31. CHAPTER 31
ARIA
A fter talking to Serfina, I realised I needed to be honest with Sebastian. I had to tell him everything, even my involvement with Callum. If we were ever going to work, he needed to know about what had happened to me.
I didn’t need to be frightened anymore.
Being around Sebastian again made me feel like I could do anything.
Stepping out of the tube station, I made my way around the corner. My phone started to ring, and I pulled it out of my pocket.
Callum’s name lit up on my screen.
I frowned, pressing the side button to decline the call.
My phone rang again, Sebastian’s name lighting up, and I smiled as I answered.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m just walking back into my flat.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
The call ended and I pulled my keys out of my pocket, opening my front door.
A folded letter sat at the base of it, as if it had been slipped underneath.
We will be together again.
I froze, my breath catching—but before my mind could start racing, a sharp knock startled me into action.
I swung the door open to reveal Sebastian on the other side. He didn’t look his usual sharp self; he was a mess.
He stood at the door, staring at me, the black core of his eyes consuming the blue, his hair everywhere. He looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. I had only ever seen him like that once before.
The night he’d left.
Was he about to leave again?
“Can I come in?”
I stepped aside, allowing him to enter, and closed the door behind him. He glanced down at the paper in my hand.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, tucking it into my back jeans pocket.
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Nyx. We need to talk.”
His touch was warm, heating my body from the inside, but something felt off.
“No, don’t you dare to do it to me again.”
He furrowed his brows. “Do what?”
“Leave,” I whispered.
He looked at me oddly. “I’m not leaving. What makes you think that?”
I let out a heavy breath of relief. “You look like you did four years ago.”
He rested his hands on my cheeks. “There’s no way in this lifetime I would ever leave you again. You’re mine, Nyx. Always have been. I just didn’t realise it soon enough. I should have stayed back then.”
My heart started racing, those butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.
“I gave you my heart a long time ago,” I whispered.
His lips met mine, and the kiss was raw, desperate, like he had been deprived of oxygen. He was reminding me that I was his, claiming me again like it was the first time.
But we needed to wait.
He needed to know the truth.
I pulled away, our foreheads touching, his lips trying to reach mine again. “I need to tell you something.” My breath was heavy.
“I don’t care,” he whispered, kissing me again.
I separated our lips again. “Please, Sebastian. You need to listen.”
He let out a heavy breath, taking hold of my hands. “What is it, Nyx?”
“After you left, I met someone. His name was Jason. He was a lot older, and I moved to Leeds with him.”
He placed his hands on my jaw, looking into my eyes. “We’ve both got history, Aria. I’m not going to look at you any differently than I do now.”
“I didn’t know who he really was. He was kind, took me to lavish parties, and bought me things that I never really cared for. Then he changed.”
I shuddered, and Sebastian squeezed my hand.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
I took another deep breath. “He ran the county lines in Leeds. He took me into that world, which was when he started to get violent.”
I swallowed a few times to wet my dry throat.
“Callum—his brother—did his best to protect me, but he didn’t see everything. Then one night, Jason was in such a rage, I didn’t think I was going to make it out alive.”
I pulled my sleeve up, exposing my scar. Sebastian lifted my arm and gently kissed it.
“If I hadn’t reacted when I did, I don’t think I would be here.”
I swallowed hard again, clearing the lump in my throat.
“Jason was arrested. He’s on remand. Callum gave me enough money to leave Leeds.
To protect me. I was deep with them. Everyone knew who I was up there.
The number of meetings I sat in on … I knew everything about them.
I couldn’t stay there anymore. So I took the money, and I came down here to start over. ”
I started fiddling with my sleeves, and Sebastian soon grabbed my hands to stop me. “I should have told you sooner, but I was so scared you would look at me differently. I’m so sorry.” I could feel the tears starting to form in my eyes.
He found my cheeks and tilted my head to meet his eyes.
“Nyx, don’t ever apologise. You’ve done nothing wrong. Do you know how brave you are?”
I blinked, releasing the tears. “I don’t feel brave. I allowed it to happen for so long.”
He wiped my tears away. “Shhh, Nyx. None of this is your fault. You survived and broke free.”
He pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around me, and my head fell into his chest. I could feel his steady heartbeat, grounding me. I inhaled deeply, breathing him all in, melting into his arms. In this moment, nothing else mattered but us.
I didn’t know how long I’d been in his arms when my phone rang, cutting through the silence like a blade. I pushed away from Sebastian and picked up the phone vibrating violently on the table, my fingers hesitating before I accepted the call.
“Hello?” My voice was barely a whisper.
“Is this Aria Summers?”
“Yes, who’s this?”
“This is Sally Reeves, your family liaison officer from Leeds District Police Headquarters.” Her tone was steady and professional.
“I’m sorry to notify you, but following the outcome of court today, CPS has decided to discontinue the case due to insufficient evidence.
Jason Brown has been released, all charges dropped. ”
My stomach twisted. What?
“If you need any support or have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to—”
I hung up without a word.
My fingers went numb as the weight of the news sank in.
I somehow found my way to the sofa and sank onto it, the words burning through me.
I hadn’t even noticed Sebastian had sat next to me, his lips moving, but I couldn’t hear a word he was saying.
I watched my hands in my lap, my fingers tightly gripping the phone, but I couldn’t feel it.
Sebastian plucked the device from my hands and took hold of them again, now kneeling in front of me.
I knew I should respond to his distant voice, but I seemed to have little control over my body right now.
His warm hands cupped my lifeless cheeks, his eyebrows furrowed with something close to panic.
That’s when the ringing started in my ears.
Alarm bells.
He's out.
My body jolted up, but my legs weren’t ready. Sebastian’s grip on my arms caught me, anchoring me back to the room, to the here and now.
He searched my eyes for answers. “Aria? What’s happened?”
All I could do was blink, releasing the tears that had been building. He wiped them with his thumb, waiting for me to speak, but there were only so many words I could manage.
“He’s out.”