Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce!-Chapter 45

Aria’s POV

The text had come last night.

I’d stared at my phone screen until the words blurred. Until they stopped looking like words and started looking like a death sentence.

Finn.

Of course it was Finn.

*You owe me, Aria. Five years of marriage. Five years of food, shelter, clothing, medical care. Do you think any of that was free? My lawyers have calculated everything. You owe the Nightfang family $200,000.*

Two hundred thousand dollars.

The number made me want to laugh. Or scream. Or both.

*And since Lilith will be living with me, you’ll also need to pay child support. $2,000 per month. Non-negotiable.*

My hands had started shaking. I couldn’t stop them.

*If you can’t pay, you have two options. Come to me. Apologize on your knees. Give me a son. Then maybe—maybe—I’ll consider forgiving you.*

*Or you can wait for the lawsuit. And prison.*

*Your choice.*

I’d thrown up after reading it. Barely made it to the bathroom in time.

Two hundred thousand dollars. Plus child support. For a daughter who hated me. For a marriage that had been nothing but pain.

Prison.

He was threatening me with prison.

And the worst part? He could probably do it. The Nightfang family had money. Power. Lawyers who could twist anything into whatever shape they wanted.

I was nothing. A Shadow Moon Omega with an empty bank account and a broken heart.

What chance did I have?

---

I worked a double shift today.

My feet screamed. My back ached. But I needed the money. Every dollar. Every tip. Every single cent I could scrape together.

It wouldn’t be enough. I knew that. Even if I worked every day for the next ten years, I’d never save two hundred thousand dollars.

But I had to try.

I had to do something.

Because I would not go back to Finn. I would not apologize. I would not give him another child to use as a weapon against me.

I’d rather die.

"Aria, table seven needs their check."

I nodded at the manager. Grabbed the check. Walked across the floor on autopilot.

Smile. Serve. Clear. Repeat.

Don’t think. Don’t feel. Don’t break down in front of customers.

That’s when I felt it.

Eyes on me.

Heavy. Intense. Burning into my back like a brand.

I knew who it was before I even turned around. I could feel his presence across the room. His pheromones reaching me even through the crowd.

Kael.

He was here. Again.

Why wouldn’t he leave me alone?

I delivered the check. Collected the payment. Kept my back to the VIP section where I knew he was sitting.

Don’t look. Don’t engage. Don’t give him the satisfaction.

But I could feel him watching. Every time I moved. Every table I served. Every step I took.

His gaze followed me like a shadow.

What did he want? To humiliate me more? To watch me suffer? To laugh at the pathetic Omega who’d actually believed his lies?

Tears burned behind my eyes. I blinked them back.

Not here. Not now. Not in front of him.

The hours crawled by. Each minute felt like an eternity. My body moved on autopilot while my mind spiraled.

Finn’s text. Kael’s eyes. The money I didn’t have. The prison that might be waiting.

Everything was falling apart.

Everything had already fallen apart.

Finally—finally—my shift ended.

I practically ran to the staff room. Changed out of my uniform. Grabbed my bag.

Get out. Get away. Don’t let him corner you.

The back exit. I’d use the back exit. Slip out before he noticed. Disappear into the night like the nobody I was.

I pushed through the staff door. The cool night air hit my face.

Freedom. Almost.

I walked faster. My heels clicked against the pavement. The employee parking lot stretched before me, empty except for a few scattered cars.

Just a few more steps. Just—

A black sports car pulled in front of me.

Blocking my path.

My heart stopped.

No.

The driver’s door opened. Kael stepped out.

He looked like he always did. Devastatingly handsome. Dark hair falling across his forehead. Those black-gold eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my knees weak.

I hated that my body still reacted to him. Hated that my heart still raced. Hated that some pathetic part of me still wanted him.

"Move," I said. My voice came out stronger than I felt.

He didn’t move.

Just stood there. Watching me. That unreadable expression on his perfect face.

"I said move."

Nothing.

Anger flared in my chest. Hot. Sudden. Welcome.

Anger was better than pain. Better than despair. Better than the crushing weight of everything falling apart.

"What do you want, Kael?" I spat his name like a curse. "Haven’t you done enough? Haven’t you humiliated me enough?"

Still nothing. He just stared at me with those empty eyes.

"Is this funny to you?" My voice cracked. "Watching me suffer? Is that why you keep coming back? To see how broken I am?"

A muscle twitched in his jaw. But he said nothing.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I turned. Started walking in the opposite direction. I’d find another way home. I’d walk all night if I had to. Anything to get away from him.

"Aria."

My name on his lips. Low. Dark. A command I couldn’t ignore.

Keep walking. Don’t stop. Don’t look back.

Footsteps behind me. Fast. Getting closer.

A hand closed around my wrist.

He spun me around.

And suddenly we were face to face. Inches apart. So close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. So close his pheromones wrapped around me like a suffocating blanket.

Ebony and frost. Dark and intoxicating.

My breath caught. My heart slammed against my ribs.

His grip was firm. Not painful. But inescapable.

"Let go of me," I whispered.

His eyes searched my face. Those black-gold irises reflecting the streetlights. Something flickered in their depths. Something I couldn’t read.

"I said let go!"

I yanked my arm. Useless. He was too strong.

"Stop running from me." His voice was rough. Strained.

"Why?" Tears burned in my eyes. I couldn’t stop them this time. "So you can hurt me again? So you can remind me what trash I am?"

His jaw clenched.

"You’ve made your point, Kael. I’m nothing. I’m nobody. I was just a game. A toy. Entertainment for your girlfriend." The words poured out like poison. "I got it. Message received. Now let me go."

His grip tightened. He pulled me closer. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Our chests nearly touched. I could feel his heartbeat. Fast. Unsteady.

The air between us crackled with something electric. Something dangerous.

For one insane moment, I thought he might kiss me.

For one insane moment, I wanted him to.

Then his free hand moved.

He shoved something against my stomach. Paper. An envelope.

"Take it."

His voice was ice. Cold. Dead.

All the heat between us evaporated.

I looked down. The envelope was thick. Heavy.

"What is this?"

"Money." The word came out flat. "Payment for that night."

My blood ran cold.

Payment.

For that night.

The night we’d slept together. The night I’d thought meant something. The night I’d been drugged and terrified and he’d saved me and then—

He was paying me.

Like a whore.

The envelope burned against my fingers.

"No." The word came out broken. "No, I don’t want—"

"I don’t care what you want." His voice was brutal. Merciless. "I don’t want to owe anything to someone like you."

"Stay away from me after this." His voice was cold. Final. "We won’t have any relationship from now on. Pretend I don’t exist. That shouldn’t be hard for you."