Arya had hidden herself in a hotel not far from where she was, she just wanted a moment of peace, and she was going to take advantage of it since it was the weekend.
She had packed her work suitcase with a few clothes and her important documents. Although he left a note for Ayden, he suspected that she would not take it well. However, she was so overwhelmed by his games of “You're mine", "Don't trust Mark", "You can't go out", etc.... that she only needed to tell him she couldn't breathe.
She was grateful that he was driving her to and from work, but it got to a point where it was suffocating for her. Although if she didn't see him, she missed him. She felt confused, and so she had to keep her distance.
"I'm becoming dependent on him and when I have to leave, who will help me take care of my broken heart?" thought Arya as she lay back on the mattress.
"Easy beautiful baby, you will have a father who will love you and protect you very much "she says
He finishes dressing immediately, calls John from home and tells him to go get a new cell phone. At the store, they asked him to come back in an hour and that everything will be installed and updated.Simultaneously, he walks around to see if he can find Arya by chance, but he does not. Then he remembers that sometimes she used to go for a walk in Central Park, so he goes in the hope of finding her.The day is perfect, it is not so cold that people try to stay indoors. Christmas is approaching, and he realizes he hasn't even bought a gift for Arya or his future child.As he goes along and perhaps because he is looking for someone pregnant, he notices how many women are lying pregnant. The vast majority with their partners, friends or family."Maybe this is what she was seeing, they are all accompanied while she walks alone" she muses, realizing that she has not been perfect company for Arya the last few months."In less than three months she'll be
Days had passed, Arya was nearing her seventh month of pregnancy and her protruding belly continued to grow. Ayden had promised that she would not hear from Cathy again, and so it was.It had been three days since then, and the promise that he would give her peace was kept. Arya had not seen him since that day. She knew that night came, but nothing else, when she woke up, he was gone and John was responsible for driving her to work and bringing her back."Have you heard from Ayden?" she asks with a hint of concern to John."She's at work, miss," he replies without delving any deeper, but seeing the young woman's sorrowful face, he decides to add. "If you need him, just give him a call."Arya smiled sheepishly. "Need him?" she thought about it. Not really that she needed him, she just wanted to hear from him."Don't worry, John, I just wanted to know if he was okay," she replies as the driver drives. "That's all.""That's all right, Miss. How are you? How have you been feeling?" he ask
She caresses her belly as she reads Ayden's proposals. In the end, she chooses a couple of geeky guys who look like they know what they're doing."Miss, your dinner is ready," Bea informs as she asks permission to enter."I'll have dinner here; can you bring me my robe?" asks Arya. "Please.""Of course, I'll be back right away."Bea returns with the dinner plate, a bottle of water and the young woman's robe."Leave the robe on the rack, please," she asks Bea after Bea passes her dinner on the rolling bedside table.Arya dines in silence; the place is permeated with a chamomile-like smell that gradually relaxes her. The music has its effect on her, and she falls asleep on the sofa that vibrates beneath her gently.She feels herself being lifted and a pair of bare arms carry her weight. By inertia, she hangs her arms around that half-naked body. She doesn't have to open her eyes to know who it is. Ayden feels the heat of her naked skin brushing against his. This holding her is becoming
"Glad to see you awake," Arya greets as she sees him coming down the stairs all sleepy."No shit, Arya," he replies curtly. "I'm not desiring your claims."The young woman who had been worried about him suddenly changes her good mood, so she decides to ignore him as she finishes her breakfast."Gerard is expecting us at seven o'clock at his house," she informs, setting her dirty plate in the dishwasher. "John will pick us up at six thirty.""How come he warned you and not me?" he asks with annoyance and confusion. As he pours himself a cereal."You shouldn't be drinking whole milk, you're intolerant," she clarifies taking the canister from him in front of him that she poured herself from earlier and, instead, poured his almond milk that he usually consumes. Ayden, who couldn't argue with the headache, just looked at him. "He said he'd been dialing you, and you sent to the mailbox. You'd better give him a good pretext, including a business trip I made up for him. See you tonight.""Bye
"And if not, what?" threatens Mark, standing up. "You'll try to hit me like last time or just ask him to ignore me like he's been doing these past few weeks.""That hurts you, doesn't it? Not having all the attention," Ayden counters Ayden.They both begin to walk around Gerard, who lies rubbing his forehead in despair.Arya sees the tone of the complaints escalating and tries to stop them. She walks up to them and asks them to calm down, but they ignore her."What would you know about women if this is the first we've met you!" declares Mark loudly. "For all we know, you might even be paying her to be with you," he says dismissively.Ayden, infuriated by the intent of the comment, shoves him. Mark, trying not to be left behind, pushes him back."Repent your words!" yells Ayden, grabbing him by the collar."Repent that you are capable of prostituting a young girl with good talent? Ha." he mocks, pushing him away."Stop it, now!" he demands between shouts. But they don't listen."You're
