Chapter 26
26
Aria
I t was for Daniel’s own good.
At least that was what Aria had to tell herself if she didn’t want to spend her entire day in tears. She couldn’t prove it, but she assumed that Cayden had figured out where she was through Mateo and Sophia’s participation in her father’s parole hearing. Even if they hadn’t been there, Cayden would have found her. He had enough money to do whatever he wanted. She was only surprised it took him this long.
She didn’t bother asking how or why he bothered. Cayden would only enjoy knowing that she was upset about it. All he wanted was control. And she’d willingly give it to him as long as he didn’t hurt those she cared about.
It didn’t matter if she was miserable or lonely. She was keeping them all off the radar.
A couple of days had passed. The only bright spot in her schedule was when Cayden had to work. She didn’t know how he managed to work out something remote when he was supposedly a high-ranking employee of some Fortune 500 company, but he did.
When he stopped by in the evenings to eat dinner with her, one look was all it took and she knew if he’d had a good day or a bad one.
Today must have gone well, because he was smiling.
It was more of a smirk—one she’d give anything to wipe from his face. He didn’t deserve to be happy. He deserved to pay for all the turmoil he caused in her life.
She scowled at her food, wishing she had a way of making that a reality, but she couldn’t think of a single thing.
“What’s your problem?” Cayden snapped.
She jumped and glanced up at him.
Now, he wasn’t in a good mood. Great. She should really learn how to hide her disgust from him if she wanted to be left alone. When she didn’t respond right away, he threw his fork down with force, rattling the dishes on the table.
Aria jumped and lowered her eyes to her plate. “I’m just… bored.” It might not be the reason for her sour mood, but there was a degree of truth in it. Before Cayden had arrived and kicked her world on its axis, she’d been planning on going to the animal hospital in town to see about that receptionist job. By now, they might have already filled it. There was nothing holding her here. At any given second, Cayden could twist her arm and force her into leaving.
For now, he’d been accommodating—well, as accommodating as a controlling jerk could be. He hadn’t insisted on them leaving to go back to Georgia. Not yet. She had no intention of ever leaving Copper Creek. This was her home now.
But if he wanted something, Cayden would get it. He knew exactly what buttons to push.
“If you’re so bored, then we should go out.” Cayden smiled warmly at her and reached for her hand. His warm touch enveloped her and she had to stifle a shiver.
Just the thought of going on a date with the man made her skin crawl. She had zero interest in spending time with him other than the obligatory dinners they’d started. But what could she say? Anything other than absolute enthusiasm would likely trigger him. The Cayden before her was reminiscent of the man she’d thought she’d fallen in love with. There were only a handful of moments when his darker side came to the surface.
The lines were getting blurred. She was getting swept back into the mentality that maybe this was best for her.
Aria shut her eyes against those thoughts.
No. Cayden was anything but a good man. He was blackmailing her into being with him, for heaven’s sake.
His hand tightened on hers almost painfully and she was forced to open her eyes to look at him. That soft smile was still on his face, but the venom in his eyes had risen to the surface. It was strange, to say the least—seeing a man who was able to get her anything but still be a villain at the same time. “I’ll get you a new outfit and we can go dancing.”
She attempted to pull her hand from his grasp, but his hold on her was firm and she wasn’t about to anger him by yanking with all her strength.
When she didn’t comment back, he must have taken her silence as acquiescence. He gave her a short nod and turned back to his meal.
Cayden filled the void of silence with mundane chatter about his job, but Aria wasn’t interested. Her thoughts were swept away to a handsome man whose arms could completely encompass her. His bright eyes and even brighter smile—when he chose to share it with her. Aria’s stomach roiled at the thought of never enjoying his touch again, of never being the cause of his happiness.
“Are you listening to me?” Cayden snapped.
She glanced up at him. “Hmm? Yeah. Something about a charity gala being held in New York.”
“You’re coming with me.”
Her whole body stiffened and her hand gripped her fork tighter. “What if I’m busy?”
He arched a brow—one that was both snark and disdain. “What could possibly be more important than a charity gala hosted by my company? I thought you lived for this sort of thing.”
She did. She loved going to events like the one he described if only she could go with someone else—anyone else.
Aria forced a tight smile and gritted out, “I still freelance. And I was thinking about getting a job in town.”
His eyes darkened.
That was the wrong thing to say. It was almost as if Cayden had been happily ignoring the fact that she’d told him she wasn’t willing to leave this town. Maybe he’d thought she would change her mind. Well, he was wrong. The only way she would change her mind was under dire circumstances.
