Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Aria’s POV

"Don’t you dare look at him again!"

Rebecca’s voice sliced through the club like a knife. Her finger jabbed toward my face, trembling with rage.

I pressed my shaking hand against my burning cheek. The sting radiated through my skull. Stars still danced at the edges of my vision.

Silent tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t do anything but stand there like a broken doll.

The entire club had gone silent. Every eye was on us. On me. The Shadow Moon trash who’d dared to reach above her station.

"Get out," Rebecca hissed. Her green eyes blazed with triumph. "Get out of my sight, you pathetic whore!"

My legs moved before my brain could process the command. I stumbled backward. Nearly knocked over a chair. Didn’t care.

I ran.

Past the VIP section. Past the bar. Past all those staring faces and whispered judgments. I kept my head down. Couldn’t look at anyone. Couldn’t bear to see the pity. The amusement. The sick satisfaction of people watching someone else’s humiliation.

The back door. I needed the back door.

I slammed through it. The cold night air hit my face like a slap. Another slap. How many times could one person be struck down before they stopped getting up?

My legs gave out.

I crumpled against the brick wall of the alley. Slid down until I was sitting on the cold, dirty ground. The concrete bit into my skin through my thin uniform. I didn’t care.

A sob tore from my throat.

Then another.

Then I was crying so hard I couldn’t breathe. My chest heaved. My body shook. Every sound that escaped me felt like it was being ripped from somewhere deep inside.

She’d hit me.

In front of everyone.

And Kael had just sat there.

He hadn’t moved. Hadn’t spoken. Hadn’t even looked up from his goddamn phone.

Like I was nothing.

Like I’d never meant anything at all.

The crying turned to wailing. Ugly, gasping sobs that echoed off the alley walls. I pressed my fist against my mouth, trying to muffle the sound. Failing completely.

My already shattered heart felt like someone was grinding it beneath their heel. The shame. The pain. The fact that he hadn’t even lifted a finger to stop it—everything burned.

Why?

Why did I keep doing this to myself? Why did I keep trusting people who only wanted to hurt me?

First Finn. Now Kael.

What was wrong with me?

The back door burst open.

I flinched. Tried to scramble to my feet. Failed. My legs were too weak. My body had given up.

"Aria!"

Elara’s voice. Panicked. Worried.

She ran toward me, her heels clicking against the concrete. Dropped to her knees beside me without hesitation.

"Oh god. Aria. What happened? Are you okay?"

I couldn’t answer. Couldn’t form words through the sobs still wracking my body.

Elara pulled me into her arms. Held me tight. Rocked me gently like a child.

"It’s okay," she murmured. "You’re safe now. I’ve got you. You’re safe."

I buried my face in her shoulder. Let myself be held. Let myself fall apart completely.

"I can’t..." The words came out broken. Barely intelligible. "I can’t do this anymore."

"Shh." Elara stroked my hair. "You don’t have to explain. Just breathe."

We stayed like that for what felt like hours. Her holding me. Me crying until I had nothing left.

Eventually, the tears slowed. My breathing evened out. The shaking subsided into occasional tremors.

Elara pulled back. Looked at my face. Her expression crumpled with sympathy.

"Come on," she said softly. "Let’s get you inside. Away from prying eyes."

She helped me stand. My legs felt like jelly. But with her arm around my waist, I managed to stay upright.

We stumbled through the back door. Through the staff corridor. Into the break room.

Elara lowered me onto the old couch in the corner. The cushions sagged beneath me. The fabric smelled like coffee and cigarettes. I’d never been so grateful for something so shabby.

"Stay here," Elara said firmly. "I’ll handle the rest of your tables. You don’t have to go back out there."

I opened my mouth. Tried to protest. A small sob escaped instead.

"Thank you," I managed. The words came out raspy. Wrecked. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry."

"Don’t apologize." Elara squeezed my hand. "Just rest. I’ll come check on you when I can."

She disappeared through the door.

I was alone.

I lay back on the couch. Stared at the water-stained ceiling. Let my mind go blank.

The night passed in fragments. Time lost all meaning. I drifted in and out of consciousness. Sometimes I heard distant music from the club. Sometimes footsteps in the hallway. Sometimes nothing at all.

Elara came back once. Brought me water. Made me drink it. I don’t remember what she said.

Eventually, the sounds from the club faded. The music stopped. The chatter died away.

Closing time.

I sat up slowly. Every muscle ached. My face still throbbed where Rebecca had struck me. My eyes felt swollen and raw.

But I was alive.

The bus arrived. We climbed on. Found seats in the back. Rode in silence through the empty streets.

Elara got off at her stop. Hugged me tight before she left.

"Take care of yourself," she whispered. "Promise me."

"I promise."

Another lie. But what else could I say?

The rest of the ride passed in a blur. My apartment building appeared. I got off. Walked up the stairs. Unlocked the door.

Home.

Such a meaningless word.

This wasn’t home. It was a place to sleep. A roof over my head. Nothing more.

I locked the door behind me. Dropped my bag on the floor. Didn’t bother turning on the lights.

The darkness felt appropriate.

I made my way to the bedroom. Each step felt like wading through quicksand. Exhaustion pulled at every muscle. My mind was a fog of pain and grief and shame.

I closed the bedroom door. Leaned against it for a moment. Let the silence wrap around me.

The bed looked so far away. But I forced my legs to carry me there. Collapsed onto the mattress without changing out of my uniform. Without washing my face. Without doing any of the things a normal person would do.

I was so tired.

Not just physically. Bone-deep tired. Soul tired. The kind of exhaustion that sleep couldn’t fix.

I stared at the ceiling. The same ceiling I’d stared at for years. Through Finn’s neglect. Through Lilith’s rejection. Through every small and large tragedy that had defined my life.

Tears threatened to fall again. I blinked them back. I didn’t have any left. My body had been wrung dry.

My chest ached with a pain I couldn’t name. Heartbreak? Humiliation? Both? Neither?

It didn’t matter.

Nothing mattered anymore.

I buried the feeling deep. Pushed it down where I couldn’t feel it. Where it couldn’t hurt me.

That was the only way to survive. Shut it out. Lock it away. Pretend it didn’t exist.

Just like I’d done my whole life.

My phone buzzed.

The sound made me jump. I’d forgotten I even had it.

I reached into my pocket. Pulled it out. The screen glowed in the darkness.

I looked at it wearily.

Then froze.

My heart sank.