AIDEN’S POVI wasn’t expecting much when I pushed open the motel door. Maybe the faint smell of cheap air freshener and Cheryl sprawled out on the bed, tangled in the thin sheets.What I wasn’t expecting?Cheryl. Naked.Dripping wet.Frozen mid-step like some kind of forbidden masterpiece I was never meant to see.My brain glitched. My breath caught.And for a full second—maybe two—I didn’t move.Her eyes widened in sheer horror, and for once, I wasn’t the one in control.The motel’s crappy lighting flickered above us, but it didn’t matter. I saw everything. Water trailed down her collarbone, over the curve of her waist, disappearing between her thighs. Her wet hair clung to her skin, droplets catching on her lips, which were slightly parted like she’d forgotten how to breathe.Same, sweetheart. Same.Something burned in my chest, something dangerous, something I couldn’t afford to feel. I should’ve turned away. Looked at the damn ceiling. Covered my eyes.But my body had other plans.
Aiden’s POVThe door creaked open, and there she was.Cheryl stood in the doorway, freshly dressed in the T-shirt and shorts I’d bought for her, her damp hair tied into a messy bun with a few strands slipping free to frame her face.And she wouldn’t look at me.Her gaze skittered to the side, lingering on the carpet, the walls—anywhere but me. The air between us was thick, humming with something undeniable and unspoken.God help me.I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay still, but my mind was already betraying me—Flashes.Of her.Naked. Wet. Dripping.The curve of her hip.The way water had slipped down her skin.The way her lips had parted in shock, her cheeks burning red when she realized I was standing there—Fuck.I needed to shut this down. Now.I opened my mouth, desperate to break the tension, but my tongue refused to cooperate. The words came out in a stuttered mess."We… w-we need to start going."Jesus. Christ.I didn’t wait for her to respond. I turned sharply, pushing
"That's odd because the patients are not allowed access to phones. And even weirder because Evelyn Scott died in her sleep last night."The words felt like a hammer to my skull. A dull, echoing thud that didn’t register at first. The wretched-faced nurse was still standing there, looking between Cheryl and me like she had just announced the weather. Casual. Indifferent. Like she hadn’t just told me that the woman I spent years searching for was now nothing but a cold body."No," I said. It wasn’t a question. It was a rejection.The nurse frowned. "Excuse me?""No. You’re lying. That’s not possible."Something primal burned in my chest, a slow, spreading fire that threatened to consume me whole. I had been so close. A few goddamn hours."Aiden—" Cheryl’s voice was soft, but I wasn’t listening."You expect me to believe that she just happened to die the night before I came looking for her? That’s bullshit."The nurse sighed, already annoyed. "Look, I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. She was
Cheryl’s POVAiden’s head snapped sideways from the force of the punch, and I froze.My breath caught in my throat as I stared—horrified, stunned, completely unable to move.Damon’s fist was still clenched, his knuckles already turning red from the impact. Aiden barely reacted at first, just rolling his jaw like he was testing if it was still intact. But then—he smiled.Blood stained his lips as his smirk grew, his tongue darting out to taste the metallic tang of his own blood like he was enjoying this. His eyes darkened, glinting with something dangerously close to amusement."To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Aiden sneered, his voice dripping with mockery, the smirk on his face infuriatingly smug.Damon still had him by the collar, his chest heaving, his muscles coiled with rage."You stay the hell away from her," Damon snarled, his voice rough and commanding, his grip on Aiden’s shirt tightening.Aiden let out a low chuckle, completely unbothered. "How can I do that? We liv
Cheryl’s POV"I need you to move out."Damon’s words knocked the wind out of me. I blinked, half-expecting him to take it back, to laugh and say he was joking, but his expression remained set in stone. He wasn’t joking. My stomach twisted uncomfortably, a mix of shock and... something else.I folded my arms, forcing a scoff. “Excuse me?”“You heard me,” he said, his voice firmer this time. “You need to move out, Cheryl.”I shook my head, laughing dryly. “You can’t be serious.”“I’m very serious.”I searched his face for any trace of doubt, any sign that he was just being dramatic because he’d walked in on me and Aiden looking like we were about to—God, we really almost kissed, didn’t we? I mentally shook the thought away and focused on Damon’s clenched jaw, the way his hands curled into fists at his sides. He was pissed, but this? Kicking me out? That was extreme, even for him.“You’re overreacting,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.Damon exhaled sharply through his nose. “I don’
Aiden’s POV"I’m moving out."The words hung in the air like cigarette smoke, thick and suffocating.I didn’t say anything at first. I just stood there, staring at Cheryl as my mind tried to process what the hell she’d just said. There was an odd feeling in my chest—a twinge, small but sharp, like the moment you realize you left something important behind but can’t remember where.I turned slightly to the blonde still clinging to my arm, barely registering her presence now. She looked up at me with big, expectant eyes, but I wasn’t in the mood.“Give us a minute,” I murmured, barely sparing her a glance.She huffed, clearly annoyed, but still unlatched herself from my arm and strutted off toward the living room.I let out a slow breath and turned back to Cheryl. “What do you mean you’re moving out?” I asked, keeping my voice casual, stripping it of the edge that wanted to creep in.Cheryl hesitated. Just for a second.“You know, I always said I was going to move out,” she started, her
