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THE WEIGHT OF TRUTH

Lena didn’t go straight home. After leaving Aiden’s penthouse, she wandered the city streets, her thoughts a tangled mess of emotions. The cool night air did little to calm the storm raging inside her. She replayed Aiden’s confession over and over in her mind, trying to make sense of it all.

She had always known there was something Aiden wasn’t telling her, but the reality of what he had been hiding was more than she had anticipated. The fact that he had been involved with someone as corrupt as Marcus Reed made her question everything she thought she knew about him. And yet, despite the shock and the betrayal, her heart still ached for him.

Lena walked until her feet hurt, finally finding herself in a small park near the river. She sat on a bench, staring out at the water, the city lights reflecting on the surface. The silence around her was almost oppressive, amplifying the thoughts swirling in her mind.

She loved Aiden. She knew that now, with a certainty that scared her. But could she really be with someone who had been part of something so morally questionable? And even if she could, how could she ever trust him again after he had kept such a huge secret from her?

As she sat there, lost in thought, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, her heart skipping a beat when she saw Aiden’s name on the screen. He had texted her, a simple message that only made her heartache more.

Aiden:I’m sorry for everything. Please let me explain. I can’t lose you, Lena._

Lena stared at the message, her emotions warring inside her. Part of her wanted to respond, to tell him that she understood, that they could work through this together. But another part of her—the part that had been hurt, that was struggling to trust—wasn’t so sure.

She didn’t reply. Instead, she turned off her phone, slipping it back into her pocket as she leaned back on the bench, closing her eyes. She needed time. Time to think, to process everything that had happened. But she wasn’t sure if time would be enough to fix what was broken between them.

Meanwhile, Aiden was pacing the floor of his penthouse, his mind racing with regret and fear. He had known this moment would come, had dreaded it for weeks, but now that it was here, it felt worse than he could have imagined.

He had hurt Lena—he could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. And the worst part was that he couldn’t blame her for walking away. He had lied to her, kept secrets that should have been shared from the beginning. But he had done it out of fear—fear of losing her, fear of being judged for the man he used to be.

But now, in the quiet of his empty penthouse, Aiden realized that his fear had only made things worse. He had been so focused on protecting himself, on keeping his past hidden, that he had pushed away the one person who had made him feel alive again. And now, he didn’t know if he could fix it.

Aiden stopped pacing, running a hand through his hair as he stared out the window, the city lights blurring in his vision. He needed to do something, to find a way to make this right. But how could he, when the truth was already out there, and it had shattered the trust they had built?

For the first time in years, Aiden felt truly lost. He had spent so long running from his past, trying to build a new life, that he hadn’t realized how fragile that new life was. And now, with Lena gone, he felt like everything was slipping through his fingers.

He had to talk to her, to make her understand. But what could he say that would make a difference? What could he do to prove that he was worth the risk, worth the pain?

Aiden’s phone buzzed on the counter, pulling him out of his thoughts. He grabbed it, hoping against hope that it was Lena, that she had decided to give him another chance. But when he looked at the screen, his heart sank.

Jackson:We need to talk. It’s about Marcus._

Aiden’s jaw tightened, his grip on the phone tightening as a surge of anger and frustration coursed through him. Of course, it wasn’t enough that his past had already caused him to lose Lena—now Marcus had to resurface, threatening to drag him back into the darkness he had fought so hard to escape.

But as much as Aiden wanted to ignore Jackson’s message, he knew he couldn’t. Whatever Marcus was planning, it was bound to be bad news. And if Aiden didn’t deal with it, it could destroy everything he had worked for—including any chance he had left with Lena.

Aiden took a deep breath, trying to steady himself as he typed out a quick reply.

Aiden: Meet me at the office in 30 minutes._

He hit send, then slipped his phone into his pocket, grabbing his keys as he headed for the door. He didn’t know what Marcus was up to, but he knew one thing—he couldn’t let it ruin his life again. And he couldn’t let it take Lena away from him for good.

As Aiden stepped out into the night, he felt a sense of determination settle over him. He had made mistakes—big ones—but he wasn’t going to let those mistakes define him. He was going to fight for Lena, for their future, no matter what it took.

But as he made his way to the office, Aiden couldn’t shake the feeling that the road ahead was going to be a difficult one. And he wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to walk it alone.

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