AURORA’S POV
"I can't believe you'd stoop so low. Cheating on me with my own cousin is disgusting and gambling our savings away is just cruel" my heart breaking with each word. Sign these divorce papers now." I said flinging the divorce papers in his face then walked out the room with tears streaming down my face. Those were the last words I told my ex husband eight months ago when I found him in bed with my cousin.
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
The stones on the sidewalk hurt my feet as I parked my bike in the park . It was dark outside and the weather looked like it was about to rain. I hoped it wouldn't start until I got home . I just got back from my babysitting job because I needed the money.
After my divorce from that scumbag, I moved in with my sister, Annabelle. I’ve been working overtime for months, trying to save enough money to get my own place. My ex husband gambled away our savings. I know I was stupid to trust him, but I was young and thought I was in love. I ran to my door and felt relief when I got inside
"Annabelle, are you home? I brought lunch," I called out as I walked into the house, but there was no answer. Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind and shoved me against the door
"Mrs Reynolds. It’s a pleasure to meet you," said a man’s voice. "I’m Peter Vory. Your husband told us so much about you. He also said that I could get my money from you." He tightened his grip on my neck. My heart stopped. Everyone in the city knew who Peter Vory was. He’s part of the Mafia and runs a club that’s really a front to launder money. Thomas swore that he was a bouncer for him and promised to find a decent job but that was just one of his many lies. Unfortunately Thomas owed Peter money and I've been stalked for weeks now by his henchmen. At first I just thought that maybe it was because they were watching me to see if Thomas would try to contact me so they could get their money back but I guess I thought wrong.
"It’s Miss Knight now, because I divorced him months ago." I replied .
"Well, I asked for a threesome with Blake Riley and Julia Roberts, but I’m not getting that, am I?" Peter sneered. "Here’s the dealy Thomas Reynolds owes me a lot of money, and he said you have it. He claims you stole it."
I stared at him in shock. "That’s a lie! I didn’t steal anything! Thomas cheated on me and wasted your money gambling. The rest he spent on his mistress."
Peter smirked. "It’s your word against his, and I really don’t care. I just want my money. Call him and tell him to pay up."
I looked to my left and noticed the man who’d been following me for months standing nearby. Annabelle had told me to go to the police, but the process seemed overwhelming, so I ignored him.
Peter caught my reaction and grinned. "Ah, I see you’ve already met Kenneth, my right hand man. I needed to make sure you wouldn’t run like you ran away from your husband. Thomas has left the country, and you won’t tell me where he is, will you?"
"His ex wife doesn’t know where he is," I snapped, trying to pull my hand away. He held on tightly. "And she knows how to use pepper spray, so stay back." I didn’t want Annabelle to hear and get involved. She had already done so much for me.
"Use your skills to find him," Peter said mockingly. "You found him once, so you can do it again."
"I haven’t spoken to him in months, and I don’t care to. I have nothing to do with him," I said, trying to push him away, but his grip tightened.
"Then his debt is now yours. What happened to ‘for better or worse’? How does the vow go?" Peter asked with a smirk.
"Beats me, Boss. Never been married," Kenneth replied.
"Smart man," Peter said with an evil smirk on his lips.
Peter kissed the back of my hand, then slid his tongue between my fingers, showing me what he wanted to do to the rest of my body. I swallowed and breathed through my nose. He was scaring me, and he knew it. Peter was a loan shark who always made sure he got his money, and Thomas owed him over three million dollars. He held my wet hand to his cheek, rubbing it against his face.
"Sorry, Aurora. Nothing personal. I need to collect a debt. If I don't soon, people will think it's okay to take money from me without paying. If you're interested in paying a different way, I can make a deal. I'm not unreasonable. But no matter what, you'll pay your husband's debt, and you better hurry because the interest keeps growing."
"What do you mean?" My heart was pounding, and I felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. This was the first time Peter and Kenneth had hinted at this kind of thing. I was a preschool teacher, how could I possibly come up with three million?. Even my kidneys weren't worth that much. And yes, I actually googled it.
"I'm saying if you can't pay, you'll have to work for it."
