Desired by All and He Threw Away 86

Chapter 86 

Taylor–POV 

Sleep refuses to touch me. 

i lie on my side in Aiden’s penthouse watching shadows crawl across the ceiling like slow moving tides.the streetlamp outside throws pale stripes of light through the blinds cutting the darkness into uneven pieces. 

each time a car passes below the lines shift ripple twist like the whole room is breathing except me. 

My fingers drift without thinking about the necklace resting against my collarbone. 

the pendant is cool at first touch smooth like glass but it warms quickly under my fingertips.its ridiculous how something so small can feel heavy. Like it’s holding more than metal. Like it’s holding every shaky thought that’s been running loose in my chest since earlier. 

I tell myself it’s nothing. 

Just part of the deal. 

Just a detail in the story we agreed to sell together. 

A prop. 

but the moment i think it something twists under my ribs a slow small ache that flares up before i can shove it back down. A traitorous pull. 

I rolled onto my back and shut my eyes. 

It doesn’t help. 

The scene flashes up instantly its sharp and bright like a match struck in a dark room. 

Aiden stepped in front of me. 

his shoulders squared his jaw locked so tight it looked carved from stone.that woman shrinking back when she saw the fire in his eyes. 

the way the energy around him changed in an instant charged and dangerous like he could have torn the world in half if she would taken one more step toward me. 

I can still hear his voice. 

The rough edge of it. 

The warning in it. 

“Touch her and you will regret.” 

It hit me like heat rolling off a storm. 

Fierce. 

Uncontrolled. 

1/3 

Chapter Be 

+25 Bonus 

protective in a way that didnt feel rehearsed or strategic or for show.for a second maybe longer it felt like he wasnt performing. 

Not for the contract. Not for the crowd.Not to keep our story airtight. 

It felt like he was doing it for mine. 

the thought sends a sudden thrum through my chest loud enough that i press a hand there trying to quiet it.my heartbeat pushes against my palm stubborn and frantic. 

“that doesnt mean anything,” i whisper to myself. 

but the air around me feels like its calling me out on the lie. 

i inhale slowly. 

the room smells faintly of lavender from the candle i forgot to blow out earlier soft, warm and familiar.the scent settles over me like a thin blanket but the tightness under my sternum doesnt ease.if anything it sharpens. 

God.what is wrong with me? 

i push the blanket down and sit up tucking my knees toward me.the moonlight spills across the bed painting thin streaks over my legs.i trace the pendant again letting it rest flat against my skin. 

it glimmers faintly as i tilt it catching the sliver of light cutting through the room.the small reflection flashes like the tiniest heartbeat. 

“its nothing,” i whisper again but even my voice sounds unconvinced. Hollow. 

The silence answers me. 

Thick. Knowing. 

Unforgiving. 

i close my fingers around the necklace and swallow hard.the echo of Aiden’s voice the hard line of his body in front of mine the trembling in my brother’s hands the fear the noise it all spins together in a loop that refuses to 

calm. 

and underneath it all like a whisper i cant outrun there is that feeling- 

Being seen. 

Protected. 

Wanted. 

i shake my head like the motion could scatter the thought into pieces.but it doesnt break. It just settles deeper. Warmer. 

More dangerous. 

i lie back again, staring at the ceiling.the shadows shift one more time.i cant tell if the room feels too quiet or if my thoughts are just too loud. 

2/3 

either way sleep still refuses to touch me. 

Aiden – POV 

the ice in my glass has melted completely.i havent taken a single sip. 

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