The CEO's Regret: His Lost Wife's Secret Twins novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

ARIA

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“Right.” My laugh came out bitter. Sharp as glass. “Because I’m just playing pretend. Learning from Emma. A poor copy of the real thing.

“That’s not what I said.”

“But it’s what you meant.” I started walking. Away from him. Away from this conversation. Away from the way his words cut deeper than

they should. “Go back to your guests, Blake. Go back to Emma. She’s waiting.”

“Aria-

“And stop giving me reasons to run.” I didn’t turn around. “You’re really good at that.”

His hand caught my wrist. Not hard. Just enough to stop me.

The touch burned.

“Let go.”

“Not until you listen.*

“Listen to what?” I tried to pull away. He held on. His fingers warm against my skin. “More explanations about why Emma deserves my

home? More reasons why everything I have should belong to her?”

“You’re being childish.”

The word hit harder than it should have.

Harder than his hand on my wrist. Harder than the news about the demolition. Harder than everything else combined.

“Childish.” I stared at our joined hands. His fingers around my wrist. His thumb against my pulse. “You know what’s childish, Blake? I saw those photos on my wall. I remember how you looked at them. How you touched my drawings. Asked about each one. And I thought-

I stopped. Shook my head. My vision blurred.

No. No crying.

“You thought what?”

“Nothing.” I yanked my hand free. The loss of his touch felt wrong. I hated that. “Forget it.”

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13:51 Mon, Jun 15

Chapter 44

‘Aria.

D:

“No.” I backed away. Put distance between us before I did something stupid. “You want to know what’s pathetic? I actually believed you cared. When you asked about the quilt, the bookshelf-I thought you saw me.”

‘I did see you.’

‘You saw someone who learned everything from Emma. Someone dancing a poor imitation. My voice cracked. ‘Someone whose home is expendable. Just another property line.”

“That’s not-

“It is. The words came faster. Harder. “Those photos you saw? I hung them because they reminded me I could be more than Christine’s mistake. More than the help’s daughter. But you looked at them and saw someone playing dress-up in Emma’s shadow.”

Blake went very still.

‘I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.” I turned away. Started walking. “Go back inside. Your real dancer is waiting. The one who deserves a studio built on my childhood’s ruins.”

This time when I walked away, he didn’t follow.

BLAKE

I watched Aria’s hand move toward Matthew’s face, her fingers reaching to brush his hair aside. Something hot and violent twisted in my chest. My hand moved before my brain caught up, slamming the whiskey glass down so hard the marble bar cracked.

What the hell was wrong with me?

She wasn’t allowed to touch him. The thought came unbidden, irrational. She was my assistant, my contract wife-she could touch whoever she wanted. It didn’t matter. Shouldn’t matter.

But seeing her fingers inches from Matthew’s skin made my jaw clench so tight my teeth ached. Everyone in the room jumped at the sound, but I only saw her hand pulling back, her green eyes meeting mine with that steady defiance.

This was Matthew fucking Redwood. The man whose family blamed hers for everything. She should hate him, not… not whatever this was.

When Emma mentioned the carriage house-her new dance studio at the Grant estate-I saw Arla’s face drain of color. She grabbed her purse with shaking hands and headed for the door.

Good. Let her leave. One less headache to deal with.

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13:51 Mon, Jun 15

Chapter 44

But my body betrayed me. I was on my feet before she reached the exit, following her like some trained dog. Why? It made no sense. She was being dramatic about nothing-a run-down house that needed demolition anyway.

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Now I watched her disappear into the darkness.

My hand still burned where I’d grabbed her wrist. Still felt the flutter of her pulse against my fingers. The way her skin had been cold from the night air.

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