My phone rang again, and I didn't even have to look to know who it was.
I sighed and answered, already annoyed. "What do you want, Lydia?"
She didn't speak right away—just the sound of sobbing and shaky breathing on the other end.
"I need to tell you something," she finally choked out, her voice thick with guilt. "You're going to be so mad at me, Alaina, but I have to say it."
I rolled my eyes and put the phone on speaker just as Aaron walked in, holding a folder of papers for me to sign. He gave me a questioning look and mouthed, "Should I go?"
I shook my head and took the papers from him, flipping them open.
"I'm really busy right now, Lydia."
"Please don't hang up."
"I've got to go—"
" Just listen, please!"
Her voice cracked, and I paused. I put the papers down and stared at the phone, a knot tightening in my gut.
"Sissy, what is it?"
Silence. And then, the words that would knock the air out of my lungs.
"I had sex with Josh."
I laughed. I actually laughed out loud—because it was the only reaction my brain could manage.
"No, you didn't," I said, shaking my head, eyes wide in disbelief. "You wouldn't. Not after he put me through."
But she didn't say anything. Just breathed.
My voice dropped, slow and dangerous. "Lydia, you better be fucking joking right now."
"I'm not," she whispered. "After you left, he said he had nowhere to go. I let him move in."
I stared down at my hands, trying to control the rising rage in my chest. "Are you kidding me?"
"I know, I know, I messed up—but that's not the worst part." Her voice cracked again. "I'm pregnant. It's his."
I stood up. Aaron crossed his arms, his presence like a silent wall behind me, but I couldn't focus on anything except the heat boiling under my skin.
"Tell me," I said, voice trembling, "that you didn't do the one thing I made you promise me."
Lydia started screaming through the phone, sobbing harder. "He got me drunk, Alaina! I wasn't thinking, and I gave him your number. And your address. I didn't know what to do—it all happened so fast—"
I slammed my fist onto the desk. My body shook. My vision blurred.
"You gave him my address?!"
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—please don't hate me, I wasn't the same after Daniel left—"
"You tell him," I snarled, "that if he comes here, I'll fucking him. And you? Lose my number. You're dead to me."
I felt Aaron's hand land gently on my shoulder, steadying me.
"I never meant for any of this to happen," Lydia whimpered. "You don't understand how broken I was…"
I didn't even hear the rest. My stomach twisted violently, and I reached for the trash can, throwing up until I couldn't breathe.
Aaron picked up the phone, his voice calm and firm. "This is Alaina's boss. She has to hang up now. I think it's best you listen."
He ended the call.
I sank into my chair, my whole body trembling. Aaron crouched down in front of me, gently tilting my chin until I looked him in the eyes.
"Breathe," he said softly.
I tried.
"Should I be concerned about this Josh person?" he asked, scanning my face.
I hesitated. I didn't want to open up that box—not here, not with him.
"If he comes here? Yeah. But for now... it's nothing."
I didn't believe it myself. I felt eyes on me constantly. Couldn't stop looking over my shoulder.
I went shopping for the business trip to Hong Kong, buying sleek black suits, five pairs of Armani heels. Efficient. Safe.
But on my way out, I saw it—this red dress in the display window. It was bold. Powerful. Everything I didn't feel but desperately wanted to.
I stepped back inside and asked the saleswoman for it. She looked me up and down with a plastic smile.
Ten minutes later, I handed her the black card.
Aaron had given me the company card for expenses. Still, something about handing it over, seeing the shift in her expression—it made me feel like again. Or the version I wanted to become.
The plane landed in Hong Kong at 10 PM.
The city was alive—buzzing, glowing, electric. It filled a space inside me I didn't know had gone empty.
Aaron guided me down the plane stairs with one hand lightly on my back, the other glued to his phone.
"We're meeting with some business partners tonight," he said, voice all-business.
I nodded, trying to shake off the heaviness of Lydia's betrayal.
"Do I have to worry about someone you've slept with here?" I asked, feigning nonchalance.
He looked up from his phone and smirked. "No, ma'am. I don't leave broken hearts behind across continents."
I scoffed, stepping out from under his touch. His hand fell from my waist. He sighed, but he still wore that smug little grin.
"I really enjoy how difficult you are," he said. "Just reminds me to make you beg for more later."
I stopped in my tracks.
He walked past me like he had all the time in the world.
And for the first time, I looked at him—his golden-brown hair, clean and stylish. Those piercing blue eyes. The strong jawline. His hands. Those hands that knew exactly what to do.
When we got to the hotel in the heart of the city, he was still on calls, commanding attention like it was second nature.
My phone buzzed again. Another text from Lydia—more apologies.
I turned my phone off and stared out the window.
The city glittered beneath us. A pulse of neon and movement. I wished I could stay here forever. Melt into this energy. Reinvent myself as someone powerful, untouched, untouchable.
In Hong Kong, no one knew my past.
And for the first time in years, I felt like maybe—just maybe—I could outrun it.