Page 67 of Pretty Little Trigger

CHAPTER 66

Kaden

I’ve been running twice a day .

Morning. Night. Doesn’t matter .

The distance helps. It quiets the noise.

It bleeds out the heartbreak in slow, disciplined kilometres.

My lungs burn. My legs ache.

But pain has always been easier to manage than guilt.

My family’s estate is big.

Too big. Acres of manicured land.

Perfectly trimmed hedges.

Marble fountains no one looks at anymore.

It’s all mine now. The legacy.

The burden. The blood price.

It feels empty.

I pass two of the groundskeepers near the rose garden.

They nod, eyes down, trained not to speak unless spoken to.

The staff knows better.

This isn’t a house. It’s a fortress.

A kingdom I never asked to rule.

I push harder, loop around the lake.

Trees line the far edge.

The water glitters. It’s beautiful here.

Brutally so. Like the world is mocking me with everything I could have, except the one thing that mattered.

Her.

I wish I could talk to her.

Tell her who I really am.

Tell her why I pretended.

Why I lied. That I returned the ransom.

That I sent it back on her birthday.

That was her real gift.

I wish I could tell her I love her.

But I know she’s better off without me.

So I push the thought back—deep, where it can’t touch the rest of me.

I slow near the back terrace, sweat dripping, breath ragged.

My shirt clings to my spine.

My chest is tight again.

And then I break my promise.

I pull my phone from my pocket and tap into our security feed.

Our systems cover most of the city.

I run her face through the program.

There she is.

She walked into Pilates at 7:30 a.m. That’s a bit early for her.

Maybe she’s changed her routine.

Hair up. Bag over one arm.

Walking toward the door like the world hasn’t ended.

Like I never existed.

She’s safe.

Seeing her steadies something in me.

Calms the storm for a few seconds.

Just enough to breathe.

And now I know I won’t stop.

I’ll check the feed again.

And again. And again.

Like a madman. Like a penance.

Because if I can’t have her, then I’ll settle for knowing where she is.

Knowing she’s safe.

That’s how I control it.

The heartbreak. The guilt.

The love I’m not allowed to feel.

I close the feed. And I run again.