It has been a couple of days since dad told me that they're going to come to Seattle, and I can't help but worry. I can't imagine what would happen if they knew the truth.

I hug my knees, feeling the warm water soothe my skin as I sit here in the jacuzzi. I'm wearing a one-piece swimsuit. My hair is tied up in a messy bun.

The jacuzzi is just right beside the swimming pool. The view from here is amazing, especially at night. My gaze darts to the beautiful city lights in front of me. I'm grateful that I can be here to relax after a long day in college.

"Here's your drink."

I turn my head and find Aiden smiling down at me. He hands me a mocktail in a champagne glass -- it looks like a mixture of strawberry puree, lime juice, and Sprite. I take it from him, and he joins me in the jacuzzi with another drink in his hand.

I blush at the sight before me. Aiden is shirtless and only wearing his swim trunk. His well-built body and toned abs make me immediately look away because I don't want to be caught staring -- and he's a sight my eyes can't escape.

I sip my mocktail, trying to calm my heartbeat.

"I have something to tell you," I say. "My parents will come to see me next week."

Aiden is silent, so I look at him again. He's staring to the front.

"I'll have to move to my apartment downstairs," I say but then add, "for a couple of days."

Oh, God, I really don't want to be away from him. It's embarrassing that I have to emphasize the point that I'll only be away from him for a few days.

"Luna and my cousin, Sienna, will be in Seattle too the next week after that," I continue.

Aiden nods. "Yeah. Luna told me about that."

I watch Aiden, who seems to be deep in thought. I can see perfectly his handsome side view from where I'm sitting. There's not much light here in the pool, but his face seems to glow under the moon and the lights from the skyscrapers.

His eyes, his nose, his jaw... How can a man have such perfect features?

I quickly compose myself and look away. But then, as I look down at myself, Sienna's words suddenly echo in my ears.

Why didn't I wear the sexy bikini she bought me?

I don't know why this naughty thought suddenly crossed my mind. God, what the hell is wrong with me?

"...Nevaeh?" Aiden's voice snaps me out of my trance.

I shift my eyes to him, only to find him looking at me with wonder. He seems to have asked me a question, but I was too lost in my thoughts that I missed it.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"Do you miss them?" Aiden asks softly. "Your parents...and your home in Texas. Do you miss them?"

I nod. "I do."

Even though I'm happy here, I have to admit that I miss my family. I miss them so much.

"What about you?" I ask. "Don't you miss your family?"

Aiden gives me a soft smile and returns his gaze to the city. "I do. I miss them."

I can see love glinting in his eyes. I can see that he indeed loves his family so much. Seeing Aiden like this makes me remember all over again why I've been so drawn to him, ever since I saw him on his wedding day.

He's a man with so much love in his heart. He loves too fiercely it makes my heart break.

"Sometimes, it bothers me that I've made them feel sad." Aiden sighs.

His words make me listen to him intently.

"Even though I know that they were my home, I had to leave them." Sadness fills his voice. "I was at a point in my life where I felt so lost. I needed time alone. I was...shutting off."

Each of his words hurts me. But then, I realize that I'm witnessing something good. Aiden is opening up. He's slowly letting me know about his past.

He's now sharing his pain, isn't he?

"Is that why you're here?" I ask in a small voice. "In Seattle?"

"Yeah." Aiden smiles at me -- it's a sad one. "I was trying to distract my mind by working my ass off. When I'm busy, I don't have time to think about anything else and feel."

We stare into each other's eyes before he looks away. My eyes almost water as pain crosses his expression. It seems like it tortures him to let it out but it would torture him more if he didn't.

"I was betrayed, Nevaeh," Aiden says.

His voice is calm, but his eyes can't lie. Even though he's not looking at me, I can see that those amber eyes are broken.

"It was on our wedding day."

I'm trying my best to not cry. My heart shatters every time I remember that moment.