"Just say it, Peter "I snapped, ready to grab my purse and spray pepper spray into both their faces. As sleazy as he was, I doubted he would give up that amount of money just to have sex with me.
"Serving men who aren't very clean or good looking." Peter smiled like he was sorry. "You're a very beautiful woman, Aurora, even in those cheap clothes." He tugged at my dirty dress. "Work six months in my strip club, doing double shifts every day, and we can call it even."
I slapped him, my whole body shaking with anger.
"How dare you? I'd rather die than be a stripper!," He moved back, but I scratched his cheek. Kenneth stepped forward to stop me, but Peter waved him away and laughed.
"You won't be dancing," he said. "You'll be on your back in the VIP room. Though I can't promise you won't be on your knees too, if they're willing to pay extra." Peter wanted to sell me if I couldn't pay the money Thomas owed him. In the eight months since Thomas left, I had hoped he would come back and fix the mess he left behind, but he hadn't. I thought he might finally give me the divorce I had asked for before he disappeared. I held onto my anger, not wanting to accept that this was now my problem. But now, I realized Peter had known the truth all along, Thomas wasn't coming back. His problems were mine now. And I had to find a way to fix this, fast.
"What if I don't pay?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"Then I'll have to make an example out of you. It will hurt me more than you, I promise. It's always sad when the wife has to deal with her husband's mess." He stopped by the door, shaking his head. "But if I let this slide, I'll lose my street credit. You will pay. Either in money, with your body, or with your blood. See you later, Aurora and next time we meet I expect to be paid fully unless you will find out why they call me a monster”. With that, he walked out leaving me devastated with tears rolling down my cheeks.
AURORA'S POV The door clicked shut behind the two men. They hurried to a black car parked across the street, jumped in, and sped away, heading back to wherever they belonged. I climbed the stairs to my sister’s apartment slowly. I had been living with Annabelle ever since Thomas disappeared seven months ago. My hands trembled as I slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open. I didn’t pay rent. Annabelle thought Thomas had taken the money we saved for a house and run off. She was right about that. What she didn’t know was that he had also gambled away all of my savings at an illegal casino, leaving me drowning in debt. “Aurora? Seriously? It’s pouring out there,” Annabelle said, rubbing her eyes and stretching out on the couch. She was wearing an oversized T shirt, watching a Korean drama on TV. A bag of peanut butter pretzels rested on her stomach. She looked so calm and relaxed, and for a moment, I felt jealous. She didn’t have to scrape by every week, working a humiliat
AURORA'S POV "With what money?" I sighed. "And don't even think about offering me another loan. I'm just going to say no." Annabelle worked as a club promoter at one of Boston's most popular club. She was incredible at her job, bringing in high-paying clients that made the owners ecstatic, but she wasn’t rich. Plus, she was saving up to help fund the club's upcoming renovation project so she could become a partner. "If you’re too proud to take money from mey your own sister, no less you should ask Sandy for a loan," Annabelle said, her voice filled with frustration. "The Kings have more money than they know what to do with. Sandy wouldn’t even notice it missing. She’d lend it to you without interest, and she knows you’d pay it back eventually." "I can’t," I said, shaking my head. "Why not?" Annabelle placed a slice of pizza on a paper plate and walked back to the couch, setting it in my lap. "Eat, Aurora. You’re so thin, Mom thinks you have an eating disorder." "I don’
AIDEN'S POVHenry made the announcement at the dinner table. "We’re having a baby.”His grin was smug, and I wanted to smack it off his face maybe with a punch, or worse. Breathe, Aiden. Just breathe. I try to calm myself. Sandy, his wife, touched her stomach. She didn’t seem like the motherly type. Honestly, none of them seemed fit to take care of anything, not even a goldfish. “We’re eight weeks in. Still early, but we wanted you to know.”I kept my face calm, cracking my knuckles under the table. Their timing was terrible. Mother jumped from her chair, squealing as she hugged and kissed them both. Ariella, my younger sister, couldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to be an aunt. She was about to finish med school, so it made me question her life goals for a moment. Alex, our father, shook Henry’s hand like he’d just closed a big deal. In a way, he had. Our father had always said he expected us to have kids. The family name, the company, and the fortune had to stay i
