The wedding was in full swing when they decided to leave. Aryehn had fallen asleep, and Ayden was feeling tired. Despite the beautiful wedding, he had to stick to his plans for the next day."Robin will go home with Sebas and Bea. They'll drop Olivia off at her place," Arya informs, holding onto her beloved's arm. "We can head back without worries."Both were driven home by John to the Emorys' house. Upon arrival, they laid the little one in his bedroom, and they went to Ayden's."If you don't mind, I'd like to sleep with the child so I don't make you uncomfortable," she says, concerned for Ayden."I've started therapy these days, so if you'd like, we can sleep together... I'll go shirtless," he informs her, expecting that they can be together soon."What an offer! I'll stay then," she responds enthusiastically, making Ayden laugh."Well, that's great. If I'd known, I'd have made you offers all week," he jokes, hugging her. "You look even more beautiful than usual today."Arya smiles
Arya couldn't believe what she was hearing from Ayden's lips. His stepmother had abused him for a long time without his father even realizing what was going on under his nose. She feels helpless for him. It hurts her that a child had to go through that.However, questions cross her mind... How did she manage to subdue him as a teenager, would her stepmother have done the same to Mark?Her heart goes out to both of them.Ayden tells him how things started. Mental note, she now feels wary of leaving her son with anyone."Did you try telling your father?" she asks as she takes him by the hands.They both lie sitting on the bed. Libido has gone out the window and now only confessions remain."Yes, when it first started... I wanted to tell him that she touched me and I didn't like it" he makes a disgusted face and Arya realizes how hard it is for him to relate that. "She used to bathe us together, me and Mark, or so it was in the beginning. Then, as we grew apart. I didn't want her to show
Ayden had decided to completely ignore his brother. He didn't want to waste his energy begging him to join his crusade to keep everyone safe. Mark had always been a damn nuisance to him.He hadn't wanted to tell Arya about what happened between them when they were children. She had enough trauma from what happened with her stepmother, and he didn't want Arya to form a negative opinion of Mark because of it.Many times, he had asked her to stay away from Mark, but it was nearly impossible. She had developed a sort of fondness for him that he couldn't fully understand. He respected that to a certain extent because he knew his half-brother had been a bad influence due to his late mother. He felt at peace as long as they didn't get too close, or rather, closer than normal.Arya and Robin had started their first day at the hospital. Both of them were excited and happy to begin this new phase."Welcome," says Dr. Swan, the hospital's chief."Thank you very much. We appreciate being able to
Arya finished her shift with Robin, and they were both immediately taken to Ayden's house. Arya wanted to get to her little one; she missed him. Her bodyguard, Harry Staton, was leading the way in the SUV, with another bodyguard behind the wheel."Harry, let's stop at the bakery near Ayden's house," Arya requests."Ma'am, Mr. Emory has explicitly asked that we take you straight to the company," Harry announces."What? He didn't tell me anything," she says, annoyed because he didn't tell her directly. She checks her phone to make sure he didn't call or leave a message.Harry doesn't say anything; he doesn't want to get in trouble, and she realizes that indeed, Ayden didn't inform her."I'll have to call Olivia."Arya takes out her phone and calls Olivia."Hello, good afternoon," she greets her son's private teacher."Hello, Miss Harley," she replies."I'm calling to let you know I'll be a little late. If you like, you can go home, and Sebas can stay with the child, please," Arya reques
As Arya climbed into the SUV, Robin immediately started questioning her."Will you tell me what happened now, or will you keep me in suspense?" he asked anxiously."I'll tell you at the house," Arya warned, nodding toward the bodyguards. She wasn't sure how much they knew or didn't know.The idea that someone was following her was chilling. Although Ayden said Jeff wasn't the culprit, she couldn't think of anyone else but him. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but at the same time, she didn't want to live in constant worry, wondering if it was her brother or not."Harry, take us to Rikers," Arya instructed her bodyguard."To Rikers?" Robin asked, alarmed. "I have to inform Mr. Emory first," Harry said."You won't. From now on, I'll be paying your salary, and you'll be protecting me," the doctor said authoritatively. "I'm in danger, and I want to be able to trust those around me. If you're going to report everything to them, then get out of the car, and we'll go alone."Harry gla
"Alright, I'll let you know everything I find out," Jeff said earnestly."Thanks, we need to go," Arya said as she stood up, and Robin followed suit."Who are you?" Jeff asked curiously, looking at his sister's friend. He could sense the fear in his gaze and expression."He's my friend, like another brother to me, Jeff," Arya revealed, and although Robin felt proud hearing those words, Jeff understood that he hadn't been a better brother to her. "He's my colleague, Robin Evans.""Pleasure to meet you, Jeff," Robin greeted, not forgetting courtesy."The pleasure is mine; I'm glad my little sister has someone looking out for her on the outside. She used to be very naive, but from what I've seen, that's a thing of the past," Jeff explained, recognizing the courage his sister had shown lately. She was not the same person he had known and intimidated for years, the one he had emotionally and financially abused. Now, he sought refuge in faith, but he knew that nothing he did or how many tim
Ayden knew Arya was right about seeking help from her brother. What he didn't like was how she exposed herself in a way that put her in danger. That was something she didn't measure, and he didn't understand why."I understand that you've taken care of yourself for most of your life. But you're not alone anymore, Arya. I'm here for you, and even if I have to deploy a whole army to protect you, I will," Ayden declared without worrying about her contradicting him. "You're important to me, and if you want to get angry, go ahead. I won't feel bad about taking care of you."In that moment, Arya felt guilty. It was true that she had only tried to help, but she hadn't assessed the risk properly. Slowly, she reached out and took Ayden's hand, surprising him."I'm sorry, I promise to call you next time I come," she explained, and even so, Ayden furrowed his brow upon hearing her."Because you caring about me and putting an army at my disposal won't stop me from doing what I want to do.""This
Arya began to feel anxious, unable to understand why Robin wasn't answering her calls."Call Henry again," she requested, taking her phone and redialing her friend.It went straight to voicemail."Tell me the car has a GPS tracker," I said to Ayden, who was frantically speaking with Henry."It does, but it's been deactivated since he left Rikers; the last point is when he arrived in New York," John clarified.Minutes turned into hours, and hours felt like an eternity.Detective Robin had already arrived and was compiling a general report for everyone. He interviewed them all, but mainly focused on Arya."Why did you go to Rikers?" he inquired, clearly annoyed. "I told you to stay calm and take precautions. Going to Rikers was just exposing yourself.""I'm sorry; I wanted to talk to my brother. I wanted to make sure he wasn't responsible," she confessed, feeling guilty."Don't worry, dear... let's hope Robin turns up soon," Ayden declared, and I wanted to believe him.I walked back to