Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Aiden’s gaze grew darker, his expression unreadable and heavy with intensity.
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Valerie’s delicate body trembled slightly. As he moved closer, the pressure became suffocating. She couldn’t hold back and cried out, “Aiden… this is my
room…”
She tried to back away, but he easily caught her and held her in place.
A second later, his fingers gripped her chin, and his voice dipped low–mocking, almost amused. “Your room?”
There was a smile in his tone, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“If I’m not mistaken, this is my house. Everything in it belongs to me,” he said, voice dark and laced with danger. “Including you–my wife.”
Including you, my wife. The words were soft, but carried the weight of a threat.
In that moment, the nightmare from her previous life came crashing back.
Valerie instinctively recoiled. She raised her hands to block his approach, her voice shaking. “Don’t…”
That one word made Aiden narrow his eyes, irritation flaring beneath the surface.
Juliette’s words from earlier that day were still fresh in his mind, stoking the fire already simmering in his chest. His patience was razor–thin.
He stepped in closer, a low laugh slipping from his lips–but there was no warmth in it. “What? ‘Don’t‘? Trying to stay virtuous for him? Is that it?”
The accusation struck like a whip. Valerie’s heart seized as she shook her head frantically, “No–I didn’t…!”
Just as Aiden was about to move, he paused, frowning. Her body was radiating heat.
He hesitated, then lifted a hand to her forehead. His brows drew together. “You have a fever.”
The moment those words left his mouth, a wave of emotion crashed over her. Her nose tingled, and a rush of frustration, sadness, and helplessness bubbled up without warning.
Her hands, still lightly clinging to him, trembled. She looked up, eyes glassy with unshed tears.
Something in Aiden shifted. It felt like a punch to the chest. The fury in him, white–hot just moments ago, cooled instantly–doused by a strange and unfamiliar guilt. With a grunt of frustration, he scooped her into his arms. “Get up.”
Still dazed, Valerie allowed herself to be lifted. But what happened next surprised her even more. Aiden returned with a towel—and started drying her hair.
She stared at him in disbelief, unsure if she was hallucinating.
Aiden in front of her had the same cold, sharp features as the one etched into her memories.
But the Aiden she knew–the one from her previous life–had never treated her like this.
He didn’t meet her gaze. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he clumsily rubbed her wet hair with the towel.
He clearly had no idea what he was doing. He wasn’t gentle–his movements were stiff and awkward. That solitary, guarded nature of his hadn’t changed
one bit.
The towel began to pull at her scalp. Valerie winced slightly and reached up to stop him. “I’ll do it,” she said quietly.
Aiden glanced at her, then let go. Without a word, he went to the wardrobe, pulled out a set of bright red pajamas, and tossed them her way.
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22:09 Tue, 27 May
Chapter 13
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They were from their wedding–bold, vivid, almost gaudy.
She stared at them, stunned.
Aiden never let anyone defy him. But now, she wondered, ‘Just because I have a fever… he’s backed off?‘
It wasn’t until the door slammed behind him with a loud bang that she snapped out of her daze.
She changed into the pajamas. A few minutes later, the maid Henrietta Manning came in, dried her hair, and handed her a cup of water.
The family doctor arrived shortly after, confirmed it was a cold from the exposure, prescribed some medication, and left.
After taking the medicine, Valerie curled up in bed, and slowly–half–conscious, heavy–limbed–drifted into sleep.
That night, she dreamed.
In the dream, Aiden kept her trapped in an endless, suffocating darkness, repeatedly grinding her dignity underfoot.
The wind howled, the rain lashed down, and lightning lit up the sky as thunder rumbled through the air.
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