Chapter 16
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Aaron grabbed the entire container of chicken soup and hurled it across the room. Nancy shrieked like she’d just been branded with a hot iron.
The guys hanging out nearby all turned, startled by Aaron’s sudden outburst. They exchanged confused glances–none of them had a clue what had just happened.
Finally, the one who’d texted Nancy earlier stepped forward.
“Dude, what’s going on? She’s… she’s your wife, man.”
Honestly, calling a former nightclub dancer his wife didn’t sit well with anyone. But Aaron had been so dead set on her–he even threw a wedding, for crying out loud.
Nancy caught that little slip of a smirk.
She’d seen firsthand how much Aaron’s homies hated her. But now, even the one who despised her most had caved and called her “his wife.” That had to mean Aaron had been defending her behind the scenes. Right? That had to count for something.
The flicker of hope reignited.
Ignoring the sticky mess on her clothes and the red patch forming on her arm, Nancy stepped closer again.
“Yeah, Aaron. It’s me,” she said softly, her tone coaxing. “You thought I was Cassidy, didn’t you? But she’s gone. Never coming back. Just let me stay by your side now.”
But the moment she dared to bring up my name, Aaron’s expression twisted with fury. With no hesitation, he snatched the fruit bowl off the side table and launched it straight at
her.
It struck her hard, knocking her off her feet. She crashed down onto the broken pieces of the soup container. Blood pooled almost instantly. Nancy let out a piercing cry of pain. But Aaron’s voice was colder than ice. Not even a flicker of remorse on his face.
“Get out. I don’t ever want to hear you say her name again. You’re not even worthy to speak it.”
Nancy lay on the ground, eyes brimming with tears, not moving an inch.
Aaron’s face darkened even more.
“Nancy, if you don’t leave right now,” he said, voice low and icy, “then you’re not leaving me a choice. I’ll take back everything I ever gave you–and send you right back to that hellhole you came from. I’ll make sure you dance for scraps until your last breath.”
Her sobbing stopped dead. The room turned completely still.
She looked up at him in disbelief–only to find his eyes deadly serious.
That was when she finally understood: he wasn’t bluffing. If she didn’t walk out that very second, he’d drag her back to where they started–and this time, she’d fall harder than ever.
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Because she’d crossed Aaron.
With her face burning in shame, she lowered her head to hide the fury in her eyes, then stumbled out of the room in silence.
Once her figure disappeared down the hallway, Aaron’s buddies snapped out of their stunned silence.
They looked at him, still in shock.
“Bro, what the hell?”
“Did you just kick your wife out?” the other chimed. “You know how hard that’ll be to undo if you ever change your mind?” Aaron’s face darkened.
Aaron’s face turned dark.
“Stop calling her my wife,” he growled. “She’s just a dancer. Cassidy’s my wife. The only woman I’ve ever loved.”
“You serious?” one of them asked, wide–eyed.
“Took you long enough.”
Another one shook his head.
“We tried telling you, man. You chased Cassidy for ten years. You were all in. Anyone could see it.”
back
“Thing is… if you really regret it now, it’s not gonna be easy. Cassidy won’t take you just like that.” “Yeah, a lot of guys fool around, but you–man, you’re not built for that. That was never you.”
“Now, that it came to this…” They didn’t finish the thought, but Aaron knew exactly what they meant.
