Sweet Hatred
Chapter 40: Thoughts

Chapter 40: Thoughts

"Aria— You—" Eric blurted out, his voice caught somewhere between desperation and disbelief.

"I believe your presence isn’t welcomed here." Kael cut in, his tone carrying the weight of an order rather than a suggestion. His arm tightened around me, his body a shield, firm and unwavering. The sharpness in his gaze was enough to slice through Eric’s bravado, but the idiot still had the audacity to act tough.

Eric straightened, puffing his chest as if that would somehow tilt the balance of power. "What the hell is this Aria? Are you trying to make me jealous?"

I scoffed, turning to face him, utterly unimpressed. "Jealous? You really think that highly of yourself, Eric?"

"I know I made a mistake, Aria," he insisted, his voice pitching higher with frustration. "But you kissing this guy in front of me? That’s low, even for you."

My muscles tensed, nails digging into my palm as I peeled away from Kael slightly to face Eric. This fucking—

But Kael’s hand tightened on my waist, drawing me back against him. He let out a low, almost pitying chuckle, like he was indulging a particularly dim-witted child. "A mistake?" He arched a brow, tilting his head as if Eric were some unfortunate pest that had wandered into his line of sight.

"Tell me, did she ask for your forgiveness, or are you just handing out meaningless absolution to make yourself feel better?" His gaze flicked between me and Eric with an exasperated sort of amusement, as though the very idea was beneath discussion.

"Whatever little fantasies you’ve been desperately clinging to—" he waved a lazy hand, dismissing them like an afterthought, "—are exactly that. Pathetic. Delusional."

Eric clenched his jaw, fists tightening, but before he could embarrass himself further, Kael’s gaze flicked to his guards. "Get rid of him. He’s dirtying my building."

The moment the guards moved forward, Eric paled, taking a step back. "Aria, don’t do this—just give me a chance to explain—you don’t even know the whole truth. Sa—"He stopped himself but I couldn’t careless what he had to say.

I had already turned away, wondering how I let such a loser in my life.

The second Eric was gone, something shifted in the air. I suddenly felt... weird, a lump suddenly formed in my throat. Like something inside me had cracked, but I quickly suppressed it. I wasn’t about to show weakness—not in front of him or anyone for that matter.

Kael’s voice was quieter when he spoke, his hand still resting on my waist. "Are you okay?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, then let out a scoff, masking whatever I was feeling with irritation. "Don’t expect any favors for playing hero."

His lips curled slightly, like he knew exactly what I was doing. "I don’t need to."

"Ugh." I pushed myself again him and turned on my heel, ready to march away, but before I could take a step, his fingers closed around my wrist, fingers clasping with mine. It wasn’t harsh—just firm, commanding like him.

I tensed but didn’t resist as he gently pulled me toward his car. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Niko toss the keys, which Kael caught effortlessly as he let go of my hand.

I glanced between him and the sleek black Rolls-Royce, understanding exactly what was happening. My jaw tightened, but instead of putting up my usual fight, I just glared sharply at him as Niko opened the door for me.

Kael smirked as he mouthed. "Good girl."

I slid into the seat, my body betraying me with the way it obeyed him so easily. I wanted to fight—defy him like I always did but something clung unto my body that made me stay quiet—maybe it was the exhaustion or the weight of that shameless mutt’s presence earlier. But as the door shut beside me, locking me in with Kael—the moment I slipped into the car, I knew I had made a mistake.

Not because of what just happened. Not because of the reckless kiss I had thrown at Kael like a desperate, foolish attempt to erase Eric’s presence from my skin. But because of him.

Kael sat beside me, exuding a quiet kind of dominance that was impossible to ignore. The scent of his cologne filled the air—the deep and smoky—laced with a subtle spice that felt as dangerous as the man himself never left my nostrils.

I clenched my hands in my lap as the car hummed to life. Oh God.

Don’t think about Eric.

Don’t think about the years we had spent together. Maybe it was the ton of shit I had going on that distracted me from the pain but seeing him again felt like a huge hit to my chest—the realization hitting me all over again.

I wanted to forget but I also didn’t want to. I was fighting the urge to ask why but I never did because what was the point. It was my fault anyways. I should have watched out for the signs.

Aria stop. Don’t think. I shut my eyes tight for a second.

Don’t remember the way his fingers had dug into my wrist outside the building.

Don’t think about the betrayal in his eyes, the silent why, Aria? Hanging between us when I had kissed Kael in front of him like he was nothing. Well he had become nothing to me but I once loved him. I really did. And for what?

Kael shifted beside me, resting one arm lazily on the steering wheel. The movement pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts, but it did nothing to ease the tension creeping into my bones.

I could feel him watching me.

Not outright staring. No, Kael never did anything so simple. He was always calculated, always measured. His gaze flicked to me in slow, deliberate glances, as if studying the way I sat stiffly in his car.

Like I didn’t belong here. Like I was fighting something. Because I was. My thoughts, the deep ache settling in my chest that I knew now would be hard to get rid of without trying to get myself killed in the process.

The city lights blurred past the windshield as Kael pulled onto the road, and I forced myself to keep my gaze forward. The silence stretched thick between us, taut, like the air before a storm.

And then—another glance.