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Bree and I follow closely behind, watching and waiting. Aiden walks up to his father, scrunches his hand into a fist, then punches him square in the face. The crack resounds through the room. I gasp, my hand rushing to my mouth in shock.
“Aiden, what the—” Niall yells but stops because his chair gives way as he falls backward to the floor in a flurry of arms and legs.
Aiden towers over him. “How the hell did you think you could get away with this bullshit? Tormenting my fiancée right under my nose? I fucking hate you. Do you hear me? I don’t even know who you are. You’re nothing to me. And Jeni… she’s absolutely everything. Consider this my resignation. Go fuck yourself, you pathetic old man,” Aiden snaps, then he storms out of the office past me, pushing me out of the way, as Niall glares with blood running out of his nose.
I stand, shuddering with my arms wrapped around my body, my heart racing in my chest as Brielle walks over to her father, squatting by his side to help him.
I bite my bottom lip, shaking like a damn leaf in a strong breeze, but then realize I need to go after Aiden. Running into his office, I watch him throwing anything he can find into a box. He rips his certificates off the wall and throws them with such force, the glass breaks. But he doesn’t care, he’s on a mission to pack up as quickly as possible.
“Aiden… wait,” I murmur as I walk in and close the door gently behind me.
“Why?” he asks loudly. He never speaks to me like this so it shocks me for a second as he thrusts his hands into the air in frustration.
I furrow my eyebrows and shake my head. I’m confused. Why? What does that mean?
“Why didn’t you tell me, Jeni?” he shouts as he throws a heavy leather-bound book into the box with extra force.
I lean out and take his arm trying to placate him. “Babe, stop! Please, calm down. It’s not as bad as you think.”
“What the hell, Jeni. Not as bad as I think? My fucking father is threatening you with Jason, and God knows what else, and you let him do that to you?” His eyes soften like he’s in physical pain. “Why? Tell me why? Tell me now, so I can understand this bullshit.”
Aiden looks so hurt and angry that honestly, I don’t know what to say. So, I reach out and touch his shoulder. He sighs, turns toward me picking me up and holds me so tightly I can barely breathe but find the strength to start talking. “I kn
ew you would hate him for it, and I knew you would react exactly like this. I don’t want you to leave the family business because of me, Aiden. Honestly, I can put up with his abuse. What I can’t put up with is the fact you will leave here because I can’t get along with Niall. Your relationship with him is far too important, and I can’t be the one to come between you and him… I just can’t, Aiden.”
He looks at me with scrunched eyebrows. “My relationship with him was over the minute he called you a floozy that night at the retirement ball. He’s nothing to me… I can’t believe this was happening right under my nose, and I didn’t see it. I’m such a foolish and naïve man. I knew you were jumpy. I’ve watched you react to things that you normally wouldn’t. But not for one second did I even think Father was tormenting you like this. The fact he threatened you makes my blood fucking boil…” He holds me tighter to him. “Fuck!” he yells so loudly my ears ring.
“I’m taking you home now. I don’t want any arguments, Jeni. I’m putting my foot down on this one. What that fuckhead has put you through is unforgivable. I can’t imagine the psychological damage he’s done. To know my asshole of a father is the one who’s been tormenting you makes me so angry. Honestly, I want to punch him all over again. I’ve never felt this way before, baby, and it scares me. That’s why we have to go home. We must leave now. Because I don’t know what I’ll do if I see him again. Do you understand me?”
I completely understand where he’s coming from and agree. I handled this all wrong. I can only imagine how he’s feeling, and it can’t be anything other than pure anger toward his father. “Okay, we’ll go home, but before we do, there’s something I should tell you.”
The expression on his face sinks. “Okay?”
I swallow hard. “The day Bree and I were late getting back from lunch, you know the day when you and Mike were looking for us, and I didn’t have my phone…”
“Yeah, I remember. I was so worried about you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry for not telling you where we really went.”
He furrows his brows. “What do you mean. Where did you go, Jeni? Tell me.”
“Don’t be mad, but Brielle took me to see a psychologist. She was really nice, and she completely gets me, but I didn’t—”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Don’t be mad? Jeni, I’m glad, no ecstatic, you’ve seen someone. But why wouldn’t you tell me about it? You’ve been keeping these secrets from me, and you go on and on about trust? Where’s your fucking trust in me? I have done nothing but trust you and love you since we met, and this is how you repay me? Jeni, can’t you see how completely fucked up this all is?” He breathes heavily out his nose. “I’m so beyond angry I just don’t know what to do. What else have you lied to me about?”
My bottom lip starts to quiver. “It’s not that I lied to you, it was just omitting some facts.”
“Oh, and so you think that’s okay? Do you? Keeping me in the dark, so you suffer in silence while I’m oblivious to the fact that you’re drowning in a sea of desperation caused by my asshole of a father. Jeni, remember the word ‘trust’ because you obviously have none in me, so why should I bother?”
“Aiden, please.” My chest squeezes so tight I feel like I can’t breathe.
“No, Jeni, this is ridiculous. What else aren’t you telling me? I want to know everything, and I want to know it all right now!”
Aiden’s so far beyond angry, he’s beyond reasoning with. I’m not sure if I should tell him or not, but I think if I don’t say anything and keep him in the dark any longer, it will break him. So, I decide to tell him absolutely everything.
“Okay. But promise me you won’t go in there and commit murder. I can’t lose you again, Aiden.”
“I can’t promise you anything right now.” He looks right through me, the disappointment is so clear. His body’s rigid, and his eyes are a glassy, stern pool of bitter anger. I bite my bottom lip and exhale, preparing myself to tell him everything.
