Bound to my Enemy-Chapter 187.

"...and act like everything was fine."

His jaw clenches so hard I’m wondering how he hasn’t broken a tooth yet.

"Instead of doing what I actually wanted to do."

There’s a pause.

"Which is Punch the shit out of you."

The room feels colder as he takes a step closer.

"And I hated you," he says.

"I fucking hated you."

My chest tightens painfully, because I never saw it not even once.

"You should have died that day you knw," he continues.

His voice quieter now and almost thoughtful.

"In that car."

My stomach drops.

"What...?"

"The accident," he says, watching my reaction closely.

"By the bridge."

Everything in me goes still.

"You remember it, don’t you? I mean how can you forget you had tremors passing that bridge again"

My throat goes dry.

"That wasn’t...,"

"Oh, don’t look so surprised," he cuts in, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Yes. I orchestrated that."

The words hit like me like a slap.

My breath catches.

"You... what?"

"But you survived," he goes on, like it annoys him.

"By some miracle, you survived that."

He shakes his head slightly.

"We couldn’t even find you after."

My mind is spinning now, trying to piece things together, trying to understand how deep this goes. The whole accident felt sus and I remember questioning him after but I didn’t put much thought into it cause I trusted him.

"And then," he continues, "I started getting the feeling you were catching on."

His eyes narrow slightly.

"So I had to back off a bit and wait."

"Waited."

His lips curl agai

"For the right time."

He gestures around the room.

"And look at you now."

My stomach twists violently.

"You walked right into it, you walked right into the trap I set for you. You stupid stupid bitch."

My hands tighten against the rope, the earlier relief gone, replaced with something much darker.

"That waitress?" he adds casually and my heart drops again.

"Yes," he says before I can even speak.

"That was supposed to be you."

The room feels like it tilts.

"But she just had to step in front of the shot."

His tone is irritated and annoyed, like ke her death was an inconvenience.

"The stupid bitch."

A voice cuts in from the side.

"Hey." The man who loosened my ropes earlier steps forward slightly.

"The boss wanted her alive. Why would you order her to be shot diwn?"

Aaron’s head snaps toward him fast, his expression darkening instantly.

"Don’t tell me what to do," he snaps.

His voice sharp and fangerous.

"You think any of this would have happened without me?"

The man doesn’t respond but he doesn’t back down either as Aaron takes a step toward him.

"It’s because of me," he says, jabbing a finger toward his own chest.

"Everything."

Then his gaze flicks back to me and the look in his eyes.....It’s worse now because there’s no hiding it anymore and no pretending.

My head is still spinning, for everything he’s saying nd everything he’s admitting like it’s normal.

I stare at him, trying to piece it together, trying to understand how all of this fits. It doesn’t, none of it does.

"So what now?" I ask.

My voice comes out steadier than I feel.

"What’s the plan, Aaron?"

I swallow, my throat still dry.

"Because I don’t get it."

My eyes stay on his.

"You tried to protect me back there."

I gesture weakly with my hands, the rope still tight but looser than before.

"At the ice cream shop... in the car..."

My brows pull together.

"You were dragging me out, shielding me...."

My voice tightens.

"I even shot one of them."

My stomach twists.

"You were there," I continue, quieter now.

"So what is this? Why do all that just to bring me here?"

Aaron watches me for a second then he huffs out a small breath. Almost amused.

"Yeah," he says.

"You did."

There’s no praise in it, jus acknowledgment.

"I’ll have to deal with that later."

My stomach drops.

"What?"

"The ones you killed," he says casually.

"I’ll have to answer for that."

Like it’s an inconvenience, nothing more. My fingers curl slightly against the rope, cold anger creeping in.

"But I didn’t have a choice," he continues.

"I had to protect you."

I blink.

"Why?"

That’s the part that doesn’t make sense, nt after everything he just said, noot after all this.

He tilts his head slightly, like the answer is obvious.

"Cameras."

"There are surveillance cameras in that shop."

My chest tightens.

"And you think Zane won’t check?" he adds.

Of course he will. Of course Zane will tear that place apart looking for answers.

Aaron takes a step closer.

"I needed him to see it," he says.

"To see me protecting you."

Something cold slides down my spine.

"To see me doing my job."

His lips curve slightly.

"And Doing it well."

I stare at him.

"You’re insane."

He ignores that.

"Because when you’re gone..." he continues, almost like he’s talking to himself now.

"I’ll still be there."

My stomach twists.

"I’ll be the one he trusts again."

His eyes flicker with something dangerous as unnderstanding hits.

"You think this will make him come back to you," I say.

It’s not even a question, it’s a statement and it sounds as ridiculous out loud as it feels in my head.

He doesn’t even deny it.

I let out a short, disbelieving breath.

"You’re delusional."

His jaw tightens slightly.

"If you think Zane will ever love you," I continue, my voice firmer now despite everything.

"Like that..."

The slap comes so fast I don’t even see it coming until pain explodes across my face as my head jerks to the side, a sharp ringing filling my ears.

For a second, everything goes blank thn it rushes back. The heat spreading across my cheeek, the metallic taste in my mouth where my teeth must’ve cut into something.

"Shut the fuck up," Aaron snaps.

My head hangs slightly to the side, my breathing uneven.

Slowly, I turn back to face him, my cheek throbbing and eyes burning with unshwd tears.