I’d never seen Aaron this broken before. Aaron Mackey, the owner of Mackey Empire; the man who used to walk into every room like he owned it—calm, calculated, always in control. That was the Aaron the world knew. But I saw a different side of him. For ten years, I saw him as a man who would bend over backwards just to make me smile. Even then, he never once looked at me the way he did now. Like he was hanging by a thread and I was the only thing keeping him from falling apart. I didn’t know why it took losing me for him to finally realize what I meant to him.

“Aaron,” I said quietly, “you’re not thinking straight. We’re divorced. Why would I spend the rest of my life tangled up in something that’s already over? Or did you somehow forget we signed those papers?”

My voice wasn’t cold. Just tired. Exhausted from circling the same drain over and over again.

He went pale.

“I kept the papers… because I was hoping we’d get back together,” he said, voice trembling. “Cassidy, I know you hate me. I know you hate Nancy. But I’ve taken care of that. She’s gone now. Dead. That’s how serious I am about making things right.”

He said it like he was offering me some kind of twisted peace treaty. Nancy’s life, in exchange for my forgiveness. But instead of feeling relieved, I felt nothing but a chill crawl up my spine. Before I left, he’d worshipped the ground she walked on. And now—just like that—he’d erased her.

All for me.

I didn’t feel flattered. I felt sick. And he must’ve seen it in my face, because panic lit up in his eyes.

He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. “Cassidy, I didn’t know it hurt you this much. I swear, I only helped her because I owed her—she saved my life once. And the pregnancy… that was a mistake, an accident.”

His eyes were red, filled with a desperate kind of hope that made me uncomfortable.

“I took care of it. She’s not carrying the baby anymore. The only children I want are with you. Please, just give me one more chance to make it right.”

That’s when he finally broke. The tears came and there was no stopping them. I saw the hopelessness in him, the kind that sinks into your bones when you know you’ve really lost everything.

But I didn’t budge.

“Aaron,” I said firmly, “there is no more future for us. And this child will only be mine.”

“If you really want to prove you’ve changed, then go back to Austrenka. Stay out of my life. That’s the best ending we’re gonna get.”

And with that, I turned and walked away.

Ryker wasn’t picking me up tonight—he had a concert he’d invited me to, and I was already running late. He was probably waiting for me at the theater by now.

I didn’t even look back. All I could think about was Ryker. My heart was so full of him, there wasn’t room for anything else. Which is probably why I didn’t notice the way Aaron’s expression darkened behind me—how the desperation gave way to something colder, something twisted.

That night with Ryker was perfect. We had a great time, and the whole thing with Aaron barely even crossed my mind.

And after I got home, Aaron didn’t show up again. Days passed and still, nothing. I figured he’d finally given up. That maybe he’d accepted this chapter was closed. And even though I could never forget the pain he caused, I won’t lie—he was good to me for ten whole years. That counts for something.

I guess this is how it ends for us. We move on. We live our lives on separate paths. No more drama, no more history hanging over our heads.

Or so I thought.

One night, after a company event ran later than expected, I got home on my own. Ryker couldn’t come pick me up—he was tied up at a family dinner.

I didn’t think anything of it. Until I reached my front door and saw him.

Aaron.

I didn’t even get the chance to speak. One second I was standing there… and the next, everything went black. The last thing I saw before my eyes shut was the look in Aaron’s eyes—dark and menacing.

4:48 am Chapter 27