AURORA'S POV Days passed slowly. I was anxious, restless, and barely able to take a deep breath. Ever since I walked out of Aiden’s office with nothing, I hadn’t been able to eat or sleep. Even looking at myself in the mirror made me feel sick. My mind kept replaying two things: Aiden turning me down and the terrifying thought of Peter and his sidekick throwing my body into a river. At work, I was a mess. I forgot the words to songs during circle time and almost gave mac and cheese to a lactose intolerant student. I spilled an entire can of paint on the floor and had to stay late to clean it up. By the time I got home, the sky was dark and heavy with rain. Holding my bag tightly, I jogged from my bike to the door. I reminded myself I had pepper spray and a Taser, and that there was no way Peter would find me here. But the fear wouldn’t leave. As I entered the building, I reached for the light switch but froze. The lights were already on. Before I could react, someone grabbed
AURORA'S POVHe smiled, looking impatient. "You knew that when you gave yourself to me so willingly all those years ago.He remembered our last kiss,and for some reason, that took the fight out of me. "Listen." I shook my head, trying to think clearly. "How about we start dating, and I"“No,” Aiden interrupted. “It's either marriage or nothing.” “You don’t even like me!” .He checked his expensive watch, clearly bored. “What does liking you have to do with marriage?” “Everything! It means everything! How do you expect us to make this work?” “I don’t,” he said bluntly. “You’ll have your house, I’ll have mine. You’ll be ridiculously wealthy, live in the most exclusive neighborhood, and be admired by high society. You’ll have complete freedom as long as you give me children, remain loyal during that time, and avoid public scandals. We’ll barely cross paths after the first few years. But no divorce,” he added, lifting a finger. “It’s messy, bad for business, and makes people look weak
AURORA'S POV."Sure. Take all the time you need. It’s not like the mafia is after you,” Aiden said, his rich boy tone mocking me. I knew exactly how bad my situation was. But if I was going to officially sign my life away to the man who broke me, I at least needed a few days to think about it. “Give me a week.” “Twenty four hours,” he replied “Four days. You’re asking me to give up my entire future.” “If you don’t agree, you won’t have a future. Forty eight hours. That’s my final offer, and I’m being generous. You know where to find me.” He turned and walked to the door. “Wait,” I blurted. He stopped but didn’t turn around. A memory of me watching him walk away at Sandy and Henry’s wedding hit me like a punch. I realized something then if I agreed to his offer, this would be our pattern. I would always reach for him, and he would always pull away. A shadow of a man who was close enough to touch but never truly mine. “Give me your home address. I don’t want to meet at your of
AURORA’S POV The sky was clear and I decided I Knew I had to make a decision quickly. Our apartment was silent. Annabelle hadn’t come home last night. She was probably in some handsome man’s bed, showing off her curves like a painting for him to admire.I hurried out of bed and walked barefoot to the small kitchen. I turned on the coffee machine and Annabelle’s old radio. The same ’80s station that always cheered me up was playing the last few lines of “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. Then, a weather report warned about a coming storm.A vase of fresh roses sat on the counter, a gift from one of the many men who visited her nightclub hoping to win my sister’s heart.Aiden called me Flower Girl in the beginning of what some would call a one sided relationship due to the fact that I was hopelessly in love with him. I picked up one of the white roses. A thorn pierced my thumb. A tiny drop of blood, shaped like a heart, rested on the petals.“To marry or not to marry Boston’
AIDEN'S POV Being on time and keeping promises were two of the few things I respected in people and she had neither. I opened my glove compartment and pulled out the sticky note Devon had given me with names of possible brides. Next on my list was Nina Pierce. A former model who now worked as a child psychologist. Long legs, a good family, and a perfect smile (though Devon warned me she had fake teeth). She was thirty five, wanted kids badly, and was traditional enough to want a big church wedding. She had already signed an NDA before I even spoke to her. I made Devon do that with all my possible brides, except for Aurora, who was: My first choice, so I wasn’t careful enough. And too good to tell anyone. I typed her address into the GPS and drove out of my private ranch. I had spent the last few hours riding my horses, avoiding my work, and trying not to be angry that Aurora Knight needed time to decide if she would marry me when her other choice was a brutal death at the hand
