Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Chapter 162

Aria’s POV

Kael stood in my doorway.

Soaking wet.

His dark hair plastered to his forehead. Water dripping down his face. His white shirt completely transparent, clinging to every line of muscle underneath.

Rain poured down behind him. Creating a curtain of water that blurred the world beyond.

But I could see him perfectly.

Those black-gold eyes. Fixed on mine. Burning with something I couldn’t name.

My breath caught in my throat.

"Kael?" My voice came out barely above a whisper. "What are you doing here?"

He didn’t answer right away. Just stood there. Staring at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

Whiskey.

Faint but unmistakable.

He’d been drinking.

"Oh my god." The words burst out. "Kael, you’re completely soaked! And you’ve been drinking! Come inside before you catch pneumonia!"

I reached for his arm. Tried to pull him through the doorway.

He didn’t move.

"No."

The word was firm. Final.

I froze. "What?"

"I need to say something first." His voice was rough. Strained. "And if I come inside... if I get warm and comfortable... I might lose my nerve."

My heart started pounding. Too fast. Too hard.

"Kael, you’re going to get sick. Whatever you need to say can waitâ€""

"It can’t wait." He cut me off. His hands curled into fists at his sides. "I’ve waited three years, Aria. Three years of not knowing where you were. Three years of going slowly insane. Three years of searching every corner of this territory and beyond."

Rain ran down his face. Dripped from his jaw. Made his eyes shine even brighter.

"I can’t wait anymore."

The intensity in his voice made my knees weak.

"I was wrong." The words came out fast. Desperate. "Three years ago. I was so incredibly, unforgivably wrong."

He took a breath. Steadied himself.

"I thought I knew what I wanted. Thought I had everything figured out. Thought I could control my life like it was just another business deal. Just another negotiation."

His voice cracked slightly.

"But then you walked into my world. And suddenly nothing made sense anymore."

My eyes were burning. My throat was tight.

"I panicked." The admission came out raw. Honest. "When I realized how much you meant to me. How much power you had over me. I got scared. So I did what I always doâ€"I pushed you away. Hurt you before you could hurt me."

He stepped closer. Still outside. Still in the rain.

But close enough that I could see every emotion flickering across his face.

Pain. Regret. Longing.

"That night. When I gave you that money. When I said those terrible things." His jaw clenched. "I’ve replayed it in my head a million times. Wished I could take it back. Wished I could go back and tell myself what an idiot I was being."

A sound escaped my throat. Half sob, half laugh.

"You have no idea what it was like." His voice got quieter. More vulnerable. "Waking up and realizing you were gone. Really gone. Not just hiding somewhere. Not just avoiding me. Actually GONE from my life."

His hands unclenched. Reached toward me. Then dropped back to his sides.

"I searched everywhere. Asked everyone. Used every resource I had. But you’d just... vanished. Like you’d never existed at all."

Tears were streaming down my face now. Hot and fast.

"And the worst part?" His voice broke completely. "The absolute worst part was knowing it was my fault. I drove you away. I hurt you so badly that you ran to another territory. Another world. Anywhere that wasn’t near me."

He took another breath. This one shaky.

"Then I found you again. After three years of nothing. You were right there. In my building. Working as my assistant. Close enough to touch."

His eyes locked onto mine.

"And I knew I couldn’t let you go again. Couldn’t let fear or pride or stupidity get in the way this time."

The rain was getting heavier. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

But Kael didn’t seem to notice. Didn’t seem to care.

"I know I don’t deserve a second chance." Each word was deliberate. Measured. "I know I hurt you. I know I broke your trust. I know I paid you off like you were nothing when you were everything."

His voice dropped to barely a whisper.

"But Aria... I love you."

My heart stopped.

Completely stopped.

"I love you." He said it again. Stronger this time. More certain. "I’ve loved you since the moment you challenged me. Since the moment you looked at me like I was just a man instead of an Alpha. Since the moment you made me feel something other than empty."

He stepped even closer. Right to the threshold. Close enough that I could feel the cold radiating from his soaked clothes.

"I love the way you scrunch your nose when you’re concentrating. The way you bite your lip when you’re nervous. The way you laugh when Lina says something ridiculous."

My breath hitched.

"I love how strong you are. How you built a life for yourself and your daughter with nothing. How you survived losing your wolf and kept going anyway."

His eyes were shining now. With tears or rain, I couldn’t tell.

"I love how gentle you are with Lina. How fiercely you protect her. How you’d do anything to keep her safe and happy."

A sob escaped me.

"I love every single thing about you." His voice was raw. Completely unguarded. "And I know I have no right to ask this. I know I’ve done nothing to earn it. But Ariaâ€""

He paused. Swallowed hard.

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