Chapter 63


    Together Miranda insisted on keeping me in her clinic for the observation, although I truly wanted to go


    home and spend more time with Aren. At the same time, I knew that I shouldn’t have bothered him for a


    while. He had a lot to take care of. Nheless, I felt more lonely than ever without him. I was desperate


    to feel him again. I could nearly sense that he was the essential element I needed in my therapy.


    Certainly, he kept calling me whenever he had time to talk, but it wasn’t half asforting as his touch or


    even the sole sight of him.


    My bruises and the cut on my cheek were healing fast. After five days, they were almost


    invisible. Unfortunately, I had to wait a little longer to remove the stitches from the wound on my head. It


    was one of the reasons Miranda wanted to keep me inside the clinic longer, but I could sense the real


    reason… As unreasonable as it was, she felt guilty, and that made her overprotective.


    Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    “Miranda, I can take care of myself. Trust me,” I coaxed. She stayed relentless. “I will release you once


    I’m certain that the cut on your head is healing as it should.”


    I sighed, raising my hands in surrender. I knew that the time I went missing had been a horrifying


    experience for her as well. She told me many times just how much she was terrified, predicting the


    worse. She needed some form of recovery just as badly as I did, and if staying in her clinic one more day


    would decrease her anxiety, then I was willing to do that for her.


    Finally, she removed my stitches and was left without serious reasons to keep me in a hospital bed. I


    almost flew out of the room and jumped for joy the entire way out of the clinic. I couldn’t wait until I was in


    the penthouse, and I couldn’t wait even more until I was alone with Aren.


    I texted him when I was on my way. I didn’t want to call him since I knew that he was still dealing with the


    FBI and interrogations. Much to my surprise, he called me right after my message. “Are you sure that


    you are OK?” he said, worryingly. I chuckled. “I’m sure that I was OK a few days earlier.” “I’ll be home in


    an hour.” He ended the call before I could react. The corners of my lips curled up into a girly grin. It


    wasn’t even six o’clock, and I would never expect him to leave work at this hour, and yet he was going


    home. He was willing to leave his work early to see me. I couldn’t help but burst into joy.


    Once I stepped into the penthouse, my eyes became watery. I inhaled Aren’s scent; every room was


    filled with traces of his intoxicating presence. I went to my bedroom to fix my makeup and do as much as


    I could with my hair, and then I counted the minutes until I could see my husband.


    As soon as I could hear the private elevatoring up, I rushed to wait by the door. He opened the door


    with his zing eyes, ready to devour me. As he stepped through the threshold, his arms stretched to


    reach me and pull me into a tight embrace. His lips searched hungrily until


    they found mine, iming them with a sensual kiss. Despite his thirst and passion riling within him, his


    touch and caresses were gentle.


    “I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered against my neck before cing delicate kisses on my burned-up


    skin.


    “You won’t hurt me, kissing me,” I coaxed, tangling my fingers into the silk strands of his hair.


    “But there should be limits for now… right?” he asked softly, nibbling my corbone.


    I leaned back to meet his eyes and gave him a slightly wry smile. As badly as I wanted to fill the next


    long hours with hot, passionate sex with him, Miranda would probably kill me if I didn’t stick to her


    instructions and exhaust my still fragile body. Aren sighed in response, gave me another sweet kiss on


    the lips, and stepped back. “If I touch you more, I will not be able to control myself,” he purred, making


    me squeeze my thighs.


    It was unfair. Those bastards not only took away my wedding ceremony but also my wedding night with


    Aren… and I was kind of looking forward to tasting his passion. Now, when we could hold each other


    again, my body was too weak to handle him.


    “Have you eaten yet?” Aren looked at me questioningly, pulling out his phone to make an order.


    I shook my head, suddenly feeling cold as I had already missed his touch. He smiled warmly at me and


    stroked my cheek. “Shrimp pasta or steaks?” he asked, letting me choose between two of my favorites.


    “Shrimp pasta,” I said timidly.


