Chapter 238
Chapter 238:
“This is your stop?” Gigi asked, her eyebrows rising as she took in the towering, ultra-exclusive building—a fortress of wealth, a place no ordinary girl in a torn dress should have any business entering.
“Yes. Thank you for the ride, Mrs. Marshall,” I said, reaching for the door handle with barely concealed haste.
“Gigi,” she corrected. Her eyes flickered to the building, then back to me, a new layer of calculation entering her gaze. “Be careful, child. The higher you climb, the thinner the air p>
I didn’t wait for a second warning. I slipped out of the car, the cool night air rushing against my flushed face. As the heavy door thudded shut behind me, I felt her eyes boring into my back. I didn’t look back as the Rolls Royce pulled away, but I could feel the weight of her scrutiny clinging to me like a second skin. She was suspicious. I had walked straight into the lion’s den and rung the dinner bell.
I hurried toward the revolving doors of The Aurelia, my bare feet slapping against the cold pavement. I needed Dallas. I needed the safety of his arms, the scent of cedar and rain that promised sanctuary.
But the universe wasn’t done with me yet.
As I stepped into the grand marble lobby, a shadow detached itself from a pillar near the concierge desk.
“Adella p>
The voice was a ragged ghost of the arrogance I knew so well. I froze, my blood turning to ice.
Braydon Hyde stood there, looking nothing like the polished Alpha heir who had tried to drag me to the altar. His hair was wild, his tie was missing, and his eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with a desperation that made him look utterly unhinged.
“Get away from me,” I hissed, stepping back. I glanced around at the Pack warriors stationed near the security detail. They were watching, but they hadn’t moved. In their eyes, this was a domestic dispute, not an attack. Not yet.
𝗠𝗼re 𝗇𝗈𝘃е𝘭𝗌 𝘰𝘯 𝗀а𝘭𝗻𝘰𝘃е𝘭ѕ.𝗰𝗈𝗆
“Please,” Braydon rasped, taking a step forward with his palms raised, open and empty. “I just need to talk to you. I can’t leave it like this. Not after everything p>
“There is no ‘everything,’ Braydon! You hit Katherine. You are a monster p>
“I lost control! She provoked me!” He raked a hand through his hair, his chest heaving. “Adella, look at me. I’m begging you. Just five minutes. That’s all I ask. Five minutes to explain, to make you understand p>
“Understand what? That you’re insane p>
“That I love you!” he roared, the sound bouncing off the high ceilings. Then his voice broke, crumbling to a whisper. “Just five minutes. Then I swear on my honor, I will leave you alone. Forever. I’ll walk out that door and never come back p>
Forever.
The word hung in the air, a tantalizing promise of freedom. If five minutes could buy me a lifetime of peace—if it could make him leave before Dallas came down and tore him apart—then perhaps it was worth it.
My exhaustion pressed down on me like a lead blanket. I just wanted this night to end.