Chapter 60
It was just one simple word. But it hit me hard. My heart ached for Aaron. I knew he didn’t want me to leave. I didn’t want to either. But the situation couldn’t be helped.
“I just…” I turned onto my side to face him. I wanted him to see the worry in my eyes, to make him understand that I was hurting just as much as he was. “There are new scandals every day, Aaron. They used to be just about me, and today, your name was dragged into it. I can’t do that to you. I want to keep you far away from this. I can’t drag you down with me.”
He furrowed his eyebrows and tightened his jaw. “Drag me down? Why can’t you handle these issues here in my home?”
“You don’t understand,” I whispered. I paused before speaking again, trying to find the right words. Aaron’s first instinct was to keep me close and protect me. This might just be the hardest thing to get him to agree to.
“Look… everything has spiraled into some kind of farce, a grand performance just to get rid of me. And now you’re caught in it too. That’s not fair to you.”
“Jane…” He sat up slightly, resting on his elbow as he looked down at me, frustration etched into his features. “I don’t give a damn about fairness. You think I didn’t know what I was signing up for? You think I didn’t know what I was doing when I fell for you? I want you here. With me. I don’t want you to go anywhere else.”
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I sighed. He was being pretty stubborn about this.
“It’s not forever,” I said. “It’s only temporary. Just until things calm down.”
Aaron’s eyes searched mine as if he was trying to gauge how serious I was. I didn’t blame him. I still couldn’t believe I’d come to this decision. But I was certain it was the right thing to do.
“And what if things stay quiet for weeks? Months? Are you just going to keep running every time the wind picks up?”
I flinched. He had a point. “I’m not running away. I’m trying to be considerate. You might not care about the gossip surrounding you, but I do. It’s the same way you care about me.
“I don’t need you to protect me, Jane. I can take care of myself. You didn’t bulldoze into my life the way I did yours. I want to face this with you.”
Aaron wasn’t listening to me. He just wanted to fix all my problems himself. But I could do something about it too.
I let out a humorless laugh out of frustration. “You say that now, but what happens when it starts affecting your business? Your name has already been affected. It’ll only take a minute until it spreads. One day, you’re going to be forced to choose… me or the company.”
He didn’t even blink. “Then I’ll choose you. Every time. No questions asked.”
Oh, Aaron. “That’s not how the world works.” I shook my head. “It’s unrealistic. I’m a liability to you. Scandal follows me everywhere. I just have to exist and rumors begin. And it will surround you too if you’re
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too close to me. You can’t pretend like that won’t matter.”
But he just looked at me with an unwavering gaze. “You gave me something real, something worth fighting for.”
Ugh… I swear. He was being so unbelievably stubborn, that I wanted to pull my hair out.
“I know. Trust me, I feel the exact same way. But I need to do this.”
He paused for a beat, and then he sighed.
“Okay,” I said, pushing him back down onto the bed from his upright position. “I’ll let you sneak in and visit me once a week.”
He broke into a grin, the first in the past few minutes. “You want me to risk my reputation just to see you?”
I shrugged with mock innocence. “Well, it would make our relationship a lot more exciting. High risk, high reward.”
Aaron leaned in close, eyes slightly glowing red as his voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re a dangerous woman, Jane.”
“Maybe,” I murmured with a smirk and pushed myself further into him. “But I’m your dangerous woman.”
”
That earned me another kiss. I felt his lips turn up into a grin against mine.
Everything was perfect right now. And it will get even better as soon as all of this drama is right behind me.
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