Episode 13: The Man Who Won’t Let Go
736 Words
A Safe Place—or a Dangerous Illusion?
The moment Isabella stepped into Aiden’s car, she felt like she could finally breathe.
Away from the ballroom.
Away from him.
She leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes.
"You okay?" Aiden’s voice was gentle.
She nodded, but her hands were still trembling.
Why did she feel like this?
It wasn’t like Alexander had kissed her.
It wasn’t like he had done anything inappropriate.
And yet—
That look in his eyes.
That unspoken pull between them.
That undeniable moment where she had almost—**almost—**forgotten why she left him in the first place.
She exhaled shakily.
Aiden, ever perceptive, glanced at her. "Was it him?"
Isabella froze.
For a second, she considered lying.
But what was the point?
So she whispered the truth.
"Yes."
Aiden’s jaw tightened. He didn’t press for details.
Instead, he reached over, placing a warm hand over hers.
"Whatever it is, you don’t have to face it alone," he said softly. "I’m here, Isabella."
Something inside her cracked.
Aiden had always been safe.
Kind.
Understanding.
The complete opposite of the man who had just turned her world upside down again.
She turned to him, her lips parting—
And then—
BANG.
A loud knock against the car window.
Her body tensed.
She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
The Storm at Her Door
Aiden sighed, looking unimpressed. "Of course."
He unlocked the car door.
The moment it swung open, Alexander Sinclair stood there, framed by the dim glow of the streetlights.
Dark suit.
Disheveled tie.
A storm in his eyes.
His gaze didn’t even flicker toward Aiden.
It was locked solely on her.
"Get out of the car, Isabella."
His voice was calm. Too calm.
She swallowed. "No."
A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Don’t test me."
Aiden, to his credit, didn’t flinch. "She doesn’t owe you anything, Sinclair."
Alexander finally looked at him. "And you do?"
Aiden didn’t answer.
Alexander’s lips curled in a humorless smirk.
"Don’t make me laugh, Shaw."
Tension coiled in the air like a ticking bomb.
But Isabella had had enough.
"Both of you, stop it!" she snapped. "This isn’t a competition."
She turned to Alexander, her voice shaking.
"What do you even want from me?"
The air grew still.
Alexander’s hands clenched at his sides.
Then, softly—
"Everything."
Her heart stuttered.
His voice wasn’t demanding. It wasn’t forceful.
It was raw.
Almost broken.
And that was so much worse.
Running vs. Facing the Past
She shook her head, trying to fight the heat rushing to her eyes.
"You’re being ridiculous," she whispered.
"Am I?" Alexander took a step closer. "You can pretend all you want, Isabella. You can run, you can hide behind him—" his gaze flicked to Aiden for a second before snapping back to her, "—but you and I both know the truth."
She stiffened. "And what truth is that?"
He leaned in, his voice so quiet that it sent shivers down her spine.
"You still feel it too."
Aiden tensed beside her.
But Isabella—she stopped breathing.
Because she hated that he was right.
Hated that, after all these years, her body still responded to him like this.
Like he was the only man she had ever belonged to.
Like he was the only man she ever would.
Her chest tightened.
"I—I need to go," she muttered, turning to Aiden.
But before she could step back into the car, Alexander’s fingers caught her wrist.
She gasped.
The touch was electric—an undeniable, painful reminder of everything they had been.
"Don’t do this, Bella."
Her breath hitched.
The nickname.
The way his voice softened around it—like a plea, like a confession.
Her hands curled into fists.
She couldn’t.
She couldn’t afford to fall for this again.
So she did the only thing she could.
She wrenched her hand away.
"Goodbye, Alexander."
She got into the car and slammed the door shut.
Aiden didn’t hesitate.
He started the engine and drove away.
Isabella didn’t look back.
Because if she did—
She might have seen the way Alexander stood there, unmoving.
Like a man watching the only woman he had ever loved walk away from him again.
Like a man who had just decided that this time, he wouldn’t let her go.
To Be Continued…
- Writer