CHERYL'S POVI woke up to a house of blessed silence.No awkward run-ins. No tense, unsaid words hanging in the air like ghosts. No Aiden.I took a deep breath, inhaling the relief like it was freshly brewed coffee. The air had been thick ever since last night—ever since I dropped the bomb that I was moving out. If tension could be bottled and sold, our apartment could’ve been a freaking factory.And let’s not talk about the fact that after I thought he had disappeared into his room—with that blonde he dragged home—I had gotten up for a glass of water and almost face-planted into him in the dimly lit kitchen.Talk about bad luck.There we were, standing in a painfully awkward silence. Him, grabbing a juice carton. Me, clutching my glass of water like it was my emotional support beverage. I could barely meet his eyes, and he didn’t even try to say something stupid, which somehow made it worse. I should have just abandoned the water and walked right out, but nooo, I stood there, like an
Aiden's POVThe moment I stepped into my office, the heavy silence greeted me first. It was the kind that pressed down, thick and oppressive, like the weight of the past refusing to stay buried. I swallowed it down, forcing my focus on the only thing that could keep me sane—work.Numbers. Contracts. Emails. Anything to drown out the thoughts clawing at the back of my mind.But then I saw her.Anika.She was sitting on the couch near the floor-to-ceiling windows, legs crossed at the knee, a picture of effortless confidence. She didn't glance up right away. No, she made sure I saw her first. Her lips parted slightly, her jaw moving slow and deliberate as she chewed her gum, the glossy pink sheen of it catching the morning light. Then, with an almost practiced sensuality, she blew a bubble, holding my gaze as it popped.My grip tightened around the handle of my briefcase.I hadn’t invited her here.Hell, I hadn’t even seen her since the benefit that night. Hadn’t texted. Hadn’t called. A
AIDEN'S POVI’d texted her earlier asking if she wanted to meet for lunch. But this wasn’t going to be just lunch — I was planning a date. A real one. The kind where I’d lay it all out: the truth, my past, my feelings. I was going to tell her everything. Then I was going to tell her I loved her and I wasn't that person anymore.So I dressed like it mattered. A dark navy suit, tailored. The tie she once complimented. I bought a bouquet of red roses — ones that matched the silvery-red dress I’d sent over earlier. It had taken me a solid hour to choose that dress, something that clung just right and shimmered when she moved.The restaurant was tucked into the edge of the waterfront, the kind of place that wore its elegance like an old song — soft jazz playing in the background, golden lighting that kissed the walls, waiters in pressed shirts moving with quiet grace, and tables set with flickering candles and polished silver.I arrived early. Sat by the window with the view of the river g
CHERYL'S POVI didn’t go home yet after I left Aiden at the party. I couldn't wrap her head around the bombshell Aiden had just dropped on me, and more so I couldn't believe Anika had been using it to have him wrapped around her slimy fingers.I walked straight into the storm.Anika’s place looked exactly how I imagined a villain’s lair would look—sharp angles, moody lighting, the scent of overconfidence and money woven into every inch. I didn’t knock. I walked in like I had every right to be there, because I did. Not with a plan. Not with a strategy. Just the weight of the truth and a fury too heavy to carry alone.She was sitting by the window holding a glass of red wine in her hand, dressed in casual baby tee and sweatpants, her blonde hair tied up in a messy ponytails, tendrils of her framing her face that now had a scowl the moment she saw me and then slowly it morphed to a smirk.“Cheryl,” she said without looking at me, like she’d been expecting this moment all her life. “To wh
Cheryl's POV“She has something on me.”The words fell from his lips like stones into water, heavy and irreversible.For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I just stared at him, feeling the ground beneath my feet shift. My heart was thundering in my chest, but my limbs were frozen, stiff with disbelief.She has something on me.That sentence echoed over and over again in my head, and with every repetition, it burned hotter—an inferno roaring in my chest, trying to claw its way out of me. My fingers loosened their grip around his wrist, not because I wanted to let go… but because I had to. Because if I held on a second longer, I might have shattered right in front of him.“What does she have on you?” My voice cracked around the edges, but I couldn’t keep the question down. It came out too fast, too desperate. “What kind of thing could she possibly have on you?”He looked away, his jaw tense. His silence twisted the knife deeper into my ribs.Then, finally, he spoke.“Something that happened
