Chapter 60: Chapter 60; I can’t let her leave

Aiden’s POV

Boca’s words kept ringing in my head the whole drive home. They didn’t scare me, but they refused to leave me alone.

"You shouldn’t have gone there," Knox said, worry clear in his voice. "And that Boca guy... why is he so fucking massive? He’s built like a damn wall."

"I don’t care about any of that," I snapped, eyes fixed on the road. My grip tightened on the steering wheel. "I hate the fact that he’s Alina’s brother."

"Fuck, that’s messed up," Knox muttered. "He hates your guts, man."

"I know." My jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

"What are you going to do now?"

I let out a sharp breath. "Nothing. They don’t scare me. They should be scared of me. I have what they want — Alina. And I’ll make sure she never goes back to them. Ever."

I dropped Knox off at the mechanic’s, then drove the rest of the way home in heavy silence. My hands squeezed the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. How dare he threaten me?

As soon as I stepped inside the house, I went straight to Alina’s room and knocked hard until I heard her soft voice.

"Come in."

I pushed the door open. She was sitting on the bed, looking calm until she saw my face.

"What’s the matter, Aiden?"

"Why didn’t you tell me your brother was Boca?" I asked, voice rough with anger.

She blinked, confused. "You didn’t ask."

"I shouldn’t have to fucking ask!" I raised my voice. "Do you know what kind of beast that guy is? He’s a monster, Alina."

"Why are you yelling at me?" Her voice cracked a little. "He’s still my brother."

I pushed my hair back roughly, trying to control the storm inside my chest. "No. You can’t associate with those people anymore. Ever."

Her eyebrows rose. "What do you mean by that?"

"You aren’t leaving this house, Alina."

She stared at me, shocked. "You can’t keep me here, Aiden. You promised that once things were stable again, you would let me go."

I stood there, breathing hard, looking at her. The thought of her walking out that door made something painful twist deep inside me. I didn’t want to lose her. I couldn’t. Not now. Not ever.

"Well, I lied, okay?" I said, my voice rising. "I can’t let you go out there and meet those people. I can’t put your life at risk."

Alina’s eyes flashed with anger. "No. They won’t even try to hurt me. Sammy is my brother, and I’ve finally reconnected with the last family I have. You want me to cut him off completely?"

"They aren’t good people, Alina. I’m trying to keep you safe."

"No, Aiden. You’re trying to isolate me, and I won’t let you." Her voice was firm, eyes steady. "I will finish what I came here for, and then I’m leaving."

My chest tightened. I couldn’t fight her right now. If I pushed too hard, she might find a way to slip away from me.

I forced a soft smile and lowered my voice. "Okay, fine. I shouldn’t have said any of that, Alina. I’m sorry if I sounded insensitive." I rubbed the back of my neck. "He’s your brother. It was wrong of me to tell you to stay away from him."

I gave her one last look before turning away. "I’ll leave you now."

The moment I closed her door, the smile dropped from my face like a mask. A deep frown settled in. I walked straight to my room, jaw tight.

Emily was already inside. She didn’t look happy to see me.

"I see you’re back," she said calmly. "I hope you greeted the love of your life before coming in here."

I ignored the sting in her words and pulled out the small box from my pocket. "Emily, I got you something."

Her expression shifted from annoyance to curiosity. I stepped closer and handed it to her.

She opened the box slowly. Her face lit up when she saw the necklace. "Oh my gosh, Aiden... you got me this? It’s so beautiful." Her voice filled with real happiness. "You even remembered my favorite color."

I watched her fingers trace the pendant. "I know this doesn’t make up for everything I’ve put you through," I said quietly, "but I want you to know I love you. I really appreciate you being in my life, and I won’t take you for granted anymore."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "So this is your way of bribing me?"

I shook my head and stepped closer. "Not really. This is my way of reminding you that you’re always going to be the one for me. No one else." The lie slipped out easily.

She smiled and touched the necklace again. "Of course. I am your wife, after all. And this is packed with Luna, so of course I forgive you." She stood up and wrapped her arms around me. "No more fighting. We’ll be peaceful from now on."

"No more fighting," I repeated, hugging her back. But even as I held my wife, my mind was somewhere else. All I could think about was Alina. Her eyes. Her voice. The way she said she would leave.

I tightened my arms around Emily, but inside, a desperate hunger burned. I needed to find a way — any way — to make sure Alina never left my side. The thought of her walking away felt like a knife slowly twisting in my chest. I couldn’t lose her. I wouldn’t.

I held Emily tighter than I needed to, my chin resting on top of her head. She smelled like her usual perfume, soft and familiar. But my mind was miles away — in the other wing of the house, in the room where Alina was probably still fuming.

Every beat of my heart whispered her name.

Even now, with my wife in my arms and her forgiveness warm against my chest, all I felt was this deep, aching hunger for Alina. The thought of her leaving made my stomach twist into knots. I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t survive it.