All Chapters of The Roomie Complex: Chapter 51 - Chapter 58

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 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

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

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