how it happened.”Aaron arched his eyebrows and crossed his arms to his chest while waiting for my answer.My pressed lips twitched, unsure of other ways to explain what happened without going through the details. I didn’t want to put Jessamine in a problematic situation because she was drunk and drugged that night. I was supposed to be the hero, her Knight in shining armor, saving her from James.I opened my mouth but closed it again when the door opened. Sasha entered the room quietly, placing the coffee cups on the table, but seeing me shutting my mouth drew skepticism to her face. She glanced at me, then at her husband, who pressed his lips tigh
(Jessamine’s POV) I stared out the window, wondering what time it was. Earlier, Dad mentioned fixing the lights in the backyard. At first, it confused me, wanting to ask what was wrong with the lights, but as the sun was about to set, the dark backyard garden greeted me.Colleen said my bedroom had the best view, overlooking what I called an overemphasized backyard garden. Whenever I opened the curtain, I could see the colorful flowering plants and shrubs invading the backyard with pink, white, yellow, and red colors and the tree house where Aiden and I used to play.I used to love the sight of it, and as the dark ate the garden view, my heart ached, crying in silence and wishing Aiden had not returned home. I would not have lost my best friend.When Aiden lost consciousness after Benedict hit him, my heart faltered, and I panicked when he did not wake up. My instinct was to rush to him, but Charlie’s bark reminded me of what he had done, stopping me from running to his side. The fam
(Jessamine’s POV) “What?” I gaped, tiny sobs escaping my mouth.The anger and bitterness inside me were about to erupt, so I clenched my fists hard, not caring about the envelope I held. I was afraid that my emotions would overflow and end up hurting the woman I thought had changed. “How dare you not tell me, Mom!” I growled, gritting my teeth and placing my fists to my side, scared my hand would land on my mother’s cheek.She snickered, walking past me and opening the main door, glancing and silently telling our unwanted guest to leave the house, but Jeanne glued her foot to where she was standing.My nostrils flared in anger and annoyance at her, and maybe she realized I would not utter even a single word, so she placed her hands up in the air and sighed resignedly.“If you think I know about it before then, you’re wrong. Teddy visited me in my office the other day, telling me everything about his son,” she answered, throwing her hand in the air.My pursed lips trembled as I tri
(Jessamine’s POV) “Mom!” I screamed, crying for help, withdrawing my nipple from my baby’s mouth. It was all I could do. Other than that, I was terrified that I could not move as if I was paralyzed.Charlie barked, jumping on the door and reaching for the doorknob. When he could not open it, he scratched the panel and whimpered, barking again for help. My dog rushed to me, licking my foot and sprinting to the door again, yelping as he saw Mom and Dad running toward me.“Mom!” I cried, wanting to move, but I couldn’t. It was like my joints and muscles locked my body, preventing me from moving. “Kyle’s not breathing.”“Shhh!” She took Kyle from my arms, placed her palm on his chest, and leaned her cheek near my son’s nose. “Benjamin, call Colleen and ready the car.” My mother muttered calmly, taking Kyle from me. “Calm down, Jessamine. Kyle’s breathing,” she reassured me.My shivering body wobbled, hearing my son cough and then cry. I opened my mouth, letting tiny sobs escape my mouth
(Jessamine’s POV) Charlie opened his mouth, his head moving, following my mother pacing the living room of my apartment. Sitting on the single sofa, Dad was reading a one-week-old newspaper he found on the magazine rack. Either he was ignoring Mom, or he was used to it already.“You have to remember everything, Jessamine!” My mother muttered nervously, halting abruptly and clasping her hands as she faced me. “Did Aiden really…” She covered her mouth, stopping herself from the verge of crying.Dad raised his head briefly, his lips pressed together. When I didn’t answer, he returned his eyes to the paper, but I was unsure if he was reading or pretending to have his attention on it.“Mom,” I said, sighing and glancing at my sleeping baby in my arms. “I can’t remember everything, okay?” I gritted my teeth, then paused, recalling what had happened earlier. I could not bear another episode of losing myself and hurting my child… Or giving Aiden a window of opportunity to take my son from me