Looking at him now, she wasn’t so sure that they weren’t heading there like a rocket to the moon.
Aria cleared her throat. “There is a receptionist job at the animal clinic in town. I thought I could put my computer skills to use.”
For a moment his hardened expression remained the same, unmoving. All at once he smiled and his demeanor relaxed. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, then brought his other to cover them both and pat them like she was a child. “No wife of mine is going to work. I plan on taking care of you.”
To any outside observer, he sounded sweet and caring. Cayden was the epitome of a good fiancé and future husband.
But she could read between the lines. He wasn’t trying to take care of her. He planned on controlling her. In reality, he was already doing so.
She finally managed to tug her hand free so she could clear her place.
“Tomorrow, sweetness. I’ll take you dancing tomorrow. It’ll be exactly the thing to brighten your spirits.”
There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he believed he was charming. But she most certainly wouldn’t be enjoying his company at all.
Aria didn’t miss the side-eye Sophia shot in Cayden’s direction when he offered to get them all drinks. Mateo hovered nearby, but he was speaking to a leggy blonde who had no business being in a small town like this one.
Sophia dug her elbow into Aria’s side. “Okay, so spill. What is it with that guy?”
It had been almost two weeks and Aria had only continued to become a shell of herself. She could feel herself dying a little inside with each passing day. But there wasn’t any plan she could come up with to get out of this mess.
Sophia had clearly noticed. The meaning behind her question was more than apparent. She nudged Aria again. “Seriously. I mean, he’s attractive… but he’s… I’m sorry, Aria. There’s something about him that rubs me the wrong way.”
Forcing a smile, Aria brushed off her cousin’s words. “He’s protective.”
Sophia raised a brow. “No. I’ve seen protective. And Cayden? That doesn’t describe him at all. He’s…” She thought for a moment, her finger tapping her chin before snapping at Aria. “Don’t hate me, but I feel like he’s a bit controlling. Are you sure you’re happy with him?” Her voice lowered as her eyes locked on Cayden as if she expected him to hear them having this conversation.
Aria nodded, but the lump in her throat prevented her from saying anything.
Sophia’s shrewd gaze shifted to Aria, and she stared at her hard. “You don’t look happy.”
Tears pricked at the back of Aria’s eyes.
No, she wasn’t happy. She was trapped. But the sacrifice was worth it so long as her family and friends were going to be taken care of.
Before Sophia could push any further, Cayden returned, his hands full of drinks.
“I need some air,” Aria rasped, darting toward the exit. If she had to stay there with Sophia staring at her like that, she would likely burst into full-blown tears.
She reached the balcony, her hands wrapping around the cold bar, stinging her fingers from the chill in the air. Leaning over the bar, she gulped in several deep breaths, relishing the burn. The cold nipped at her flushed skin, cooling the heat of the tears that threatened to escape.
“Aria.”
She jumped. No.
No, no, no.
He wasn’t supposed to be here. She didn’t have the strength to face him.
“Look at me, please,” he said.
Aria shook her head, her hands tightening around the bar once more as she shut her eyes tight. “You need to leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that,” Daniel ground out, moving closer. His irritation bit into her, making her flinch. She wasn’t scared. He’d never hurt her. But knowing she’d caused him enough grief to hear it in his voice was enough to push her over the edge.
“If you knew what was good for you—” she started, but he cut her off when he grasped her wrist and forced her to face him. Her eyes locked with his as if against her will. She felt like she might crumble into ashes from the heat of his stare.
His brows dipped low as his attention swept over her face. “What has he done to you?”
She shut her eyes, and his warm touch brushed at her cheek.
“Aria, talk to me.”
Her chin trembled. “He hasn’t done anything. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’re miserable.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she whispered, knowing full well that he wouldn’t take her excuse.
Daniel cupped her cheek and waited for her to open her eyes before speaking again. “If you need help, all you have to do is say the word.” His voice cracked as he all but pleaded with her. “Just ask me,” he rasped.
Right here, in this moment, she almost believed he could help her. That he could figure out a way to make Cayden disappear. But the fact was, a man with that much money and with those connections—there was very little he feared. There would be no manipulating the master of manipulation.
Before she could utter a single thing, Cayden’s figure loomed in the doorway nearby.
“I’m only going to ask you nicely once. Don’t touch my fiancée.”
Daniel didn’t grace the man with even a cursory glance. His eyes continued to drill into Aria’s, waiting for her to make the next move.
She blinked several times, then took a step back, her heart shattering completely. “Go,” she whispered. “Just… go.”