She inhales sharply. “What made you stop?”
“You.” More specifically, her voice. It floated to me in the dark a split second before I was about to jump. “You saved me that night, angel.”
Confusion dots the contours of her face. “Which night?”
“The very first night.”
“The terrace?” she shakily says. I nod. “Oh my god… if I hadn’t shown up, you were… I would’ve-”
I press my thumb to her lips, not letting her finish the sentence. “It was fate. You were supposed to save me. Why do you think I call you my angel?”
I’m not her knight in shining armor.
She is mine.
My guardian angel, who saved me yet again.
Pushing my hand down, she timidly asks, “Do you still have this thought?”
“I haven’t since you came into my life a second time. I came close to doing it once, but I’m telling you I will never again. It will send me away from you and I could never bear to be apart from you. The moment you saved me, my life became yours, Ari.”
“Then you better guard it strongly, Nathan.” Her voice is a commanding purr, fierce and brimming with love. “You will get help to work on your mental health struggles. Talk to a professional who will help you heal. You will stop keeping things to yourself. You will ask for help. You’re going to move on from your past. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
My forehead presses against hers and I promise, “I will do it all.”
“You’re not alone. Not only do you have me, but you also have all your friends and your big brother.”
“They’re here?”
“Yeah.” She smiles. “All of them. Even Iris. They haven’t left your side and have been worried sick about you. Kian is handling the cops, who took your father away in cuffs. He’s going to rot in jail for the rest of his miserable life.”
“I need to give my statement.”
“They will come later. Will you tell me what happened? It’s what you were protecting me from, weren’t you?”
“Yes. My father was involved in a shady deal and did money laundering for a mafia thug when we ran the company. He’s been badgering me to do the same with his son, who has taken over the business. They are very dangerous people, and I couldn’t put you at risk. I caused the scandal to keep my father’s attention off me. To create a diversion.”
“I understand, but you put yourself at risk too, Nathan.”
“I set things in motion before we met,” I explain, needing her to know I never meant to hurt her. “After everything myfather’s done and the lives he’s ruined, I wanted to bring him down.”
“You did.”
“At what cost though?” My gaze roams over her black and blue scars. “You still got harmed. I want to find him and kill him with my bare hands.”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “You will let the police and the lawyers handle it. Death would be letting him off easy. He deserves to suffer. You won’t do anything rash. Promise me, Nathan.”
With the rage pulsing in my veins, I want to refuse. But Arya’s wishes will always come first. “Okay. I promise.”
Her nerves melt away and she falls boneless against my chest.
I lie down, taking her with me.
“I need to call the doctor to check on you,” she mumbles, trying to rise.
I halt her by turning her over and bringing her back against my chest. “Later. I want to hold you for now.”
“You were poisoned, Nathan. Let them make sure you’re all right.”
