Love And Betrayal | ✔️

29. Big bug confusion

She wears love like a loaded gun.
- Atticus

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

Thud. Thud. Thud.

My heartbeats are like heavy footfalls in the snow.

The door shuts behind me and I'm engulfed in darkness again. It's not until a few seconds pass, my eyes begin to adjust to the dim light.

He's facing the window, hands clenched into fists in his pockets and mouth drawn in a firm line. The breeze sifts through his hair, making it messier than ever. His back his turned away from me and I can only make out his silhouette in the dim light - those broad shoulders, those biceps taut beneath his shirt, that sharp angular face. . . Fuck.

I gulp looking away. This is going to be a lot tougher than I thought.

"Kiara," his voice is rough, sending a shiver down my spine. "I said, I wanted to be alone."

Try telling that to my sister.

"I come in peace." I say, "I bring food."

"I'm not hungry." He retorts.

"Irrelevant." In a few steps, I'm right behind him. "Go on. Eat. You'll feel a lot better."

He tilts his head slightly in my direction. A frown climbs up his face when he sees the cookies I'm holding up. "Kiara, I-"

"Shut up and take it!" I thrust the plate into his hand. "Eat, you big baby."

For a second, I see his lips twitch upwards into a smile but it's gone as swiftly as it comes. As though afraid I might see him smile, he turns away from me.

"Why are you really here, Kiara?" The question is low and chilling.

"Because you need me."

He cocks an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"It's what I know. Admit it, your stupid alpha ego holds you back from saying it."

An eye roll. "I don't have an alpha ego, Kiara."

"Oh Aden, you're drowning in the deepest waters of de-nial."

"This has nothing to do with the fact that your sister sent you here?" His shrewd grey eyes are trained on me.

I bite my lip, realising he must've heard us. No wonder he's suspicious of my intentions. "One of the reasons," I murmur hesitantly, "But not the only one."

The strangest expression crosses his face, but it's gone in a flash. Maybe it's just the moonlight playing tricks on my eyes.

Stepping closer, my hand touches his shoulder. "Hey." I say softly. "Talk to me."

He lets out a bitter laugh. "About what? I don't even know where to start. Nothing makes sense!"

"How about from where you think things went wrong?"

His expression is a mixture of pain, betrayal and anger. "I haven't figured out that myself. Everything she did seems so fake now."

"How could I not know all these years? I must be absolutely dense to have not seen this coming!" He continues fiercely, "My sister, Stella, is a person who can't hurt a fly. How the hell did she become fellow conspirator with such a monster? No, he's playing mind games with me again. This is his sick idea of fun."

His fist hits the wall with such tremendous force, the bricks nearly shatter.

Rage swirls behind that gaze, like lava inside a volcano going to erupt any second. A normal person in this situation would take one look take off for the hills. It's no secret that when Aden gets angry, he's reckless. Violent. Unstoppable.