Page 28

I whispered very softly.
Over memory
I looked at Aria for a second. Her father was holding her. It was like she could feel me looking at her, because she looked at me from a distance. I took off my sunglasses, which were covering my blue eyes.
I wasn’t right for her; I’d already hurt her enough. Henry is perfect for her; he loves her. She has a family that loves her; why would I want to keep her from them? I’m a selfish bastard, but I can’t be selfish with her anymore.
Aria needed to say something, so I put my hand in my pocket. She looked broken, sad, and like she’d given up. Her hands shook as she tried to say something.
“I miss you.” Aria laughs and cries at the same time, her beautiful cheeks wet with tears. “My mind knows that you are in a better place where there is no pain, you are at peace.” Aria cries. “I understand that, I just wish I could explain it to my heart. I know we’ll see each other again one day, but for now, I have to live without you.
Her watery eyes met mine, and my eyes softened. She shook her head as if to say, “Stop it.” Aria put her small hand on Maya’s casket and cried. Jack walked up next to her and wrapped his arms around her.
The last thing that happened at the funeral was burying Maya’s casket six feet deep.
“Sebastian, let me take her home with her family. It’s where she belongs,” Jack tries to tell me. Aria looks confused by that. It seems like part of her wants to go home and part of her wants to stay.
“No, she stays,” I said.
Jack was about to make his point when Aria stepped in and stopped him.
“Thanks, Dad.” “I love you, tell mum I love her too.” Aria kisses her dad on the cheek and smiles at him. Jack smiles back and walks away, where his security guards are waiting for him.
I was worried because the ride home was completely quiet. I know what I have to do, but I don’t want to do it. It’s going to be hard to lose her again, but I have to. My past is long and dark. Tyler isn’t the only one looking for revenge, and they will do anything to hurt me. I won’t risk losing Aria to death, which I’m used to.
Venessa knew our marriage was over when I stopped having s*x with her. It was all over when she saw her ex-husband. Now she’s just waiting for Jack to notice.
I knocked on Aria’s door and waited for her to answer. It was scary. I had never been scared before meeting Aria. The door slowly opened, and Aria was broken. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, her nose was red, and her blonde hair was messy and covering her face.
“Sebastian, what?”Aria puts a piece of hair behind her ear.
“May I come in?””Please,” I say.
She nods and opens the door wider so I can come in. She closes the door behind me. I looked around her room and saw that there were books and picture frames all over the floor.
“I was looking at pictures of Maya and me,” she says as she sniffs.
I whispered, “You don’t have to explain.”
She sat on her bed and quickly moved her hair out of her face. She looked like a broken piece of art, so beautiful. I quietly walked over to her and bent down to her level.
“Sebastian, don’t,” she whispers.
“Death and violence have been my whole life.” “I like hurting people and putting them in danger, but I can’t do that to you anymore.” I said as I put my hands on her cheeks and looked into her green eyes. “Your mother somehow looked past the monster.”
She looks down, and her eyes are full of tears.
I said, “You changed the monster.”
She looks me in the eye again and tilts her head a little. She didn’t understand what I said.
“I love your big green eyes and your smile.” I love that you know what I’m thinking when no one else does. I love that you see past all the bad things. I love that you stand up to me and challenge me. I love that you didn’t give up on me.
I whispered, “You’re so wrong for me, and I love every bit of it.” “I love you, Pumpkin.” My hands tightened around her cheeks, and her hands found their way to my wrist. She put her hands on mine, and tears fell down her beautiful face.
“Don’t say that; it makes it harder,” she says.
I quickly brushed the loose strands of her blonde hair out of her face. “I was a coward for not saying it back to you that night.” I put my forehead against hers, and her hands went down to my elbow.
“I never loved your mother; I liked the idea of loving her.” I say, “You deserve someone much better than me, and I know that now.”
She wiped her nose, which was running. “I can’t say it back anymore.”
“I know I deserve that, but I just wanted to tell you.”
Sebastian, one last kiss
I leaned in to meet her soft lips, and her hands crawled up to my hair. Her lips got heavier on mine, and I liked the kiss. I leaned more into her, and she lay on her bed with me on top of her. I pulled her leg against my side with one hand and held the side of her neck with the other as I kissed her more deeply.
My body was used to hers, her moans, and her kisses. Her whimpers filled the room. It was different with her; she was different. I can’t change who I am; all I can do is save her from my lifestyle. Now I understand why Jack left her and Venessa; he did it out of love and safety.
I looked at her sleeping body; she was lying on her stomach with the sheets wrapped around her. I gently stroked her rosy cheek, and when she moved a little in her sleep, I smiled. She still reacts to my touch even when she’s sleeping.
I have to treat her fairly.
I picked up my boxers from the floor and put them on. I was careful not to make too much noise because I didn’t want to wake her up. I walked to my office and poured myself some whisky before picking up my phone. I called Jack’s phone number and it rang once before he answered.
“I’m leaving town without Aria,” I said right away, not wanting to waste any time.
Jack: “Why?”
“Because she should be happy.”
Jack: “How do I know this isn’t a scam?
“I wouldn’t joke about something that has to do with Aria.”
Jack: “It seems that the devil can love after all.”
“Please come here in an hour and look after her and Venessa.”
I hung up the phone and drank my whisky. I told my men to pack up the whole house; everything will be gone. Aria will only remember me as a fading memory, which is how it should be. I went back into Aria’s room, where she was snuggling into the pillow. I put the letter I wrote for her on my side of the bed and kissed her cheek.
I whispered, ” quotes, “Goodbye, Aria Callahan.”