Page 33 of Lust & Lies

It was Aiden who moved first, sliding out of me as he unwrapped his arms from around me. I lay there, staring up at him, unable to move. All I could do was stare up at the man I’d given my heart and body to... again.

“You okay, baby?” he murmured, voice low and gravelly as he stared down at me.

“Mmhmm.” I nodded, too blissed out to form full words.

He kissed my shoulder, then my cheek, before finally claiming my lips in a sweet kiss.

“Lay here. I’ll go get the shower ready,” he told me.

I wasn’t ready to part with him yet.

“Lay with me,” I told him, already missing the warmth of his body pressed against mine. “We can shower in a minute.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he whispered, smiling as he lay down next to me.

I sighed when he pulled me close to him and then slid the comforter over us. With my face resting against his arm and his other arm wrapped around me, I stared up at my husband. For a while, we just lay there, basking in the warmth, the silence, the glow of what we’d just shared.

I didn’t want to talk about the past. Or the future. I just wanted to be here in this moment with Aiden, safe in his arms. Eventually, my eyelids grew heavy. I let his heartbeat lull me, and just like that, I drifted off and dreamed of my dream guy.

In my dream, we were outside. The sky was painted in oranges and purples, the last of the sunset bathing Aiden’s face in soft gold. His hands were on my waist, fingers tightening slightly as he stepped closer.

“I love you,” he whispered, a sense of urgency lacing his words. “More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“I mean it, Noe.” His eyes were stormy, intense. “I don’t care about anything else. Not my family. Not their legacy. Not their money. None of it matters if I don’t have you.”

“But, Aiden...”

He cupped my face. “Let me finish. I’m leaving all of it behind. I’ll walk away from every cent, every blood tie. I have my own business. I can take care of you for the rest of your life. We can disappear. Just you and me. I’ll make sure no one finds you.”

“I can’t ask that of you,” I whispered.

“You don’t have to ask,” he said fiercely. “I’m doing it because I want to. Because you’re the only thing that’s ever made me feel alive and truly loved.”

“Your family loves you, Aiden. You know that.”

“Not the way you love me. And I don’t love them the way I love you. Your love doesn’t come with conditions. I don’t have to prove I’m worthy. You loved me before I was worthy.”

“Aiden, listen to me...”

“I can take care of you, Noe,” he rushed to say. “You don’t need their money.”

“I don’t need your money either,” I told him. “I just need you.”

His expression softened, eyes glinting. “So is that a yes?” he asked. “Will you be mine? Will you marry me? Will you disappear with me?”

“Aiden, I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret later,” I told him.

“I will never regret putting you first, Noe. I’ll never regret choosing you over everything else. You are my heart, my soul. Without you, I’m just an empty shell. I need you to breathe.”

“Aiden,” I whispered, too choked up to say more.

“Tell me you’ll marry me. Tell me you’ll disappear with me. Let’s start a new life together away from everyone. Will you do that with me? Will you leave with me and start a new life away from my family and yours?”

Tears spilled down my cheeks. I didn’t have to hesitate to give him an answer because I’d been dreaming of leaving it all behind for so damn long. I was so tired of making sure everyone else was okay, while I suffered in silence.

I was so tired of considering everyone else’s feelings before I considered my own. I was so tired of trying to live up to everyone else’s expectations of what my life should be instead of focusing on what I wanted and needed.

I wanted Aiden. That much was for sure. It was time for me to put myself and my wants first. To hell with everyone else. I wanted to disappear with my man.

“Yes, Aiden. I’ll disappear with you. I’m ready to leave it all behind and become Mrs. Park.”

His eyes widened, and he gifted me a smile that was so bright, I almost had to squint to keep it from blinding me.

“Are you serious?” he asked, sounding shocked.

“I’m serious.”

“You’ll leave with me?”

“Yes, Aiden.”

“You’ll marry me?” he asked in disbelief.

“I will marry you, Aiden.”

A tear slipped down his cheek as he pulled me close.

“There’s no going back, Noe. You can’t change your mind later.”

