Contract Marriage With My Billionaire Boss (Venus and Aaron) novel Chapter 135

Chapter 135

VENUS

The penthouse didn’t go quiet all at once.

It was a gradual dimming like the sun slipping below the horizon in increments so small you almost miss them.

61

One by one, they said their goodbyes. Rosemary kissed my cheek again, her perfume lingering long after she’d stepped into the private elevator. Silas shook Aaron’s hand with that firm, wordless exchange men like them have mastered, then rested his palm briefly on my shoulder, like a quiet reassurance. Alana clung to me the longest, her small fingers tight around mine until Aaron gently pried them loose and promised she could

see me tomorrow.

Gianna and Lucien? left together, their voices low as they stepped into the hallway. Connor and Sabine stayed long enough to help clear a few mugs from the living room before muttering something about an early meeting. Jude also hitched a ride with them.

The laughter and chatter that had filled the space just hours ago faded until the only sound left was the faint hum of the refrigerator and the soft thump of Aaron’s footsteps as he moved around the penthouse.

The quiet hit me like a wave.

I didn’t realize how heavy I’d gotten until I let myself sink deeper into the couch cushions, my legs tucked under me, my fingers absently tracing the edge of a throw pillow. My body felt… hollow. Not in a bad way exactly more like I’d finally set down something I’d been carrying for too long, and now I was just waiting for my arms to remember what it felt like to be empty.

Aaron reappeared in the doorway, leaning a shoulder against the frame. “You look like you’re about five minutes away from face-planting.”

“I’m fine,” I said automatically, even though my eyelids were half-closed.

“You’re not fine. You’re exhausted.”

He crossed the room and held out a hand. I stared at it for a second before letting him pull me to my feet. His hand didn’t leave mine as he led me down the hall, the soft lighting making the shadows stretch along the walls.

When we reached my room he stepped inside first, switching on the lamp by the bed. The space was warm and minimal, soft grey sheets, thick blankets, and a faint scent of something clean and familiar.

“You sure you want to stay here?” he asked, glancing at me over his shoulder.

“Yes,” I said, climbing onto the bed without hesitation.

“I can stay,” he offered, his tone light but threaded with something else. “Just to monitor you. You’ve been through-”

“No,” I cut in, sharper than I meant to. “I’m fine alone.”

20:31 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 135

༢D

61

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but he didn’t argue. Not really. Just stood there a beat longer, like he was calculating whether or not to ignore me entirely.

Finally, he gave a short nod. “If you need anything, you come get me. No hesitation.”

“I will,” I said, though we both knew I wouldn’t.

He lingered in the doorway for a second longer, eyes scanning my face like he was committing it to memory, and then he stepped out, leaving the door cracked an inch.

The moment he was gone, I lay back against the pillows and exhaled. My body felt heavy in that way that promised deep, dreamless sleep. Within minutes, the hum of the penthouse faded and I drifted off.

It didn’t last.

I didn’t even know when the dream started. It was just… there.

Dark. Cramped.

The air felt thick, clinging to my skin. My fingers brushed wood rough and splintering under my touch.

No space to move. No space to breathe.

The smell hit me next: damp earth and something faintly metallic. My chest seized. The walls were pressing in, closer, closer, until the air was gone entirely.

I could hear him. Gerald’s voice. Low. Amused. “Still think you can get away from me?”

My nails scraped uselessly at the wood above me. Dirt sifted down, filling my mouth, my nose, my eyes—

I jerked awake with a strangled gasp.

For a second, I didn’t know where I was. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. The sheets were tangled around me, my shirt sticking to my back with cold sweat.

The room felt too big. Too empty.

I couldn’t breathe.

Before I’d even decided to move, I was out of bed, my bare feet silent on the hallway carpet. The penthouse was darker now, the city lights casting fractured patterns through the glass walls.

Aaron’s door was open.

That… felt deliberate.

I hesitated in the doorway for half a second, my chest still heaving, before stepping inside. He was sprawled on his side, one arm bent under the pillow, the other resting loosely across his stomach. I thought-hoped- he was asleep.

I slipped into the bed quietly, keeping my movements small, controlled. The mattress dipped under my

20:31 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 135

:

61

weight, the scent of him-warm, sharp and familiar-filling my head. I pulled the blanket over myself, curling slightly away from him.

I’d barely settled before the covers shifted.

He moved.

A strong arm slid around my waist, pulling me back against him in one smooth motion. His voice was low, rough with sleep.

“You okay?”

I swallowed, my voice catching. “Nightmare.”

His hold tightened, his hand splaying across my stomach like he could anchor me there by sheer will. “Tell me.”

I hesitated, but the words came out anyway. “I was… in a coffin. I could feel the wood. The dirt. And I could hear him, Gerald.”

He didn’t say anything right away. Just pulled me closer until my back was flush against his chest, his breath warm against the side of my neck. “You’re here,” he said finally, steady and certain. “You’re not there. And he’s never touching you again.”

Something in me loosened at the way he said it, like it wasn’t just a promise but a fact he’d already made true.

His hand brushed lightly over my hair, a slow, grounding motion. “Breathe with me.”

I did.

In. Out.

His chest rose and fell against my back, steady and deliberate, until my breaths matched his.

The tension in my muscles started to fade. The shadows in my mind receded enough for my eyelids to grow heavy again.

I was asleep before I realized it, still cocooned in his warmth, still feeling the weight of his arm around me.

I didn’t see when his eyes finally closed, but I felt the shift in his breathing when he followed me into sleep.

20:31 Wed, Jan 14