Contract Marriage With My Billionaire Boss (Venus and Aaron) novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68

VENUS

Aaron had always been sharp with his words. Brutal, even.

But silence?

Silence was worse.

It followed me like a ghost after that night at the penthouse. No door slams. No biting remarks. Nothing.

Just silence.

He didn’t look at me unless he had to. Didn’t touch me. Didn’t linger like he used to when I walked past him in nothing but silk and pride.

I’d bet the entire office could feel the shift. Jude tiptoed around me like I might shatter if he spoke too loudly.

Aaron was polite.

Cold.

Painfully distant.

And I?

I let him be.

Because somewhere in the quiet, I realized… he was right.

I had crossed a line. I had interfered. And the worst part? I didn’t even regret it.

But it weighed on me. Heavy. Suffocating. Like I’d cracked something I didn’t know how to glue back.

And I missed my mother.

I missed the scent of pepper soup wafting through our apartment. The click of her knitting needles. The way she hummed old love songs under her breath like they were lullabies for herself.

I missed her voice. Her comfort. The feel of home.

But worst of all, I missed her even before she’d gotten sick-before the hospital gowns, the pitying glances, and those slow, hollow words like chemo and stages and hope.

Aaron didn’t ask if I was going to Alana’s birthday.

I didn’t offer.

The morning of, I stepped out of the guest room in an oversized sweater and mismatched socks. He was dressed in a crisp black shirt, hair swept back, cufflinks glinting like sin.

He glanced up. The briefest flicker of hazel. “You ready?”

I blinked. “I… I’m not feeling great. I think I’ll stay in.”

He didn’t ask why.

Didn’t press.

Didn’t even offer a polite feel better.

He just nodded once. Grabbed his coat. Left.

The door clicked shut behind him.

And I broke a little.

By mid-afternoon, I found myself at Gianna’s new apartment. I didn’t text. Didn’t call. I just showed up like a girl with nowhere else to go.

She opened the door with a slice of pizza in one hand and a raised brow.

“What the hell happened to your face?”

I blinked. “What?”

“You look like a sad houseplant. Get in.”

So I did.

Successfully unlocked!

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Chapter 68

We sat on her rug, sitcom reruns playing quietly in the background. I didn’t speak. Just let the noise settle over the silence inside me.

She’d finally moved into her own place. Nothing too fancy. But it was warm, modern, and hers. I was happy for her.

Eventually, she muted the TV, handed me a cold glass of Coke, and just… looked at me.

And I caved.

I told her everything. From the gala to the lunch. From the look in Aaron’s eyes to the heaviness in mine. I left out Connor and Sabine-they weren’t my stories to share.

When I finished, I stared down at the Coke in my hand, my throat burning.

“He told me not to interfere. That I wasn’t supposed to matter. That this was just… business.”

Gianna didn’t say anything right away.

She reached out and gently wiped under my eye. “You’re crying.”

I touched my cheek. I hadn’t even noticed.

“I’m just tired.”

“No,” she said, soft but sure. “You’re heartbroken.”

I gave a dry, bitter laugh. “I’m not in love with him.”

She lifted a brow. “I didn’t say you were.”

I froze.

She didn’t push.

She just handed me the rest of her Coke and said, “Then you’re just tired. And that’s allowed.”

God, I loved her for that.

The next day, I went home.

Not the penthouse.

Home.

Our old apartment smelled different now. A little musty. A little emptier. But still… home.

I hesitated before knocking.

My mother opened the door. She looked thinner. Paler. But she smiled-not with her lips, but with her eyes. That soft, maternal kind of smile that said I forgive you, even if you don’t ask.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” she said, voice warm despite everything.

I nodded, my throat thick. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

She stepped aside, and I walked in.

It had been two weeks since our fight. Two weeks since she was discharged. Two weeks of silence, space, and aching for the one person who never stopped loving me.

And at that point?

I didn’t care what Aaron thought about her. Didn’t care that she chose Dain. I just missed her. I just wanted her happy.

And if that happiness was with him, then so be it.

I couldn’t lose the only family I had left.

I didn’t say anything more. I just hugged her.

Tight. Desperate.

She held me like she already knew.

“I missed you so much, baby.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry-”

“I shouldn’t have pressed,” I said, pulling back to look at her. “You’re an adult. You can make your own decisions.”

“Venus,” she said gently, brushing my hair behind my ear. “What’s wrong?”

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Chapter 68

“Nothing. I just… missed you.”

We sat down on the couch, the quiet stretching between us. Familiar.

“Did you and Aaron get into a fight?”

“No,” I said too quickly. “Nothing like that. We’re fine.” I forced a smile. “Is he… is he around?”

She didn’t ask who. She knew I meant Dain.

“No. He went out a few hours ago.”

I nodded.

And for the first time in weeks, I let myself breathe.

But deep down, I knew this wasn’t over.

Not with Aaron.

Not with me.

Not with the part of myself that kept pretending I wasn’t already bleeding for a man who didn’t want to be saved.

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