Desired by All and He Threw Away 90

 

Chapter 90 

My head lifts, confused. “I helped people who needed it.” 

“Yes,” he says immediately. “But you needed it too.” 

That catches me off guard. 

i blink at him unsure if i heard him right. 

he watches me with that quiet intensity he tries to hide when he thinks it might make me uncomfortable. “You deserve security.you deserve to breathe without worrying about the next thing you –“his jaw tightens for a second. “You keep emptying yourself to fill everyone else.” 

I feel something inside me flinch. 

It’s small. Sharp, Reflexive. 

i cross my arms without thinking. “you dont understand.” 

he exhales slowly frustration creeping under the surface. ” i understand enough to know you cant fix everything alone.” 

“it was my money,” i say heat crawling up my neck. “My choice.” 

“Yes. It was. But-” 

“No.“the word comes out sharper than i intend. ” dont make this into something its not.” 

his brows pull together hurt flickering for the briefest second before he covers it with something firmer. ” im not trying to make you feel bad.” 

“well you are.” 

the sentence comes out thin and brittle like its holding back something messier. 

he steps around the island not close enough to corner me but close enough that the air shifts. “Taylor,” he says gently “im worried about you.” 

My stomach twists too tight, too fast. 

“Why?” i whisper because the alternative is admitting what his concern does to me. 

“because you give until theres nothing left.” his voice breaks just a little on the last word. ” and you dont leave anything for yourself.” 

his expression is open now too open.i can see everything hes trying not to say everything he keeps tucked under that calm exterior.it makes the room feel smaller. Warmer.too intimate. 

my pulse scrapes against my throat like its trying to climb out.i take a step back. ” i dont want to have this conversation.“he closes his eyes briefly collecting himself. ” im not trying to control you.” 

” 

then stop acting like i made the wrong choice.” 

1/3 

Chapter 90 

+25 Bonus 

his jaw tightens, “im saying you shouldnt have to sacrifice everything just to feel like you are doing enough.” the shame hits fast and mean- like an old shadow rising from the floor. 

Selfish. 

That’s the word that tries to latch onto me.the one i shove down hard enough to bruise. 

i shake my head. ” you dont get it.” “then explain it to me,” he presses softer but more intense. 

i feel the sting of tears i refuse to let fall. ” i dont want to.” a beat stretches between us–long stretched thir trembling like a wire about to snap. 

he watches me like hes trying to mend something he only just realized he broke.i look away jaw tight. ” im done talking about this.” 

another beat of silence. 

Not angry. 

Not cold. 

Just… bruised. 

Aiden exhales slowly regret softening the line of his shoulders. ” i didnt mean for it to sound like i was scolding you.” 

i dont respond.I can’t without letting everything spill out.He tries again, voice rougher. “Taylor…” 

I step farther back, needing distance like oxygen. “Please. Just–stop.” 

His mouth shuts.the room swells with the quiet we cant climb out of. 

i stare at a spot on the counter so hard my vision blurs. My hands feel too empty.my chest feels too full.i hate that he saw a part of me i try to keep locked up.i hate that it made him look at me like im someone who needs 

saving. 

I hate that part of me wanting to believe him. 

a long moment passes before i find my voice again.its comes out thin cracked around the edges. “. i dont need anyone feeling sorry for me. 

his expression shifts- surprise then something like guilt then something deeper and quieter. ” thats not what this is.” 

“Then what is it?” 

he opens 

his mouth…but no answer comes. 

he just looks at me with that regretful softness he carries when he steps too close when he lets emotion slip through the cracks of his perfect composure. 

“i shouldnt have pushed, “he says finally. “I’m… sorry.” 

2/3 

+25 Bonus 

The words land gently, but they don’t fix the bruise forming between us. 

I turn away before he can read my face. I force my breathing slow, steady, controlled. I force the sting behind my eyes to fade. 

The city hums through the glass again. The papers on the counter rustle faintly when the AC clicks on.Everything returns to normal sounds… but nothing feels normal. 

behind me Aiden stands still his shoulders lowered regret carved softly into his features.he watches me like he wishes he could take the edge out of his voice like he wishes he knew how to reach me without hitting that locked place I never open. 

But neither of us says another word. 

And the conversation settles between us, unresolved. 

Not broken. 

Just bruised.