    “Pasta it is then.”


    I watched him make a call, enjoying the sight of him in his perfect suit. I still couldn’t believe that the man


    standing before me was my husband, my man, all mine… for the next two years. Of course, I knew that


    there woulde a time when we would have to talk about the contract and how it fitted our reality. But I


    couldn’t bear to think about it at that moment. I kept recalling every minute of my imprisonment and how


    terrified I was, but I realized that I wasn’t afraid of losing my life as much as I was afraid of losing Aren…


    I acknowledged that fact, but I wasn’t ready to admit that I knew what it meant.


    Once Arenpleted our order, he grabbed my hand and led me to the window so we could admire the


    sunset over Manhattan. He stood behind me, his hands wrapped around my waist.


    He lowered his head and gently nuzzled the top of mine. “I was terrified,” he said, barely audibly.


    I shivered, wondering if I had heard him correctly. “W-what?” His grip around me tightened. “I was never


    afraid of losing anyone as much as I was afraid of losing you.” I gasped, tears drawing thin lines down


    my cheeks. “I was trying to make sure you wouldn’t lose me.” I smiled despite crying.


    He kissed my head right by the wound. “You did a great job with that.” “I know,” I replied smugly, whilst


    crying. “Sunshine, you are incredible. You are the strongest woman I have ever met,” he whispered as if


    he were revealing the greatest secret. I smiled wryly. “I’m not strong… My body is weak and fragile. … I


    couldn’t even defend myself.


    “Cora, baby…” He leaned down to kiss my neck “Those were men with many years ofbat training.


    You survived, and that makes you crazy strong.”


    I turned around and wrapped my arms around him and ced my head on his broad chest.” Teach me


    how to defend myself,” I whispered.


    He chuckled. “You won’t need to defend yourself. I will never leave you again.”


    I leaned back and frowned. “You cannot predict everything, and I want to know how to properly punch


    someone like Can.”


    Arenughed and ced a quick kiss on my lips. “All right. I will teach you, but you have to recover first.”


    I nodded agitatedly, willing to wait and then ept the hardest training as long as it would let me feel


    less helpless the next time I faced danger.


    We stood in a tight embrace until our food delivery came. Then we sat by the table and ate our dinner


    while constantly maintaining some form of physical contact; either we held hands, tangling our fingers, or


    touched each other’s feet and legs under the table. It was foolish, obnoxiously sweet, and I loved every


    second of it. Perhaps we truly started to behave like newlyweds in a real rtionship…


    “Would you like to drink more wine, wife?” Aren grinned slyly, opening another bottle before I replied.


    “Yes please, husband dearest,” I smirked, pointing at my ss. We sat and stared at each other, smiling.


    I could feel that he missed me just as much as I missed him. We enjoyed ourforting silence, but


    there were still unavoidable subjects that we had to discuss.


    “Do you have any idea who might be behind it?” I asked before finishing the ss of wine. He sighed. “A


    lot of people hate me. Fortunately, there are only a few who could pull off such an attack.”


    “I think it was something more than business. The way he talked to me… and tried to touch me… It was


    personal,” I imed.


    “Wait…” Aren narrowed his eyes at me. “That fucker touched you?” His voice was calm, but his ck


    irises zed with fury.


    I swallowed and smiled nervously. “Well… He touched my thigh. I spat in his face, and then he pped


    me…”


    “Was the cut on your face from him?” he hissed.


    “Yes.”


    He punched the table with his fist. I smiled faintly at him and stretched my hand out to stroke his


    whitened knuckles.


    “My cheek is almostpletely healed, and you shouldn’t blow off your anger on the poor table. Save


    your strength for the moment we find that bastard,” I said confidently. He smirked, “For the moment “we”


    find him?” “Of course!” I grinned. “We are a husband and a wife already. We are in this together.” He


    leaned forward on the table and delicately ced his hand on the back of my head. “I like the sound of


    that.” His deep, alluring voice kept resonating within me while he sealed my lips with another sensual


    kiss.