“I won’t. But I can if I want to,” I told him, teasing him.

He shook his head. “No, you can’t. I won’t let you. I’d kidnap you before I let you leave me.”

This crazy man might just do that, too. But he didn’t have to kidnap me. I was his. Had always been his. And now, I was ready to step around the barriers that had kept us apart and embrace a life with him.

I wanted to love him openly, proudly, bravely. I wanted the world to know that this man owned my heart and my soul.

“Aiden Park, yes, I will marry you and disappear with you. And you have permission to kidnap me anytime you want,” I told him, smiling from ear to ear.

But that smile faded, and tears trailed down my cheeks when he went to his knees in front of me. He slid a jewelry box from his pocket. I held back a sob when he opened it. Seeing the ring made this real. We were really about to do this. I could barely believe it.

“Will you marry me?” he asked, eyes bright with tears.

“Yes,” I whispered.

He slid the ring onto my finger, and it fit perfectly. He kissed my hand before standing and wrapping me in his arms. I cried against his chest. Happy tears. I couldn’t believe we were finally about to do this.

We were finally about to live the life we wanted. Yes, others would be upset. To hell with them. I’d given my all to them my entire life. I’d paid my debts to them. I no longer owed them anything. It was time for Aiden and me to live for ourselves.

“It’ll take me about a month to close out some deals and get some things settled. And then we can disappear,” he told me. “Can you have your things tied up in that time?”

“I can. I have an assignment to take care of for your grandfather next week. That should only take me two days. Three days if anything goes wrong.”

“What abouuuttt....?” His voice trailed off, but I already knew who he was talking about.

“I’m done with her,” I told him. “She’s burnt our bridge. More than burned it. She’s set a bomb to it. There’s no repairing it now. She’s lucky I don’t kill her trifling ass. Don’t worry. I don’t owe her any explanations. This is my life. I’m done trying to placate her.”

“Finally,” he said with a sigh before lowering his lips to mine and claiming my mouth in a kiss that made me forget about all irrelevant people.

Aiden was the only person who mattered in my life. And I’d placed him on the back burner for too long, afraid to love him openly. That chapter was over. No, that entire book had come to an end.

It was time to start the new chapter of our new story. I couldn’t wait to watch our love story unfold in real time. We deserved the happily ever after that awaited us.

I awoke with tears clinging to my lashes, my breathing shallow. For a moment, I lay there, not moving, mind reeling from my dream. Or was it a memory? My gaze dropped to my hand, to the ring on my finger.

It was real. Not a dream. That had happened. And I was wearing the ring to prove it. I looked to the man who was holding me in his arms. My husband. Aiden was still asleep, his chest rising and falling softly with each breath he took.

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at him. He’d asked me to marry him, to disappear with him, and I’d said yes. As I watched him sleep, I realized I would say yes all over again if he were to ask.

I could understand why he wasn’t ready to reveal my past, our past, to me. Apparently, we both wanted to forget people from our past. But there was a burning question lingering in my mind.

Who was the woman who’d burned her bridge with me? Who was the woman I seemed to hate fiercely? Was she a friend? Was she... my mother? Is that why Aiden didn’t want to talk to me about my parents?

That would explain why my mother wasn’t blowing his phone up, trying to locate me. If that was my mother, why did I hate her? What had she done to burn that bridge with me? I wanted to know.

But I was shocked to realize that I wasn’t in a rush to ask Aiden that question. Whoever she was, she’d been in the way of our love in the past. I was not about to let that happen in the future.

I was sure I’d remember her in time. Until then, she didn’t deserve another thought. I placed my hand against Aiden’s chest, over his heart, and smiled. I’d fallen in love with this man twice.

That was fate at work. That was proof that we were meant to be together. Nothing could keep us apart... nothing from our past, the present, or the future. I’d promised to start a new chapter with him.

I intended to keep that promise. I intended to keep my vows. My memory loss was just one chapter in our story. Our love story was still being written. In my heart, I knew we were destined for that happily ever after we deserved.