Episode 6
867 Words
The door to Zander’s bedroom slammed shut.
Zander Sterling stood still for a moment, his hand still gripping the doorknob, his chest rising and falling unevenly.
Then he suddenly loosened his tie, yanking it off like it was choking him.
His jaw tightened as he walked deeper into the room, his polished shoes hitting the marble floor in frustration.
He hadn’t expected tonight to turn out like this. He had come back with thoughts of how to repair his relationship with his wife. He had come to the realization that he was in love with Aria, despite how much he hated her.
Then Lena Carter appeared.
The name alone felt like something dangerous, buried too deep to ever be touched again.
And yet… tonight, she had walked back into his life like she had never left.
Zander let out a harsh breath, running a hand through his hair as he stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass window.
The city lights stretched endlessly before him, but he wasn’t seeing any of it.
All he could see was Lena.
To drown his pain, Zander poured himself a whiskey and downed it in one go. Staggering to the bed, he fell into a hallucinating sleep.
“I came back for you, Zander.”
Her voice echoed in his head, soft, familiar and intimate.
His fingers curled slowly into fists.
Why now? Why would she come back now after everything?
His mind betrayed him. It dragged him back to a time he had locked away years ago.
Rain poured heavily against the glass windows of a five-star hotel.
Lena stood by the door, suitcase in hand.
“You’re really leaving?” Zander’s voice had been low and controlled,but his eyes gave him away.
Lena didn’t look at him. “I have to.”
“Have to?” His laugh was cold. “Or you want to? Do you even care about me?”
Lena kept quiet, but that silence said everything. She never loved him or cared about his feelings.
Zander took a step closer, his gaze sharp.
“So that’s it?” he asked. “Three years, and you just walk away?”
Lena’s grip tightened on her suitcase. “This is my future, Zander.”
“And what am I?” His voice dropped dangerously.
She finally looked at him, and for a moment, there was hesitation in her eyes, but it disappeared too quickly.
“You’ll be fine.”Those words cut deeper than anything else.
Zander’s expression hardened instantly. “Get out.”
Lena flinched, but she didn’t argue. She turned, opened the door, and walked away.
Just like that. That was how it ended.
He walked toward the bar and poured himself another drink, downing it in one go. But the burn in his throat did nothing to quiet the storm in his chest. He kept drinking until he was completely drunk.
Then came Aria—a beautiful hotel assistant working the night shift on that very night. She pitifully dragged him to his room and tucked him into bed. Just as she was about to leave, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bed.
Aria struggled, but she was no match for Zander. He overpowered her despite her desperate attempts to resist.
When he woke up the next day and found blood on the bed, he was shaken. He immediately called his grandfather, who secretly ordered his men to clean up Zander’s room and bring him home.
After giving him time to mourn his broken relationship, Grandpa Sterling asked Zander to find Aria and marry her.
Out of respect for his grandfather, he obeyed and the wedding took place.
Grandpa Sterling loved Aria like his own granddaughter and doted on her, but Zander barely looked at her—except when he wanted her physically.
Still, Aria endured everything because she truly loved him.
Zander shut his eyes tightly. Now he was in a hospital room with white walls, and Aria lay on the bed—pale and weak.
Her eyes were closed, her face drained of color. He pushed the memory away immediately, but his mind refused to cooperate.
Instead, it replayed something else. Aria’s voice, soft and broken: “Doctor… I’m not dying today.”
Something twisted in his chest.“Enough.” His voice was sharp, final.He wasn’t going to think about Aria nor Lena.
Neither of them mattered. But even as he said that, his hand trembled slightly.
He clenched it into a fist. This was ridiculous. He had built everything he was today on control.
Emotions didn’t control him, neither did women.
And yet tonight, one woman had returned, and another refused to leave his mind.
Zander’s breathing grew uneven, and without realizing it, he leaned back against the pillow, his head tilting slightly as exhaustion crept in.
****
Hours later, his phone suddenly vibrated in his hand, breaking the silence.
When he opened his eyes, he realized it was already morning.He looked down at the screen.
A message from Lena.
“Are you awake? Do you mind joining us for breakfast?”
Zander stared at the words for a long time, his grip tightening around the phone.
- Writer
