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Chapter Eighteen
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-15 23:14:50
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Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Nineteen
The peace didn't last.It never does with men like Aiden.He was gone when I woke. Again.But this time, the room didn't feel calm. It felt… watched. And I couldn't find my phone either.There was a shift in the air.. like the walls themselves were waiting for something to break. And it did.Three hours later, the front door slammed hard enough to rattle glass. I turned toward the hallway.. and he was there.Eyes blazing, has tight, phone still clutched in his hand like he'd just hung up on a war.This wasn't the man from last night. The one who touched me like I was breakable, who whispered truth in the dark. That version was gone."Aiden..?" I called to be sure, maybe.He didn't answer.Just walked towards me like a shadow with teeth. Like someone who'd been holding something in for too long."What's wrong?"He threw the phone. My phone. It hit hard behind me, shattered.No wonder I couldn't find my phone since I woke up that morning.I didn't flinch. I just stared."I gave you eve
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-15Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Twenty
…The world vanished in a scream of cold. Salt and black water swallowed me whole. The pain ripped through my body instantly...shock, breathlessness, panic.But I didn't fight it. I let myself sink. Let the waves take me. Under long enough to fool him. Long enough to disappear.Aiden's scream echoed through the air above me... ripped from his soul, raw and guttural. It was the sound of a man losing everything.And I almost let it get to me.Almost.I swam under the rocks, the secret way Sophia and I had discovered years ago during one of her escapes. The current was vicious, and I scraped my knees, cut my palms. But I didn't stop.Couldn't.Not until I broke the surface again, gasping, behind the Cliff's bend where no one could see.I ran.Dripping, barefoot, bleeding… I ran through the rain soaked woods and down the road. My heart was pounding so loud it drowned the wind.Behind me, I could hear the chaos.Shouts, flashlights, dogs barking.They were looking for a body.Good. Let th
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-16Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Twenty One
Aiden's POV: The water was still. Too still.I stood at the edge of the cliff, soaked to the skin, shoes abandoned, fingers trembling in fists I couldn't unclench. My breath came slow and shallow, like my lungs refused to take in air she wasn't breathing.Caitlin.Gone.She didn't scream when she jumped. She didn't flinch. She just looked at me with eyes full of everything I couldn't give her, and let go.Like she knew it would destroy me. And maybe that was the point.I never cried. Not even when my mother died… Not when my father left. Not when the board tried to burn down my empire from inside out.But as I stood there dripping, the scent of her still clinging to my skin like a curse, my chest fractured in quiet, invisible ways. My vision blurred. I tasted salt, and I didn't know if it came from the rain or me. Was I crying? Aiden Gallagher crying? Tf!I dried the droplets of water falling from my eyes right away.. they obviously weren't tears, but water. Why should I cry
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-17Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Twenty Two
It's been a week already. A week of helplessly searching for my wife. Still no news.My eyes remained fixed on the papers scattered across my desk, as though I could focus on them long enough to drown out the noise in my head.Sophia was here again. This time, in my office.She didn't wait for permission. She stepped inside, and before I could stop her, she was at my side, leaning down as if offering some twisted version of comfort. I wanted to ignore her. I wanted to shut her out, but something was off about her tone."Aiden," she began, her voice laced with an eerie calm, "I have news. Caitlin's body… It's been found."For a moment, the words didn't make sense. The blood drained from my face, and the world seemed to tilt on its axis. Caitlin… Caitlin was dead. She was gone. But I'd never seen her body. I'd never seen proof.Sophia was still talking, her voice a buzz in my ears, but it didn'tatter. The world had narrowed into a single image..The grave that would be dug for her. Th
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-17Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Twenty Three
The air was thick, heavy with the weight of memories I could never shake, and it clung to me, suffocating me with every step I took.I didn't know how I had gotten here, standing in front of her grave.I didn't know why I thought this would bring me any kind of closure. Maybe I had come for absolution, hoping that standing here, at the final resting place of the woman I had loved and lost, would somehow make it all stop.But it didn't.The pain only deepened, cutting into me like a jagged knife. I could barely breathe. My chest was tight, constricted by grief and the crushing weight of my own guilt. Caitlin's name was carved into the cold, unforgiving stone before me, and for a moment, I forgot how to exist. I couldn't even move.She's gone.The words bounced around in my mind, echoing like a cruel mantra. I had told myself this truth a thousand times. But standing here, inches away from the grave that held her, it felt like the ground beneath me was falling away. There was nothing st
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-17Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Twenty Four
