(I combined two chapters together so your wait wouldn't be so long, so the book will end on chapter 66 instead of 67.)

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Aiden

My lungs constrict as I stare into Emilia's tear-soaked eyes. My knees dig into the plush rug, holding me down when her words brought me to my knees. I need to stand for her, to show her my strength.

I look into her honey eyes, "Swear to me Emilia, don't fucking ruin us bab- I love you. You're not allowed to leave me. You understand that, right? I don't know how to let you go. I won't allow it." I plead, the heart I didn't realize I had is slowly beating, about to break.

Her eyes trail to the door, tears trickling down her rosy cheeks. "Just go Aiden." Hearing my name roll from her lips with such sorrow in her voice breaks me.

Guilt eats at me, why couldn't I have handled this better? But how was I supposed to handle it, I thought she would be my fiancée at this moment not... this. "I'm sorry for raising my voice. I'm leaving. Sending Howard inside to watch over you. Your mom has two guards at her house and I'll be more comfortable with him here for you." Her jaw twitches but she can't fucking leave our home, it isn't safe, and I won't be able to handle her not being here.

My back to her, I look to her from the side. "I'm going to go. Do you need anything? I hate the thought of you sleeping alone."

She shakes her head, "Maybe a hug? One last time?"

I can't hide the broken sound that escapes my chest when I snatch her before she finishes the sentence, lifting her feet from the floor and wrapping my arms around her frame.

Burying my face into her soft neck, I breathe her in. Touching and caressing her, pleading with her through my hands. I'm so fucking angry at her right now, before I know it my hand is clamped around the back of her neck, forcing her to look at me. "Let me fuck you, Emilia. To knock some fucking sense into you." It's what she needs, me. "While you're still mine to take, let me take you." I plead with her for her body, something I've never had to do. It takes every ounce in me to not wrap her legs around my back and drag her into the bedroom and have my way with her.

"Go." She whispers, and I snap out of it. Setting her down and heading for the door, she doesn't want me anymore.

It's as if she just took my battered heart in her perfect hands and squeezed the life from it to save herself... I can't blame her. She always had my heart at her disposal, close to hers, even if she's never realized it.

I carefully shut the door behind me, not wanting to disrupt the quiet of our home anymore. She deserves peace.

My boots stomp against the driveway as I pace, cursing the ground beneath me for existing. The frigid wind whips, the bare trees swaying from its force.

For a few moments, I fight with myself to go back inside and make her love me again. Lost in my dark mind until Howard clears his throat, I didn't realize he was guarding the front of the house. "You okay?" He asks, fatherly concern plastered on his face.

I look to the black forest, "Yeah, fight with Emilia. Stay and watch her? She's upset." I don't want to get into any details. He nods coming towards me, undoubtedly going to comfort me, maybe give me the fatherly advice I was never worthy of hearing from my own dad. With a shake of my head I effectively shut off the conversation by stepping into the garage, he retreats with a knowing look.

With shaky breaths, I slide into my challenger. Before her, the interior smelled of leather and smoke, but now her lavender shampoo overpowers everything. I breathe in her calming scent, almost choking on what it entails when it will completely fade from my life.

Her hair whipping in the wind, my hand always gripping her thigh, her trying and failing to drive a stick shift. Too many memories, this is why I don't let anyone in. I never will again.

Once I hear the front door close after Howard steps inside, I break down. My palms and fist smashing against the wheel and dashboard. How could I have not seen how unhappy she was?

I'm a broken man, and the broken look on her face told me how much I've fucked her up. I always knew it would turn out this way, destruction follows me.

I turn the key, the roar of the classic engine drowns out any sound as I speed down the driveway. I rev the engine to alert the guard to open the gate. I'm in no mood to converse, I just need to get away... far away from the angel who tore me in two.

With the windows down, the frigid wind whips through the car. My mouth dry from screaming into the dark night. My stiff fingers are frozen to the steering wheel, but it's the only thing making me feel alive, the feeling of the cold to match my heart.

She still loves me, right? Fuck! Why would she? I've brought nothing but danger to her life. She always comforted me when I told her of my fears, scared she was unhappy living life in hiding. She would always tell me she wouldn't want to be anywhere else... with anyone else. It was all a fucking lie. My hands linger on the middle seat, where she loved to snuggle up next to me. The memory makes my stomach churn, was she cuddled with Leo that night?

Seeing her rip the necklace from her neck, no words.

Is she worth the pain? Absolutely. It's never been a question for me when it comes to her. I can't bear to think of her as anything but mine.

I don't give a fuck about the cliché storyline of letting her walk away and saying, "She'll find someone who will love her more."

I may not understand why she cares for me... or cared. But, she can't leave me. She can't. She just physically cannot find a single soul on this earth who will absolutely cherish her as much as I do. She's mine, my everything, my world spins on her axis. We are it. That's final.

There's nothing in this world more important to a man than the woman who made him feel loved for the first time in his life, nothing else compares.

Tomorrow, I'll walk into our home with flowers and chocolate and she'll look at me with her big doe eyes and forgive me for every error I've ever committed.

Or if she refuses to be with me, I'll lock her in that house until she changes her mind. Maybe I've gone crazy? It's big enough, she won't get bored. The prince locks the princess in the castle.

But this isn't a fairytale and I'm no knight in shining armor. I'm more like the dark irredeemable prince who came into her life and destroyed her innocent mind.

My thoughts are everywhere. At the forefront though, is Leo. The idea of him touching her, being inside of her. Fuck! My nightmares were real. I'm going to fucking kill him.

The tires squeal as I reach the parking lot to Leo's apartment complex, already feeling relief when my boot kicks down his door.