AIDEN'S POV Three hours later, my friends were finally gone. I climbed up the stairs, taking them quickly. I was forty five thousand dollars richer and a lot more likely to punch Daniel Sterling in the face for his bad advice. Why did I put surveillance on my wife? I already knew she was going to do whatever she wanted. And what did Daniel know about women anyway? He hated the idea of them, unless they were his stepmother and sister. I didn’t bother with pretending to get ready for bed. I went straight to Aurora's room and knocked on her door. After knocking three times and getting no answer, I pushed the door open a little. The room was empty. “Petar!” I yelled so loud my throat hurt and probably broke the windows. My estate manager was there in seconds, clearly surprised to hear me yell. I was searching through her closet, trying to see if she left any of her important things. The things she cared about most. She hadn’t. Damn it! “Sir, do you need anything?” Petar asked f
AIDEN'S POV Raindrops dotted her face and lips like little diamonds, a clear sign of the rain outside. The weather has been nicer lately, but this week, it was raining a lot. The scene reminded me of when Aurora said yes to my proposal in front of my friends. It made me feel good and I smiled, watching her with a look of amusement. Finally, she’d come to her senses. My wife stopped. By the time I realized she was holding something in her clenched fist, she threw it at my chest. A soaked, heavy cloth slid down my shirt. I could almost hear Daniel’s, Sterling’s, and Henry’s jaws drop in surprise. “You’ve been following me!” Aurora slammed her open hands on the table and, in one movement, wiped it clean of cards, glasses, and ashtrays. The stuff flew to the floor. “I saw your stupid guys waiting by my car when I left Mrs. Reynolds’ nursing home, so I decided to chase them and Got one guy’s jacket. The other was too fast.” “Which one did you catch?” Daniel asked casually. “So
AIDEN'S POV My heart was racing now. I could feel the tension and pressure around my neck, and for the first time in years, I knew they were going to win.Being rejected by my wife wasn’t even one of the worst things that happened to me this month, but the fact she turned me down made me want to rip off my skin and throw it all over Daniel’s house.It was his idea to make me push my weight around with her. Now, not only did I have Landon as a problem, but I also had a wife who refused to get pregnant.I turned around, storming down the hallway, speeding past the master bedroom like a storm, going all the way to the farthest room on the second floor. My fingers itched. My eyes twitched. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.I couldn’t keep it under control. For the first time in years, I was going to let the anger come out. I threw the door open. It was an old study room I converted into a spa. Whatever bullshit excuse I could give the builders to soundproof the room and fill it with soft, u
AIDEN'S POV “Cut the crap, King. Where’s my money?” He tried to grab my shirt collar, leaning over my desk, but I was faster. I pushed back in my chair, making him fall face first onto my desk, his eyes landing on the tempting numbers from the monthly report. I stood up and buttoned my suit. “What’s money in the big picture, Herold, my friend? You have the Arctic to save.” “You won’t be so smug when I go to the FBI and tell them how much money you stole from me.” He quickly got up, fixing his tie. “Let me know when you do that, so I can visit the IRS and tell them you’ve been hiding millions in offshore accounts. That’ll end your nonprofit career faster than a fish out of water.” He froze, knowing I had a point. Herold would have to pay for it. No one was supposed to know he was hiding millions where no one could find it. He glared at me. “You think I care?” he spat. “You think that’ll stop me from sending Tinder and Tree to Evon? To give them all the things your family stole f