Aiden's POVI saw her before she saw me.She’d gone back to the party, to the flashing lights and the pulsing bass. I stayed behind, pacing like a caged animal, fury choking me with every breath I took.I’d let her walk away.Again.And that stranger—the one in the black mask—he was still there. Lingering. Like a goddamn shadow.The second I stepped back into the crowd, I saw her. Dancing.With him.Her body pressed flush against his, the white feathers of her mask catching the lights like she was some kind of fallen angel gone rogue. She moved like the music was part of her bloodstream—wild, reckless, untouchable. His hands were everywhere—her waist, her back, sliding too low. And she wasn’t just letting him.She was enjoying it. She was feeding off of it.And then she looked at me.That’s what fucking did it.She saw me standing there, eyes locked with mine.She knew I was watching.And she smirked.I felt it like a punch to the chest. That look—it was deliberate. A fire lit in her
I could still feel the weight of his touch lingering on my skin as I walked away from Aiden, but I didn’t let it stop me. Every step was harder than the last, but I pushed through, my heart pounding not just from the sudden rush of emotions, but from the fury that surged within me. Aiden wasn’t the only one who could make choices tonight.I needed to forget, and the quickest way to do that was to drown in the chaos of the party. The music called to me, a steady thrum that could wipe away anything. I didn’t even look back when I entered the mass of bodies. I needed something else to numb the ache. A distraction.I found him again.The stranger in the black mask, still standing there, leaning against the bar like he belonged to the night itself. His black shirt and trousers fit the atmosphere perfectly—dark, alluring, and just out of reach. When our gazes collided, I felt a pulse of recognition, that same magnetic pull that had led me to his side earlier. I was drunk, lost, and I hated
CHERYL'S POVThe night wrapped around me like a silk veil, thick with the scent of summer air, sweat, and liquor. The masquerade carnival pulsed with energy—bodies moving in sync to the bass-heavy music, laughter and chatter blending into the electric atmosphere. Everywhere, there were flashes of color, glimmering masks, and people indulging in the thrill of anonymity. Tonight, nobody was anybody.I downed the last of my drink, my pulse buzzing as I let the alcohol seep into my bloodstream. One more. I needed another. Anything to drown the thoughts clawing at the edges of my mind—Aiden, Anika, my own stupidity. My dress fluttered as I spun into the crowd, letting myself get swept away by the music.I moved with reckless abandon, my body swaying in time with the beat, hands tangled in the humid air, the golden glow of the fairy lights painting my skin. If I let go hard enough, if I danced wild enough, maybe the weight in my chest would disappear. Maybe I could forget the hollow ache of
CHERYL'S POVI refused to cry.I refused to be the kind of girl who sat in her room, sobbing over a guy who couldn’t even bother to text her back. Well, I used to be that girl when I was married to Marty but not anymore or so I thought. But no matter how many times I swallowed hard, clenched my fists, or blinked up at the ceiling, the tears still fell. Hot. Unwanted. Furious.I wiped them away aggressively, my throat burning. Why did I still care?It had been hours since I left the beach, since I stood there alone under the fading sunlight like a complete idiot, waiting for Aiden. Waiting for nothing.And now, all I could see in my head was the exact reason why—Aiden walking out of Anika’s house.Betrayal sliced through me.The sound of my phone buzzing snapped me out of my thoughts. I almost ignored it, but then I saw the message.Pearl: Hey babe, town's masquerade party is tonight. You in?I hesitated.I wasn’t in the mood to party. Not when my heart felt like it had been ripped apa
Aiden’s POV – The Night He Stood Cheryl UpThe plan was simple. Meet Cheryl. Tell her the truth. Be with her.I had imagined it already—the way her face would light up when she saw the picnic I had set up. The way the ocean breeze would tangle in her hair, the way I’d sit next to her, close enough to reach out and touch her hand. Just me, her, and the waves.And then, just as I was getting ready, Anika called.I almost didn’t pick up. Almost. But something in her voice made me pause. A tremble. A sharp breath. I had known her long enough to recognize when something was wrong."Aiden, can you come over?""Anika, I can’t right now—""Please. Just for a second."It was stupid. I should have said no. I should have ignored the call and gone straight to Cheryl like I was supposed to. But a part of me thought, if I just check on her real quick, then I can leave. No harm done.I told myself I was going to be in and out.At Anika’s PlaceI barely stepped through the doorway before I told her,
CHERYL'S POVCheryl wasn’t sure why she invited Pearl shopping with her. They weren’t particularly close. In fact, before all of this, Pearl had been little more than a friendly acquaintance—one of the few people in town who didn’t make her feel completely out of place. But for some reason, when she was debating who to call up, Pearl’s name had come to mind.Maybe it was because Pearl knew things. Maybe it was because Cheryl needed information.She didn’t ask about Aiden right away. That would be too obvious. Instead, she wandered the clothing racks with a lazy sort of interest, picking up a sundress here, a pair of sandals there, pretending to be lost in thought.Pearl caught on quickly.“Okay,” she said, turning to Cheryl with an amused look. “You keep sneaking glances at me like you wanna ask something but are too scared to say it. Spit it out.”Cheryl hesitated, feigning interest in a rack of crop tops before finally sighing. “It’s nothing.”Pearl scoffed. “Bullshit.”Cheryl wince