The car ride was too quiet.Sophia sat beside me, pretending not to stare, pretending she wasn't watching the way I kept clenching my jaw like it might hold back everything threatening to spill out. I didn't look at her. I couldn't. Not after what just happened. Not after Caitlin.My knuckles were scraped raw. I didn't remember hitting the ground that hard, but it didn't matter. Pain was something I understood. It was simple, direct, easier to carry than guilt.I pressed my forehead against the cool window, watching the city blur past. Neon lights bled into shadows. People walked with purpose, like they didn't know the world had ended.Maybe it hadn't tho.Maybe it was just mine."You need sleep," Sophia said softly.I ignored her. My fingers tapped against my thigh, out of rhythm, uneven. Just like everything else in my life.She kept going, voice too careful. "You're scaring me, Aiden."Good.Let her be scared.I closed my eyes, leaned back into the leather seat, and tried not to th
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-21Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Twenty Five
The envelope felt heavier than it should.Like it carried more than paper. Like it carried memory, power, threat.I turned it over in my hand, fingers brushing the wax seal. The color was wrong for comfort. Blood red, deep as dried rust. My thumb hovered for a second too long, like part of me believed that if I opened it, I’d be letting something in.But it was already in.Had been, ever since Caitlin disappeared.I cracked the seal. It snapped with a dry, delicate sound, like old bone breaking. Inside, a single piece of ivory cardstock, thick and unblemished. Not handwritten, no signature, just six words, printed in clean, precise type.“You’ve forgotten the rules.Come home.”No address, no date, just the silence behind the message and the cold certainty that it wasn’t a suggestion.It was a summons.My breath left me slow, like I’d been holding it this whole time without noticing. I sat down hard on the edge of the couch. The paper fluttered slightly in my hand, and I felt the pas
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-22Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Twenty Six
The roads to Montauk were empty.The world looked washed out, like even the sunrise was too tired to show up properly. My car cut through the fog like a scalpel. Silent, silver, and sharp.I hadn’t been back here in almost twelve years.The last time, there had been laughter. Expensive wine. A dead girl cooling by the pool.We called it the accident.But it wasn’t. Not really.Dylan had cleaned up the blood. I had made the calls. The others... well, most of them were gone now. Buried by time, scandals, or the group’s own cleanup crew.Emily was the last real casualty. And the first one that made Dylan crack.I used to think I was the monster. But Dylan?Dylan had learned how to make his violence look like devotion.*The estate still looked untouched.Same rusted gates, same overgrown garden that once pretended to be wild on purpose. I parked by the side entrance. The air was heavy with salt and silence.The front door was unlocked.That alone should’ve sent me back to the car. But I
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-22
Bab terbaru
Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Forty Three
The car ride back felt endless. I kept replaying my encounter with Aiden over and over in my head, each word, each movement, each breath he took like it had etched itself into my bones. And the worst part? The fear still lingered, clinging to me like a second skin.By the time we reached the apartment, I was barely able to drag myself out of the car. My legs felt like jelly, but somehow, I managed to get inside.Dylan was already there, waiting, probably expecting me to be just as calm and collected as I had been when I left. But inside, I was anything but calm. I was unraveling, every thread of me pulled taut, threatening to snap.I didn’t even try to hide it as soon as I walked through the door. The moment he saw me, he could tell something was wrong. His eyes narrowed in concern, and before I knew it, I was in his arms, my face buried in his chest, tears coming without warning.“Caitlin,” he murmured, his voice soft, but with a sharpness that told me he was already on edge. “Wh
Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Forty Two
The weight of his words sank into the room, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I didn’t know what to make of this sudden shift. Aiden taking control, offering me a reprieve, but there was something about the way he stood there, unwavering, that made me feel a strange sense of relief.Lily’s face went pale with rage, her fingers curling into fists. “You don’t scare me, Aiden. You know that. My father...”“Your father’s company will be shut down before midnight if you even think about crossing me again,” Aiden interrupted, his words cutting through her like a blade. “So, you’re leaving now. Don’t make me repeat myself.”Lily stared at him for a long moment, her breath shallow, her face flushed with frustration.“You can’t do this,” she spat, her voice trembling with anger.“I already have,” Aiden said, his voice sharp as a knife. “Now, get out.”With a final, seething look at me, Lily grabbed her purse and stormed out, the door slamming shut behind her with a force that sh
Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Forty One
The office had a strange kind of stillness when Lily walked in, as if the room collectively held its breath. Even the air seemed to freeze for a moment, her presence commanding attention like a storm moving through the calm.Lily was every inch the picture of wealth and privilege. Her high-end designer suit looked like it belonged on a runway, and the sharpness in her eyes made it clear that she knew her value, and everyone else’s. She swept through the door with the kind of confidence that only comes with a life of entitlement.She wasn't just rich. She was the kind of rich that made people bend at the knee without her needing to ask. The kind of rich that made you want to either be her or never cross her path. Unfortunately for me, it seemed like I was stuck in the second category.I watched her as she walked into the office, the whispers from the colleagues that once surrounded me now falling silent in her wake. Lily glanced around the space with a subtle but unmistakable disd
Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Forty