"You might have heard about it. The news was all over the world." Aiden lets out a forced chuckle, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "There were many versions, but most of them included my best friend. The reporters weren't stupid."

I shake my head in denial.

Please, stop. You don't need to continue.

My heart almost stops when Aiden's eyes land on me again. He looks so lost, as though those painful memories suddenly come crashing down on him like a trainwreck.

"I've been asking myself countless times about that," Aiden says. "The same question keeps coming back to me. 'Why?'"

I feel like he just slapped me in the face.

Staring into the agony on his face, hearing that broken voice, and realizing all over again how much Olivia's decision to leave him has been torturing him for years makes me want to disappear from this world.

It's partly my fault, Aiden. I had a part in making her run away with Roman that night. She didn't want to face the consequences.

Aiden looks away again and sighs, while I'm trying my best to prevent my tears from falling.

Why, Olivia? Why did you have to hurt him this much?

I avert my eyes from him too because it's just too much to look at him right now.

While I'm staring at the city lights instead, I can feel Aiden's gaze returned to me. Even though I can only notice it from the corner of my eye, I can feel his intense stare.

"It doesn't matter now, though," he whispers.

His words make my heart flip despite the guilt filling my insides.

He spoke as though I was his cure.

He doesn't know that I'm the villain.

"Don't you want to see your family?" I'm trying to switch the conversation. I don't want to be the center of it, to hear how much I mean to him. It pains me because I know how much I've hurt him.

"I do," Aiden chuckles lightly -- it wasn't forced anymore. He looks okay now that he's not talking about Olivia anymore. "I do want to go back to New York and see them."

I nod, still not looking at him. "Yeah. I can imagine how much they must be missing you." I plaster a small smile on my face. "You should go home once in a while."

Silence falls.

He doesn't say anything, and it makes me wonder.

I care about him so much that I want to know what he's feeling right now, and how he looks.

I turn my head, and my breath catches in my throat. I'm met with his tender smile.

"I think I'm already home," he says, looking into my eyes. "I think I've found a new home here, Nevaeh. With you."

My heart is going crazy. I feel like all the emotions building up inside me are going to make me burst in no time. Words stick in my throat--I can't let them out because I'm afraid that I will break.

Aiden leans closer to me and tilts my chin up. His lips meet mine in a soft kiss. My lips tremble before I kiss him back.

He pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around me. I lean into his touch, cupping his neck and pouring all my feelings into this kiss.

We kiss like two lovers trying to heal each other. Our kiss is gentle, filled with passion but not rushed.

I want to let him kiss me forever. I don't want to let go. It feels like Aiden's embrace and the warm water sipping through my skin makes my body melt.

But then, while I'm lost in this warmth, my heart screams.

I'm haunted by my fear, my guilt, that woman. My body is shaking as I think about her.

I hate that she makes me feel horrible.

Why, Olivia? Why are you still haunting me even though you're now gone? Why are you tossing all this guilt to me? It feels like you'll never let me be with Aiden, just like I made you walk away from him.

Why do you always make me feel like he will always love you more, that I don't deserve him, and that I came between you two? I can't help but think that I'm the villain in this story, the one he will leave in the end for you.

My eyes squeeze shut. I don't want to think about this. I don't want to think about her while I'm in Aiden's arms.

Is he thinking about her too while kissing me like this? Why do I always think that he still can't forget her?

Please, Olivia, can't you just let me be with Aiden? Can I not love him too?

I break our kiss. Aiden watches with a frown on his lips as I pull away. My tears are rolling down my cheeks, a sight he's trying to digest.

"Nevaeh." Worry is evident in his voice. "Why are you crying?"

I look at him with pleading eyes. "Can I ask you a favor?"

He stares at me with confusion. He's trying to read me, to figure out why I'm sad.

"Anything," he says in a soothing voice. His eyes hold determination, and I can see that it breaks him to see me crying. "Anything, Heaven."

I stare at him, bracing myself. "Will you make my wish come true?"