fucking idiot.
That part is why I’m in a losing battle against the damn rock.
I attempt pushing him away, but he has me under his perfect control as he ravages my mouth.
The kiss is a punishment as much as it’s a claim.
It’s a brute force and bruising without an ounce of tenderness.
Not that Aiden does tenderness, but he used to at least deceive me before.
He used to try being gentle.
The mask dropped and he’s showing his true colours now.
He’s playing the real game.
But it takes two armies to go to battle.
I bite his lip back the hardest I can. A metallic taste explodes on my tongue.
Aiden stops for a moment as if he’s taken aback. I seize the chance and shove him away.
Blood oozes on the side of his mouth, and I try not to get caught in the sight.
I made him bleed.
I made Aiden King bleed.
I can still feel the metallic taste on my tongue and stuck between my lips and teeth.
That itch to wash my hands overwhelms me out of nowhere. It takes everything in me not to bolt out of here.
If I do, Aiden would think I’m running away from him and I promised I’d never do that anymore.
He wipes the slight injury with his thumb slowly then stares at it as if it’s a wonder.
Or a curse.
“You and I are over, King,” I announce loud enough for everyone in our surroundings to hear. “Stop being a clingy, annoying ex.”
A few gasps erupt around us.
While he’s still watching the blood on his thumb, I hit my shoulder against his and walk out with my head held high.
7
Elsa
Kim and Knox find me outside running down the street from Ronan’s house. They decide to call it a night, too.
I’m thankful Kim doesn’t ask questions and just stays by my side in the back seat as Knox drives us home.
Once I’m in front of my house, Kim switches places to the passenger seat and rolls the window down. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay the night? We can watch some cheesy rom-com?”
“Kir needs you more than me.”
She winces, then smothers it with a smile. “Text me?”
“You bet.” I bend to meet Knox’s gaze. “Thanks for everything, Knox, and I’m sorry.”
“You did nothing wrong.” He winks and the car revs to life.
I stand at the threshold, crossing the coat over my chest until Knox’s Range Rover disappears down the road.
“I’m back,” I say to no one as I step into the door.
The house is empty and… cold.
As usual when Aunt and Uncle aren’t here.
Maybe I should’ve been selfish and asked Kim to stay the night.
For some reason, I don’t want to be alone tonight.
Once in my room, I remove my coat and throw it on the desk’s chair, open the balcony, then drop on my bed headfirst.
Since I left the party, there’s been this crushing weight on my chest. It’s suffocating my air and making me feel claustrophobic in my own skin.
I won tonight.
Not only did I stop Aiden, but I also humiliated him in front of the entire school like no one did before.
He’s the king after all. No one would dare to look him in the eye for more than five seconds, let alone disrespect him while the entire student body is in earshot.
But I did.
I won.
Then how come I feel no sense of victory? If anything, it’s a bit emptier inside.
Rolling on my back, I stare through the balcony at the rain.
It’s barely a drizzle, but I feel it in my bones. The scent of the earth after rain fills my nostrils and a sigh rips from me.
I pull my phone and type in Google’s search bar, Alicia King’s death.
Several articles come by. All of them state that Alicia died in a car accident. Her crashed car was found at the bottom of a cliff. The coroner’s report says that it took her several hours to die. Since the place is desolate and it was raining that day, it took people some time to find her.
I swallow, my fingers hovering on the screen of the phone.
How did she feel during those hours as she slowly and painfully died in her car?
It hurts to even imagine it.
Some reporters speculate that she had suicidal tendencies and King Enterprises is just camouflaging it as an accident.
They also speculate that James King, Jonathan’s eldest brother and Levi’s father, who was reported to have died from an accident four years ago, actually died from an overdose.
If that’s true, then Jonathan does