The Next Day,Morning light filtered through the blinds, casting long shadows across the room. I woke with a start, my heart racing, the memory of the previous night’s events flooding back. Aiden. Dylan. Lily. The ballroom. Everything felt like it was closing in on me.I pushed myself out of bed, the weight of what I had to do pressing down on me. Emily’s office. The words echoed in my mind. I had to do this. There was no other choice.I didn’t take long to get ready, just a simple black dress, no makeup, no frills. I wanted to look invisible. I didn’t need to draw any attention to myself today.When I stepped downstairs, Dylan was already waiting, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. He didn’t look up when I entered, but I knew he was aware of me. He always was.“I’m heading out,” I said, my voice steady but tired.Dylan finally glanced up at me, his expression unreadable. “You're not having breakfast?.”“I’ll be fine,” I said, forcing a smile, though I could feel the h
Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Thirty Nine
I stayed in the car for a long time after Dylan killed the engine, staring at the house, the quiet stillness of the night pressing down on me. The lights from the streetlamp outside cast long shadows across the driveway, but it wasn’t the darkness that felt suffocating, it was the weight of everything I was trying to ignore, trying to outrun.Finally, Dylan spoke, his voice softer this time, as though he could feel the distance growing between us.“Come inside, Caitlin,” he said gently. “You need to rest.”I shook my head, the exhaustion in my bones telling me that he was right. But my mind wouldn’t stop spinning, the image of Aiden, his presence still burning in my veins. I didn’t want to go inside. I didn’t want to face this house, this life. I didn’t want to feel like a ghost in my own skin.But there was no escaping it. So, I opened the car door, stepping out into the cool night air, the sound of my shoes crunching on the gravel beneath my feet. Dylan was already a few steps ahe
Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Thirty Eight
Dylan shut the door behind us with a soft thud, the sound feeling too final. Too much like the world outside was still pressing down on me.The car started moving, the soft hum of the engine doing nothing to ease the storm inside me. I stared out the window, the city lights blurring by, but I wasn’t really seeing any of it. My thoughts were consumed by one thing, and one thing only.Aiden.I had spent so long running from him, escaping the life he’d built around me, and yet here I was, with him still somehow right there in front of me. Like some fucking ghost, haunting me.And Dylan?Dylan was his cousin.I couldn’t stop the words from slipping out.“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” My voice was raw, barely above a whisper, but it still felt like a shout inside the car. “How could you not tell me that?”Dylan didn’t look at me. His hands were clenched tight on the wheel, his jaw set like granite. He kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead, his posture tense. But I could feel the shift
Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Thirty Seven
Every corner of the ballroom whispered wealth, status, and power. This was a world I had never wanted, a world I never wished to belong to.But tonight, I was here. Again.My breath hitched in my throat as his gaze locked with mine across the room, his expression unreadable. His dark eyes were intense, piercing through the crowd as if nothing else existed but the space between us.For a moment, everything else faded. The music, the chatter, the clinking of glasses, they all disappeared, and it was just him and me, locked in this unexpected confrontation.I could feel the blood drain from my face. My fingers tightened around the glass of champagne in my hand, my knuckles white. I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to face him, not like this, not in front of all these people.I tried to swallow the panic that rose in my chest, but it didn’t help. It wasn’t just the shock of seeing him again. It was the way he was looking at me. Like he knew exactly who I was.“Caitlin,” Dylan’s voic
Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Thirty Six
Dylan sat next to me, his hand resting on the seat between us, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to touch me but was unsure whether to do so.I kept my gaze fixed out of the window, watching the city lights blur into a haze of color. It almost felt like I was in a dream. But it wasn’t a dream, it was my life now. Or at least, a life I had to pretend was mine.I wanted to ask Dylan a thousand questions. I wanted to scream, to demand answers. What was he really asking of me? Why was he so insistent that I become Emily, that I wear her life like a second skin? But every time I opened my mouth, the words felt too heavy to speak.Instead, I turned to him, just enough to catch his profile in the dim light of the car. His jaw was tight, his brow furrowed in a way that suggested he was lost in his thoughts as much as I was in mine.“Dylan,” I said softly, breaking the silence. “What happens when they see through it? When they realize I’m not her?”He glanced at me, his eyes flickering wit
Escaping The Billionaire's Embrace Chapter Thirty Five
The morning after didn’t feel like morning at all.The light leaking through the curtains was soft and forgiving, but everything else was sharp. The weight of what we’d done pressed down on my chest like a stone. I hadn’t slept much. I doubted Dylan had either. He hadn’t said a word when he got out of bed, just pressed a lingering kiss to my shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom.Now I sat on the edge of the mattress, clutching the sheet to my chest, listening to the sound of running water.It should have felt like something good. Like a release.Instead, it felt like a beginning I didn’t ask for.The bathroom door creaked open. Dylan stepped out, towel slung low around his hips, hair damp, eyes unreadable. He paused when he saw me still sitting there, like he wasn’t sure how to break the silence between us.I beat him to it. “You called me Emily.”His jaw tightened. “Last night?”I nodded, eyes locked on him. “More than once.”He rubbed a hand down his face, then turned awa