AIDEN'S POV It was already hard enough for me to say the word "divorce." Now I had to stand here and listen to her tell me we were in a serious, monogamous relationship. My life really went downhill after we started sleeping together. "You will never find what we have with anyone else," she said angrily. "And you’re the dumbest smart man if you think you can." "Are you done being dramatic?" I leaned against her bedroom doorframe, crossing my arms like a tired dad. "Are you done being heartless?" she replied back. “No. Which brings us to the only reason you’re still here but not pregnant yet.” "Did you ever think I might not be able to have kids at all?" She started getting dressed. Underwear first, then a big shirt. "I did," I said. "When I made this plan, I wrote down the good things, the bad things, and the problems that could happen. Not being able to have kids was the first bad thing on the list." "And?" "And everyone can be replaced." She froze. She didn’t move at all
AIDEN'S POV I threw the blanket off and sat up, quickly pulling on my underwear. “Sweetheart, let’s not act like I care enough to have you followed. Daniel follows Herold, and he saw you going in and out of his house.” “Daniel’s a jerk.” She jumped off the bed like she touched something hot. I pulled a v neck shirt over my head and didn’t care about her yelling. “What Daniel is or isn’t doesn’t matter to me. I’m not married to him. You, on the other hand, are breaking the contract you signed. The part that says you can’t help my enemies. You went and talked to Herold like a fool, telling him we keep our money separate. Now Herold will use your job in court to show that I’m a bad, cold husband.” “You are a cold husband.” She threw up her hands and laughed with no joy. “Love wasn’t part of the deal.” “Screw your deal!” she shouted, losing her usual calm. “Why? Screwing you is way more fun.” I was already heading to my room. I felt proud for not letting us sleep in the same bed
AIDEN'S POV Aurora signed a contract saying she couldn't talk about it. She had no right to tell anyone. Daniel took a puff from his cigarette and looked at me with a small smile. “Don’t tell me you were dumb enough to add her to your bank accounts, Aiden.” "No, but I send her sixty thousand dollars every month. She lives in my house, eats my food, and I pay for everything. I thought that would be enough money so she wouldn’t try to find another job." "Well, that’s what she told the Landons. You know she works for them, right?" I did, and I didn’t. Aurora told me months ago that she wanted to do that, but she didn’t say anything after. I assumed. Fine, I hoped she only said it to annoy me and get a reaction out of me because that seems to be her favorite thing to do right now but I didn’t think she would really do it. "Aiden?" Daniel tilted his head. I coughed, put my hands under the table, and cracked my knuckles. “I knew,” I lied. “Why didn’t you stop it?” "Well that's
AIDEN'S POV It had only been forty minutes since they arrived, and already I wanted to kick them out with my shoes still stuck in their backsides. Aurora was upstairs on a zoom call with her friends, and my mind was full of thoughts about what I had planned for her tonight. “A smile? No way.” Devon squinted at his cards and took a sip of his brandy. “Maybe he’s having a stroke.” “Maybe something’s stuck in his teeth,” Henry said, tapping his cards on the table. “Like, you know, feelings or something.” “Shut up,” I warned. “No, they’re right. You’re smiling,” Daniel said, looking at me with disgust. “It’s gross. We’re trying to eat here.” He dropped his sandwich onto his plate. “I think it’s cute,so let's leave him alone for now” Henry said, taking a sip of his beer. “Aiden caught a case of feelings, and there’s no cure for what he’s got.” “Are you really one to talk about being pussy whipped?” I grabbed a card from the stack in the middle of the table. “Your manhood has bee
AIDEN'S POV Three months had passed since Aurora moved in. Three months of annoying daily dinners, text messages full of pointless cloud pictures, and too much sex. Physically, I’d never been this satisfied in my life. Mentally, my thoughts and beliefs shrank every time I stepped into my house. If Aurora thought we were getting closer to being happily married, she was wrong. I wasn’t any more in love with her than I was three months ago, and didn’t care for her more than the day she walked into my office, asking me to be her hero. Yet, my new life had a cost, and I wasn’t happy about paying it. I cracked my knuckles behind closed doors so much, I was surprised my fingers were still attached. I spent extra time at the gym taking my anger out on a punching bag to let off steam. It didn’t help that Sandy was showing off her big belly. She kept it out every weekend when we went to my parents' house, patting it to make sure no one forgot she was pregnant. My parents' excitement about