Contract Marriage With My Billionaire Boss (Venus and Aaron) novel Chapter 234

Chapter 35

VENUS

The hallway released me into the dining area like a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Morning light poured in through the tall windows, pale and deceptively gentle, illuminating a scene that belonged to a life I barely recognized anymore. The long table gleamed, perfectly set. Plates arranged with careful symmetry. Silverware aligned just so. A version of normal so meticulously maintained it almost passed

for real.

Almost.

Rosemary sat at the head of the table, angled toward Sabine, who was strapped into her high chair, a bib already smudged from a half-finished attempt at breakfast. Rosemary held a spoon midair, her expression patient but strained as she tried to coax another bite past Sabine’s stubborn lips.

“Just one more, sweetheart,” she murmured. “For me.”

Sabine turned her head sharply, lips pressed tight-unmistakably Sinclair. Her dark eyes flicked to me the moment I entered the room, lighting up.

“Mama.”

George sat farther down the table, his plate untouched. A piece of toast lay torn in half beside a bowl of fruit, neither disturbed. He held his fork loosely, gaze unfocused, nudging a piece of scrambled egg around his plate like it might move on its own.

Absent. Somewhere else.

Rosemary looked up then, relief flashing briefly before concern settled in as she took in my expression.

“Venus, good morning,” she said gently. “I was just trying to get Sabine to-”

“Not now, Rosemary.”

The words came out sharper than I intended. Colder.

The room stilled.

Rosemary froze, the spoon suspended uselessly in the air. Sabine blinked, confused, letting out a small sound of protest. George lifted his head slowly, eyes widening: not startled, exactly, but unsettled.

I had never spoken to Rosemary like that.

Hell I’ve never spoken to anyone like that.

The guilt struck instantly, hot and corrosive, but I swallowed it down. This wasn’t about kindness. It was about credibility. About making my unraveling look real to anyone who might be watching.

“I” Rosemary started, then stopped. Her mouth closed, hurt flickering across her face before she smoothed it away with practiced grace. “Of course. I’ll finish up.”

“I said not now,” I repeated, quieter, final.

Rosemary nodded once and turned back to Sabine. She looked like she wanted to say something but held herself back. Sabine watched me solemnly, sensing the shift in the room even if she didn’t understand it.

George was still staring.

That look-confusion edged with something closer to fear-nearly undid me.

I moved toward him, deliberately softening my posture as I crouched beside his chair. When I spoke, my voice was gentle and careful.

“Hey,” I said. “Why aren’t you eating?”

He glanced down at his plate, then back at me. “I’m full.”

I nudged the edge of his plate with my finger. “You haven’t touched anything, sweetheart.”

He frowned faintly, like the thought had only just occurred to him. Then his eyes lifted again.

“Did Iris eat?”

The question hit like a punch to the chest.

For a split second, I couldn’t speak.

I swallowed.

“She’s tough,” I said carefully. “You know that. She probably complained until they gave her exactly what she wanted.”

I really hope that was the case and my child was being taken care of.

He studied my face. “Is she scared?”

My fingers tightened against the fabric of my robe.

“No,” I said too quickly-then corrected myself, slowing my tone. “No, baby. She’s strong. Just like you.”

He nodded, unconvinced but obedient, and picked up his fork again. He took a bite. Then another.

Each one felt like both a victory and a betrayal.

“That’s good,” I murmured.

After a few more bites, he pushed the plate away. “That’s enough.’

I didn’t argue. Instead, I brushed my thumb gently over his cheek, tucking a curl of hair back into place,

“We’re going to your session today,” I said. “I’ll go with you.”

His eyes lifted. “You are?”

“Yes.”

Relief softened his face. “Okay.”

Chapter 35

+25 Bonus

I straightened just as Aaron appeared in the doorway.

He hadn’t meant to hover, but his presence filled the room anyway. He looked worn out. His gaze landed on George’s plate, and something dark flickered behind his eyes.

“You’re taking him out?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He hesitated. “Venus-”

“I know,” I said before he could continue. “I know what you’re thinking.”

The last time we’d loosened control, Iris had vanished.

His caution wasn’t paranoia. It was survival.

And the fact that I just blamed it on him not too long ago.

“I don’t like it,” he said. “The therapist can come here.”

“That will make things worse for him,” I replied. “He needs routine. Something that feels normal.”

Aaron’s jaw tightened. He looked at George, then back at me. “Or it could put him at risk.”

“So could locking him in this house indefinitely.”

Silence stretched between us.

Finally, he exhaled. “If you take him out, it won’t be light security. Full detail.”

“I expected that.”

“I mean serious,” he said. “Advance vehicles. Sweep teams. I’m not taking any risk.”

“I understand.”

I didn’t-but I would make it work.

He studied my face, searching for cracks. Finding none he could name, he nodded.

I leaned down and kissed Sabine’s forehead. She smelled like baby soap and oatmeal, like a life still untouched by terror.

“I’ll be back soon,” I whispered.

She smiled, believing me.

The motorcade was already waiting outside.

Black SUVs lined the driveway, engines idling. Men in suits and earpieces stood in precise formation, scanning the perimeter. Excessive. Obscene.

Necessary.

George climbed into the back seat beside me, his small hand slipping into mine. I squeezed his fingers gently.

Aaron joined us moments later.

I’d expected that too.

As the car pulled away, I watched the gates close behind us-steel sealing in the fragile illusion of safety we’d been clinging to.

Aaron stared straight ahead, jaw set, unreadable.

I stared out the window, pulse steady, mind racing.

This was my window.

Colton would be near the clinic. Close enough to disappear into the background. Far enough to speak freely.

I just had to be smarter and careful.

Andrea thought she was in control.

She had no idea what I was willing to burn to prove her wrong.

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