CHAPTER 89: SHATTERED BOND

Alexia POV:

After freshening up, I walked back into the bedroom to find Aiden standing shirtless in the middle of the room, ruffling his hair in confusion. Realization dawned in his eyes, and he narrowed them at me. "It’s not 11 a.m., is it?"

I grinned. "Nope. But hey, at least you’re awake now."

His jaw clenched, and I could practically see him debating between being annoyed and impressed. "You’re evil."

"Not my fault you sleep like a log," I said, walking past him.

His eyes followed me as I grabbed my outfit for the day. "And next time, maybe don’t grope your wife in your sleep," I teased, sending him a cheeky look.

To my satisfaction, his ears turned red.

Point: Alexia.

By the time we made it downstairs, the house smelled like heaven. A grand breakfast was spread across the dining table—pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, coffee.

I happily took my seat, watching Aiden sip his coffee like some rich bachelor in a drama. So unfair. Why does he look effortlessly hot doing anything?

"Excited for school?" he asked, finally acknowledging my presence.

I stabbed a piece of pancake with my fork. "Mmm, excited isn’t the word I’d use."

He smirked. "Scared?"

"Pfft, please." I rolled my eyes. "Annoyed, maybe. I have to deal with classmates who either hate me or think I used you to get into that school."

"Well," he mused, taking a sip of his coffee, "technically, you did."

I threw a piece of pancake at him. He dodged it effortlessly, the smirk never leaving his face. "Rude," I muttered.

We continued eating, the conversation surprisingly light, and for once, things felt...normal. Like we weren’t in a complicated marriage-of-convenience. Like we weren’t tangled in messy emotions and hidden tensions.

But then—

Aiden’s phone rang.

I barely looked up, too focused on drowning my pancake in syrup. But the second he checked the caller ID, his entire demeanor shifted.

His shoulders stiffened. His grip on his coffee cup tightened. The warmth in his face vanished, replaced with something unreadable.

Then he answered. "Liz?"

I stopped mid-bite.

The name alone sent an uncomfortable pang through my chest, but I ignored it. Not my business.

"What happened?" Aiden’s voice sharpened, urgent now.

I looked up just in time to see his face harden. His jaw clenched. His whole body went rigid.

Then—without a word to me—he jumped up from his chair, the sudden movement knocking the table slightly. His coffee spilled over the edge, but he didn’t care. He was already grabbing his keys, moving like a man with a mission.

I blinked. "What—"

"Liz is in the hospital," he said, voice tight.

The air in my lungs vanished.

Liz. Hospital.

And just like that, the normal morning we were having shattered.

"Is... is she okay?" I asked hesitantly.

"I don’t know," he said distractedly, already heading for the door. His entire focus was on her.

Her.

The woman he had loved. The woman he still might love.

And me? I was just an afterthought.

I forced myself to swallow the bitter feeling rising in my chest. "So what about me?"

Aiden hesitated for a fraction of a second, then barely spared me a glance. "Tobias will take you to school."

And just like that, he was gone.

The silence that followed was deafening.

I sat frozen in my seat, my fork still hovering over my plate. The food in front of me suddenly seemed tasteless.

I hated this feeling.

This ridiculous feeling of being discarded.

It wasn’t jealousy. It couldn’t be. I knew he cared about Liz. I knew she meant something to him.

So why did it feel like someone had just sucker-punched me?

I should’ve been used to this. I should’ve known better.

This was the deal, wasn’t it? We were married, but not in the way that mattered.

So why did it feel like, in that moment, I didn’t matter at all?

I sat there, staring at the half-eaten pancakes on my plate, my appetite completely gone. The warmth of our earlier laughter had been replaced by an unsettling coldness in my chest. I hated this feeling—the stupid, pathetic ache that bloomed when he left without a second thought.

What did I expect?

That we could actually get close? That whatever this was between us could turn into something real?

God, I was stupid.

I stabbed my fork into the pancake, irrationally imagining it was Aiden’s face. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

How could I have let myself get so comfortable around him? How could I have even thought—for a second—that we were making progress? That there was something more than just this forced, ridiculous arrangement?

And worst of all—how could I have almost agreed to his proposition?

I burned with shame just remembering it.

Aiden had asked me to sleep with him—no emotions, no complications, just raw attraction. And the stupidest part? I had wanted to.

I had almost given in.

Had almost let myself fall into something that was nothing more than lust on his end.

I clenched my fists on my lap. God, I was an idiot.

Hadn’t I learned my lesson already? Hadn’t I told myself that I wouldn’t get attached?

But no. The moment he touched me, the moment his lips almost brushed mine, I had been this close to throwing every ounce of self-respect out the window.

How pathetic.

I shook my head, pushing my plate away. I wouldn’t let myself fall for this trap. Aiden wasn’t mine. He never was. And he never would be.

And the fact that he had run after her without even sparing me a proper explanation only proved that.

Liz.

The name left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I knew that woman was up to something. Had to be. If she was really that sick, why call Aiden instead of a doctor? If it was an emergency, why not call an ambulance?