Ayden had left again. After that rapprochement, anyone would think that things between them were going to get better, but they were not.He was struggling with his inner demons that were tormenting him."Touching her was a mistake I don't plan to go through again," he tells his lawyer Daniel. "I need you, from now on, to take matters into your hands, as far as dating and all that. I would rather not have to go near her again.""Don't you think you're overreacting?" the lawyer asks."You're not only my lawyer, I consider you a friend, but for you to ask me that makes it pretty clear that you don't care much about how I feel," she scathingly chides him.Daniel takes another sip of whiskey from his glass, sometimes he doesn't know how to deal with his "friend "client"."You know that's not what I mean, I guess you must feel awful. You tell me I'm your friend, but even I don't know why you can't get close to women," he says, remembering something from a ser
"Let go of me, what's wrong with you?" says Arya, struggling with Eleanor."Because of you, I lost the house.""What the hell are you talking about?" asks Arya, obfuscating, pulling away."You owe me Arya, if I hadn't watched out for you, you wouldn't have even survived the race!" claims Eleanor, remembering all the times she treated her then friend to food.Arya makes an indignant face as she doubts that's possible."When you do things from the heart, you don't throw things back in her face!" she remarks those words angrily. "Besides, I thanked you, what do you expect that I pay you?""Yes, pay me for everything I did for you!" she exclaims, bursting into tears. "I was left penniless, homeless, and I have to support Alex. You live well now, and you forgot about me, that we were friends.""Stop being such a hypocrite, Eleanor!" the doctor asks. "Don't you think I didn't hear that it was you who told Jeff about my condition?"Eleanor stops cryi
It was a sunny Friday, the weather was perfect for walking to the clinic, which was not too far from there. Just five blocks."You're crazy," Ayden deferred, grabbing his briefcase. "You're not walking.""Please, if I get tired I call a cab," the young pregnant woman insists. "I haven't been able to walk to Central Park, it gets dark too early."Ayden rubs his forehead heavily."I'll walk you, as soon as you get there, okay? I'll give you your space, or I'll just sit on a bench while you walk back and forth" he suggests, intending to get her to agree."Okay..." she says, taking her bag as well.They both go down in the elevator, but say no more to each other. Ayden has kept his promise to keep his distance.When they arrive, there are more people than usual, all dressed in suits."Good morning, Miss Harley," greets John."Good morning, John, who are they?" she asks him rather than Ayden."They are your bodyguards "warns Ayden behind
"Mom, I'm ready!" Aryehn shouts from somewhere in the house."Get in the car, Henry is already waiting for us," Arya replies.Aryehn grabs his phone and heads out of the mansion to the front entrance. Before leaving, he checks his notifications and reads a message from his father saying that he's already waiting for them at the main venue."Mom, Dad is already waiting for us!" Aryehn exclaims, making sure his suit is properly adjusted.Arya comes down in her burgundy dress, fitted at the bust and loose at the waist down to the knees."Mom, you look gorgeous!" Aryehn says, approaching her to kiss her on the cheek. "Are we ready to go?""Yes, everyone is waiting for us there," she affirms, taking the arm her son offers.Aryehn has grown into a handsome seventeen-year-old, chivalrous and formal, just like his father. Arya watches him with pride, happy to see him so content.Henry opens the limousine's door, and they get in. The escorts follow them in another car behind, but they ignore t
"He escaped last night, but we didn't realize it until this morning," the detective says. "We were following him, and he left clues, as if he knew this was going to happen."Arya remembers her brother telling her that he would take care of it, and seeing him lifeless is something she never wanted to happen."Jeff, no!" Arya screams, throwing herself onto his lifeless body. The officers try to pull her away, but it's impossible; she holds onto her brother tightly.Jeff groans, and she hears him clearly."He's alive!" she shouts to no one in particular. Paramedics arrive and approach him to provide assistance.Mark takes advantage of the distraction and elbows the police officer who is about to handcuff him. He grabs the gun lying at his feet and aims it at Arya. Ayden watches in a blur as Mark raises the gun.The police officer, wiping his nose, Mark with the gun aimed at Arya, and Ayden firing at him in the chest, right in the heart, his half-brother.Mark falls to the ground like a d
Five days earlier"What's on your mind?" Daniel asks when he sees his friend lost in thought."Mark's mother had a necklace with a ruby. I have no idea what happened to it," Ayden says, frowning, and as soon as the words leave the millionaire's mouth, Daniel feels a chill run down his spine. "Now, more than ever, I suppose Mark has something to do with this.""You're giving him too much credit; he's an idiot," the lawyer says disdainfully, not trying to imagine what he thinks he's imagining. "You know, he can hardly run that hospital. If it weren't for his assistant, it would collapse."Daniel can't pay attention to what's happening; he urgently needs to leave and check if the necklace his wife has is the same one his friend is talking about."Gabriel, it's Daniel, something urgent has come up, can you go for Arya and let her know what's going on? Ayden doesn't want her to find out through the media or let their son know what's happening," he informs while using the hands”free functio
