Chapter 11: Terms of Surrender
334 Words
Chapter 11: Terms of Surrender
(The hardest battle is fought in the heart)
Cade stood outside Aria’s penthouse, heart hammering like a war drum.
He hadn’t planned this. Not really.
But desperation makes you reckless.
The elevator ride felt endless.
When the door slid open, he was a man divided—hope, anger, and raw need twisting inside him.
Aria opened the door, and everything caught fire.
Her eyes were sharp, guarded—but there was something else too.
Something softer.
“Cade,” she said, voice clipped. “What are you doing here?”
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “I’m here because I can’t lose you. Not like this.”
She folded her arms, a shield between them. “You already lost me.”
“No. Not yet.”
He took a breath. “I want a deal. Terms you can’t refuse.”
She arched a brow. “I’m listening.”
Cade laid it out.
Six months.
No distractions. No games.
Just them.
Together.
“I want a contract,” he said, voice low and serious. “You’re mine for six months. No Damon. No other distractions. Just us.”
Aria’s breath hitched.
“That’s insane.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But it’s the only way I’ll stop losing you.”
She laughed, bitter and raw. “You really think you can own me?”
He stepped closer, eyes burning. “No. But I want to try.”
The room charged with tension—electric, dangerous.
Her pulse raced. His jaw clenched.
“Give me a reason,” he whispered.
She searched his eyes.
The man who broke her heart was also the man who made her feel alive.
The man who terrified her—and the man she still craved.
She could say no.
But what if she said yes?
Her voice barely more than a breath.
“Fine.”
Cade’s grin was victorious and aching all at once.
“This is just the beginning.”
- Writer