"What the Fuck!" He storms into the hallway; I stand firm on his fallen door. He's shirtless, only in boxers. Emilia saw him this way. "Leo?" A woman's voice sounds to the right, I wonder if he's fucking someone else's girl. The thought makes me advance on him, he doesn't look surprised to see me... more annoyed.

My hands grip his throat as I slam his body into the wall, I have a good view of his room now. A woman is throwing on her clothes, shaking. "Go!" I order her, she looks to Leo. He nods slightly even though my grip is tight around his throat.

When the blonde exits the apartment, I nearly blackout. Punching him onto the ground, my fist can't connect fast enough in my frenzy of emotions. He fights back but it feels like I'm punching him in a dream, distant and not hard enough. A waking fucking nightmare. "You took her from me!" I scream in his face, the taste of metallic blood swirling through my dry mouth. "She wasn't yours to take!"

Leo looks up at me through fluttering eyes, "Aiden."

I won't allow him to speak, it's making it worse. His fist connects with my jaw, enticing my rage further. "She was upset because she thought I was dead! You took advantage of her; she's fucking innocent in this, you coward!"

I throw my back against the wall, burying my face inside of my bloody hands. My body doesn't want to fight him, it simply wants to... give up. Leo leans up smugly, wiping blood from his lips. "Hello, Leo. How have you been Leo?" He mocks me, his Greek accent gone and replaced with a smooth American one to joke around. I cut my eyes to him, he continues. "If you missed me, you could have just called." He stands, stretching his limbs.

"Fuck you." I spit blood from my busted lip, too many emotions whirling through my head.

He pinches the bridge of his bloody nose, wincing from the pain. "Care to explain why you busted down my door and began to pummel my face?" He picks up a glass of whiskey. I stand, snatching it from him and downing it. The burn from my open cut awakens me.

My chest rises, "I know Leo, I know about you and Emilia." I seethe.

He takes a deep breath, "Please enlighten me, Aiden. What do you know?" He gives a carefree smirk; it takes everything in me not to beat him to a pulp. My eyes flick to his tousled sheets, my heart-shattering at the thought of my Emilia tangled in the sheets with him. I slump against the wall; he refills my glass and sits beside me after throwing on jeans.

"I don't know why I haven't killed you yet." I laugh, bringing the glass to my lips.

"Maybe because you just beat the fuck out of me for no reason, and you know it." He looks at me intently, "What the fuck is going on?" his heavy accent slightly concerned.

How did I go from murderous to wanting to confide in the one person I hate most in this world, is this what heartbreak feels like? Just crazed emotions flipping back and forth. "I proposed and she told me no." I spit, "Because apparently, you two..." I can't say it. "in Italy."

He gives me a sideways glance, "But I never did anything with her." his hand clamps the towel he's using to wipe his face.

I laugh, remembering what happened to the last man who told me Emilia lied to me. I wanted to kill him, now he sits in jail because Emilia's heart is too nice... too pure. Avery, her old boss had harassed all his female employees, thankfully the police held him accountable. But she can't stop me from taking Leo's life.

"So, she told you I fucked her in Italy?" He smiles, I growl at him. "Aiden, listen. I don't know what the fuck is going on, but I swear on her life. I never touched her beside when I kissed her. That one time."

I lift my brow to him; would he lie on her life?

I narrow my eyes "Leo, I'm asking you man to man-" he stops me, shaking his head. "I never touched her, I promise you." His words are sincere, but I can't trust him. Emilia wouldn't hurt me; she wouldn't lie to me.

"Did anything happen before you proposed?" He questions.

I hate this guy, but I need to know what's going on, why she would want to not be mine anymore. "We were eating dinner, she walked to our room to talk to her mom. She came back a- Oh my fuck." How could I be so stupid? I stand, pulling Leo up with me.

"Something isn't right." I decide, running a hand through my hair. That phone call wasn't her mom, I need to find out who called her. Now.

Leo begins to grab his things, handing me guns from his drawers. "Did you leave her alone?" His voice is frantic, as is mine.

I shake my head, "There are guards." She fucking knew my jealousy would triumph over my sanity. She knew!

"Does she know a way out, that they don't know of?" The fucking sauna.

Leo grabs a towel, wiping the blood from his face and hair. "Where is her locket?"

I don't want to admit this, but she did it being brave. My stupid, brave girl. "She ripped it off in front of me."

Leo whistles, buttoning up his shirt. "Damn."

I pace the room, "Shut up. What do we do?"

He cocks his weapons, "Did she have her charm bracelet on?" he touches his lip, I feel a little guilty for beating the shit out of him. When I hand him an ice cube from the champagne bucket on his table, he gives me a nod.

"Why would that matter?"

He laces his shoes, "Was she wearing it, Aiden."

I rewind the night, quickly bypassing the heartache. During dinner, my fingers trailed her soft skin, landing on her locket and down to her wrist where her- "Yes."

"Good." He stands, gesturing to his mangled door. "Let's go." He fumbles with his phone.

I push his chest; with much less force than intended. "Why would that matter?"

He sighs, "I put a tracker in it." he showcases me her location on his phone. Relief floods through me, as well as anger.

I scoff, "you didn't put a tracker on my girl."

"Oh, but I did. For this very reason. She never fucking listened to me." I want to hug him right now, while simultaneously punching him in the face.

I step on the broken wood, hurrying us out. "Because she knows better. Now let's get the fuck out of here. We have to find her."

He opens the passenger door to my car. "How many times are you two going to make me save the other?" He jokes, but he's nervous for her, I can tell. But it doesn't anger me, his nervousness for her empowers me. We're going to unite and save my girl.

I turn the ignition, "I'm sorry about the door... and your face." I peel down the road as he waves it off with nervous laughter. My hands grip the wheel as I make my way to the love of my life in a frenzied rush. "But this ends tonight."

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