Aiden's POV
That very night draped itself around me like a suffocating cloak, refusing to grant me the solace of sleep. I lay in my bed, the dim moonlight filtering through the curtains, casting haunting shadows across the room. Yet, the darkness within me seemed to cover everything around me.
I groaned and turned around on the bed, remembering Lily's persistent inquiries. I knew she was determined to unravel the mysteries of my past, to pry open doors I'd long sealed shut. The mere thought of her delving into my history stirred a fear within me.
I didn't want her to see these darker parts of me. I certainly did not want her to know the man I had been before her.
A surge of protectiveness surged through my veins, an inexplicable need to shield Lily from the demons that lurked in my pas