Ayden and John take refuge in George's apartment, unable to maintain communication with the outside world."Sir, it's on all the news channels," John comments while continuously flipping through channels."I know, now it will be almost impossible for me to go out. No one can see us," Ayden affirms with an idea forming in his mind. "Besides, the fact that Daniel is missing. We should go look for him.""Not right now, sir, we need to hide," John explains, standing up. "It's best if we don't go back to your house, at least not until it gets dark.""You can stay here as long as you like," George says, taking out a couple of waters and snacks from the fridge. "I live alone, so no one will know you're here."Both John and Ayden exchange glances and accept. After all, they need some rest before venturing out again."Alright, after all, we've hardly slept. A little sleep will do us good," Ayden says, sinking into the sofa."At the end of the hallway, the door on the right is the guest bedroom
Mark's voice echoed loudly in Arya's ear, and she felt disgusted just hearing it."Is something wrong? You don't seem to want to answer," he inquired, feigning concern."Hello, Mark, it's not that. You caught me at a busy time," she lied, hoping he would hang up."I'm sorry; I just wanted to talk and see how you're doing. I heard about the attack and the blame on Ayden; it's all over the news now," he explained in a tone that almost convinced her. "Turn on the TV; it's on every news channel."Arya felt her heart start pounding in her chest. She felt anxious for Ayden, rushed to the living room, and turned on the television, desperately searching for a news channel. The anchor had a photo of her husband on the screen."I told you; it's all over the news," Mark repeated. "Please, tell my brother to be careful. I'll try to keep track of you, but you know I'm short-staffed and can't be in two places at once. Nevertheless... we have a pending conversation, remember?"Arya was taken by surp
Arya woke up with her son on her mind, an unhealthy concern gripping her as she rushed to Aryehn's room to check on her little one. She opened the door to find him curled up in the middle of his bed. Cautiously, she approached and settled beside him to give him a hug.Aryehn, sensing her presence, turned and nestled against her side."Mommy, I love you," the half-asleep boy murmured, hugging his mother."I love you too, my beautiful boy," Arya replied, holding him close. Over the years, the fear of not seeing him again had been overwhelming. But now that they were together, the fear of losing him paled in comparison to what she had felt before.While Arya contemplated what her husband might be doing at that moment, she allowed herself to enjoy this precious moment with her son. It wasn't until an hour later that Aryehn woke up fully, and they headed downstairs for breakfast."Good morning, Miss Harley," Tim greeted, emerging from his hiding spot and catching Arya off guard."You start
After such a shocking confession, Arya, with her heart equally heavy for her husband, hugged and comforted him until he fell asleep in her arms. Feeling him so vulnerable only fueled her irritation towards Mark.She thought about all the times she had been alone with Mark and regretted every moment of it. Deep within her soul, she lamented her stubbornness. Lost in thought, she fell into a deep sleep, unaware when Ayden woke up in the early morning to leave.He watched her in amazement, observing how she clung to the pillow, burying her nose to catch his scent on the fabric. Ayden couldn't quantify the love he felt for her, but he knew he would do anything for their son and Arya.Silently, he left the room, making his way downstairs to his office before exiting through the secret door into the hallway that led to the bunker."Hello, John," he greeted his bodyguard when he saw him leaning against the wall, finishing a cigarette. "Do you know anything about our escape?"John took out on
Ayden Emory was concerned about Arya's safety. He had provided a lot of security for her, yet the feeling of unease wouldn't leave his body. He feared for her and their son."Sir, everything is ready for us to leave whenever you order," John reported over the phone."We'll leave before four in the morning; we need to be in her building before she wakes up and have everything set up," Ayden declared, following the plan."Understood. I'll make some final arrangements for our fake flight tonight," John said before saying goodbye and hanging up.Ayden Emory was worried about the safety of his now wife and son. He knew Arya didn't adhere to the recommended security measures because she didn't care much about her own safety."Sir, everything is ready for tonight," John informed over the phone. "The van is loaded with everything we need to install the cameras in Mark's building.""Great, we'll leave in the early morning. We need to enter the building before my brother leaves so we can verify
The morning was very cold. Aryehn was still asleep, so they brought the baby monitor to the living room to hear in case he woke up.Gabriel was at the front door early in the morning, waiting for someone to open it. Henry, in charge of house security, now had to report the arrival of visitors to Arya first, to see if she authorized them or not."Miss Arya, Mr. Specter is already at the entrance. Should I let him in?" he asked with great formality as she descended the stairs."Yes, please, have him come to the kitchen, Henry," she replied, walking directly to the coffee maker to prepare coffee. Ayden joined her a few minutes later, just as Gabriel arrived."Good morning, sir, Mrs. Emory," the lawyer greeted with formality, shaking hands with the millionaire."Good morning, Gabriel, come in," Ayden indicated the chair in front of him in the dining room."Would you like coffee?" Arya asked, pouring a cup for herself and another for Ayden."Yes, please," he said, taking a few folders from