No, this was a game.

And Aiden had played right into it.

I exhaled sharply, blinking away the sting of unwanted emotions. Whatever. Let them have their dramatic little reunion. I don’t care.

I refuse to care.

Tobias arrived not long after, punctual as ever, his expression neutral as he stepped out of the sleek black car.

"Ready?" he asked, opening the door for me.

I gave a tight nod, climbing into the car, refusing to acknowledge the slight hollow feeling in my chest.

The ride was quiet, tension sitting between us like an unspoken truth.

I stared out of the window, watching the city blur past us, my mind racing with thoughts I didn’t want to have.

Finally, I broke the silence. "Do you know what happened to Liz?"

Tobias glanced at me through the rearview mirror before shaking his head. "No idea. Boss just told me to get you to campus."

I scoffed. "Figures."

Of course, Aiden hadn’t thought to tell me anything. Just ran off to his precious Liz, leaving me behind like an afterthought.

Tobias didn’t comment, but I could feel his eyes flickering toward me now and then, probably gauging my reaction.

I rolled my eyes. "What? Say whatever it is you’re thinking."

Tobias smirked slightly, keeping his eyes on the road. "I wasn’t thinking anything."

I folded my arms. "Liar."

He chuckled under his breath, but his amusement faded as he sighed. "Look, Alexia... you know how he feels about her."

Something sharp twisted in my chest, but I masked it with indifference. "I don’t care."

Tobias gave me a knowing look. "Right."

I scowled at him. "I don’t."

He let it drop, but I knew he didn’t believe me.

Hell, I didn’t even believe myself.

But what was the point of dwelling on it?

Aiden had made his choice.

And I would make mine.

I turned my gaze back to the window, steeling my resolve.

From now on, I’d stop being an idiot.

No more feelings. No more attachment. No more almosts.

Aiden could have his Liz.

And I would remind myself that I didn’t want him anyway.

Even if it was the biggest lie I’d ever told myself.

Aiden’s POV:

The morning had been... pleasant. More than pleasant, actually. For once, Alexia and I had breakfast together without biting each other’s heads off. She had smiled—genuinely—and I had felt something dangerously close to contentment settle in my chest.

But then my phone rang.

And the moment I saw Liz’s name flashing on the screen, the fragile peace I had been enjoying shattered.

I stepped away from the dining table, answering immediately. "Liz?"

Her voice was weak—too weak.

"Aiden..." She exhaled shakily, and my stomach clenched. "I—I’m in the hospital."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "What? What happened?"

"I..." She paused, taking a breath. "I’m going in for surgery. It’s—it’s nothing major, just... I just wanted to see you before... and after."

Surgery.

Liz.

Hospital.

The words blurred together in my head, forming a tight knot of panic in my chest.

"I’m on my way," I said immediately, not even thinking twice.

I barely registered Alexia’s presence as I shot up from my seat, grabbing my jacket. I could see the confusion in her eyes, the way her lips parted like she wanted to ask what was wrong. But I didn’t have time. I didn’t even know what to tell her.

"Tobias will take you to school," was all I said before I rushed out.

I practically ran through the hospital doors, scanning the sterile white hallways until I spotted Liz’s room number. My heart was pounding—what kind of surgery? Was she okay? Why hadn’t she called me sooner?

But as I reached the door, I wasn’t the only one there.

Mike.

He was leaning against the wall just outside Liz’s room, arms crossed over his chest, looking as pissed as ever. The moment he saw me, he scoffed.

"Why are you here?" he asked, his voice laced with contempt. "Don’t you have a wife to attend to?"

I clenched my jaw. I knew exactly what he was trying to do—trying to make me feel guilty, trying to rub it in that I had someone else now. But he also knew. All the Black brothers knew the truth about my marriage to Alexia. It was fake. Nothing more than a contract.

I shot him a glare. "Mind your fucking business, Mike. I’m here for Liz, not your jealous tantrum."

His jaw ticked. "Jealous? You wish. You don’t deserve to be here."

I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "And you do?"

His fists clenched at his sides, but before either of us could say anything more, the door opened slightly.

A nurse stepped out, giving us both a stern look before nodding inside. "She’s awake. But keep it brief—she needs to rest before the procedure."

I didn’t wait for Mike. I pushed past him and walked inside.

Liz was lying on the hospital bed, looking small and fragile in the sea of white sheets. She turned her head when she saw me, a soft, tired smile appearing on her lips.

"Aiden..."

Something in my chest squeezed painfully.

"Hey," I said, forcing a smirk as I sat beside her. "You couldn’t think of a better excuse to see me?"

She chuckled weakly, but her eyes glistened with something I didn’t want to acknowledge.

I reached for her hand, gripping it gently. "You’re going to be fine, Liz."

She squeezed my hand back, but the way she looked at me... It felt like she was memorizing my face. Like she was holding onto something that was already slipping away.

And for the first time in a long time... I was scared.