Chapter 8 – The Face from Before
Aria's body locked into stillness. Her heart beat in her throat, fast and uneven. The man in the doorway stepped into the light, and the air felt like it cracked around her.
Caleb.
His hair was shorter than she remembered. Neater. A beard trimmed too perfectly. But the smile—the one she had once mistaken for warmth—was still the same. Crooked. Sharp. Dangerous.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," he said, voice low and lazy, like they were meeting over coffee instead of in an abandoned loft past midnight.
Aria took a step back. "What are you doing here?"
He gestured around the room. "Watching the same show you just did. Nostalgic, wasn't it?"
"You filmed it."
"Of course I did. And now you have it." He looked at the laptop. "You're welcome, by the way. That kind of evidence doesn't come cheap."
Her stomach churned. "Why are you really here?"
Caleb stepped forward. "Because you married the devil, Aria. And I want to watch you bring him down."
She swallowed hard. "I don't want to be part of whatever game you're playing."
"Game?" He laughed once. "Sweetheart, this isn't a game. This is about power. And survival. And whether you realize it or not, you're already on the board."
Aria stared at him, pulse racing. "You sent the message about the baby."
His smile faded. "No. I didn't."
Silence. Not the answer she expected.
"You didn't?"
Caleb shook his head. "That wasn't me. But I'm not surprised. You're a walking liability right now. Kade has enemies. And if he's reckless enough to get you pregnant, well..." He raised an eyebrow. "That changes things for a lot of people."
Aria felt like the ground was shifting beneath her. If Caleb wasn't the one threatening her, then who was?
"I want nothing from you," she said flatly. "This isn't about revenge or unfinished business. I left you. You don't get to pull me back into your chaos."
"You left me for good reason," he said quietly, too quietly. "But Kade Vale is worse than I ever was. And you know it."
Aria turned toward the door. She couldn't listen anymore. Couldn't afford to get tangled in his web again.
"You might want to ask him about Marcus's death," Caleb called after her. "That video you just saw? It was filmed two weeks before Marcus was found dead in his apartment. No forced entry. No note. The cops ruled it a suicide."
She stopped.
"But he wasn't the type," Caleb said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Sound familiar?"
Aria gripped the edge of the stairwell as she fled the building, the cold night slicing through her coat like knives.
---
By the time she returned to the penthouse, it was nearly 2 a.m. The city pulsed below, a constant reminder that time didn't wait for anyone. Least of all her.
She shut the front door quietly, unsure if Kade was asleep. Unsure if she wanted him to be.
The living room was dark, save for the glow of a fire low in the hearth.
And there he was. Sitting on the couch, shirt sleeves rolled up, drink in hand. Eyes on her the moment she entered.
"Where were you?" he asked, voice low and level.
Aria didn't bother lying. "Mercer Street."
He stiffened. "Why?"
She pulled the flash drive from her coat and placed it on the table.
"You tell me."
Kade stared at it for a long time. Then he downed his drink in one motion.
"So you know."
"I know you were willing to let a man die to keep your company clean."
His jaw flexed. "It wasn't that simple."
"It never is, is it?"
He looked up at her then. And for once, Aria thought she saw something crack in his expression. Guilt. Or something close to it.
"I didn't kill him, Aria."
"But you didn't save him either."
A beat passed.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
"Because I didn't want to lose what little trust you had left."
She folded her arms. "Too late."
He stood slowly. Walked toward her.
"There's more you don't know," he said.
She shook her head. "I'm not sure I want to."
Then Kade said something that chilled her to her core:
"Marcus wasn't the only one who died to protect this company."
She blinked. "What?"
He didn't answer. He turned away and walked toward the bar, pouring another drink.
Aria stood there, heart pounding. Every instinct screamed at her to ask more. To dig deeper. But she was too tired. Too afraid of what came next.
Instead, she walked to her room. Closed the door behind her. And cried for the first time since the wedding.
---
Morning came gray and cold. Rain whispered against the windows.
Aria sat on her bed, staring at the ultrasound appointment on her calendar. Three days away. She hadn't told anyone. Not Isla. Not Kade. The secret lived only inside her. And the silence around it was becoming unbearable.
Her phone buzzed.
A message. Unknown number again.
> "Tick-tock, Aria. The baby's not the only thing growing."
She stared at it, cold washing over her limbs. A threat? A warning? What did they mean?
Down the hall, Kade's voice echoed faintly. He was on the phone. Calm. Commanding. Business as usual.
But everything had changed.
And as Aria closed her eyes, one truth settled over her like a shadow:
Whatever game Kade was playing, she was no longer just a pawn.
She was the wildcard.
And someone out there was betting she wouldn't survive the hand.