Chapter 9: The Truth in Shadows
Kade Val wasn't a man who liked unfinished business, especially when it clawed at him relentlessly, refusing to let go. It had been weeks since that night—weeks of silent torment that buzzed in his head no matter how much work he buried himself in. He tried to forget her, to reduce that night to a mistake, a drunken blur, but the memory was vivid. Her trembling lips, the innocence in her touch… her pain.
And then she disappeared.
No texts. No calls. No trace.
At first, he thought she was just avoiding him. After all, they had history—messy, bitter, painful history. He had been a bastard, and he knew it. What he didn't expect was the growing knot of concern in his chest. He had sent a few messages. No response. He called once. Straight to voicemail.
Kade wasn't used to being ignored. He wasn't used to caring either. But somehow, Aria had crawled back into his life—uninvited—and had the audacity to haunt him.
So he did what any resourceful billionaire would do.
He hired someone.
"Her name's Aria Lode," he had told the investigator. "She's twenty, she used to work at Carmine's café downtown. Find out where she is… and if she's okay."
The investigator, a lean man with sharp eyes and a sharper mind, had raised a brow. "You want me to look into a girl you slept with?"
"No," Kade had said coldly. "I want you to look into a girl I hurt... and who hasn't been the same since."
---
It took less than a week.
Kade was seated in his penthouse office when his investigator arrived, a sleek brown file in his hand and a subtle grimness on his face.
"She quit her job at Carmine's two weeks ago. Paid off the last month of her rent. According to her neighbor, she said she was going away for a while. Nobody knows where."
Kade leaned back in his chair, brows furrowing. "Where did she go?"
"That's the thing, sir." The man opened the file and pulled out a few printed photos, placing them gently on the desk. "She didn't go far. She moved two cities away—to a small coastal town called Merlow Bay. Changed her phone number. She's staying in a budget inn under a different name."
Kade's eyes narrowed as he picked up the photo of Aria leaving the grocery store with a brown paper bag cradled to her stomach. She looked tired. Pale. Her figure had changed slightly.
"She's pregnant," the investigator said softly, confirming what Kade's gut had already screamed the moment he saw the photo.
The words hit Kade like a hammer.
Pregnant.
He dropped the photo back onto the desk like it burned him. "Are you sure?"
The man nodded. "She was seen visiting a local clinic multiple times. I had someone speak to a nurse anonymously. She's about nine weeks along."
Kade's throat tightened.
Nine weeks.
That night.
It was his.
He stood abruptly, pacing the length of his office as the gravity of it sank in. Aria—Aria Lode—was carrying his child. And she hadn't told him. She hadn't even tried.
She'd just… disappeared.
Maybe he deserved that. After everything. After humiliating her two years ago, after tossing her aside like she meant nothing. But this wasn't just about their past.
This was a life.
His child.
His and Aria's.
Kade turned back to the investigator. "Has she said anything to anyone about the father?"
"No. She's been keeping to herself. Doesn't seem to talk to anyone beyond basic conversations. She's clearly trying to disappear."
Kade ran a hand through his hair, frustration flickering in his chest. "I need her address. I need to talk to her—face to face."
The investigator hesitated. "Sir, forgive me for saying this, but… are you sure this is the right approach? She clearly doesn't want to be found."
"I don't care what she wants right now," Kade snapped, then paused, softening his voice. "I mean… I care. But this isn't just about her anymore. It's about the child. My child. I have the right to know. To be involved."
The man nodded slowly and handed him a final sheet. "This is her current location. I suggest you go alone. If she sees you with a driver or security, she might run again."
Kade took the paper and stared at the address.
Merlow Bay.
He would find her. He would talk to her. And he would fix this—even if she hated him.
Especially if she hated him.
Because this time, he wasn't walking away.
---
Merlow Bay, Later That Night
Aria curled up on the twin bed of her small inn room, wrapped in an oversized hoodie, her hand resting gently on her flat stomach.
She hadn't cried in days.
She thought that meant she was healing. Or maybe she was just… numb now.
She had no job. No home. No family. Just this tiny room and the quiet sounds of the ocean outside her window.
And a baby.
She still hadn't told anyone.
It was easier this way. No judgement. No pity. No reminders that the father was a man who once called her a child… and then took everything from her under the haze of hotel lights and broken memories.
But even now, even after all that… her heart ached when she thought of Kade Val.
She wanted to hate him.
But she hated herself more.
She closed her eyes and whispered to the baby growing inside her. "I'll protect you. Even if it means staying far away from him."
She didn't know that at that very moment… someone had just checked into the room next door.
And he knew exactly who he was looking for.