Sweet Hatred-Chapter 447: Snowstorm

ARIA

The city lights blurred past the car window, soft and golden against the darkness.

I sat in the passenger seat, my hands folded in my lap, my mind spinning through everything that had just happened.

The will reading. Andrew’s threats. Sabrina’s breakdown. The reporters. Kael publicly claiming me as his.

It all felt surreal. Like I’d stepped into someone else’s life and couldn’t quite find my way back to my own.

My thoughts drifted, unbidden, to Sarah.

And my chest squeezed so tightly I almost gasped.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss her. Or rather, miss who I’d thought she was.

The memories came flooding back before I could stop them.

Sarah at orientation, shy and awkward, staring at me from across the quad before quickly looking away.

The way she’d smiled when I’d dragged her to that first party, reluctant but glowing. Late nights in our dorm, eating junk food and watching terrible movies on a borrowed laptop. Her laugh. Her quiet presence. The way she’d always been there.

How carefully crafted it had all been.

Every smile. Every gesture. Every moment of seeming vulnerability.

All of it calculated. Designed. A mask so perfect I’d never seen the monster underneath.

I felt stupid. So incredibly, devastatingly stupid.

Angry at myself for being so blind. For not protecting Kael. For letting Sarah get close enough to hurt him in the worst possible way.

I wanted to forget her. Wanted to hate her with everything I had.

But every time I tried to push the memories away, every time I tried to summon that clean, simple hatred, it just hurt.

Like trying to tear out a piece of myself.

Movement outside caught my attention.

Snow.

Light flurries drifting down from the sky, catching in the evening light, dancing through the air like small white ghosts.

It was beautiful. Almost magical.

Another memory surfaced, sharp and unwelcome.

Last year. New Year’s period. A crazy snowstorm that had kept everyone indoors for days.

Sarah and I had been stuck in her apartment, and it had been... perfect. We’d built a blanket fort. Made hot chocolate. Talked for hours about everything and nothing.

I’d had the best time.

But now I couldn’t enjoy that memory. Couldn’t hold onto it without feeling it curdle and spoil in my mind.

It felt ugly now. Bitter. Tainted by the knowledge of what she really was.

Especially knowing what she’d done to Kael.

No matter how much it hurt to hate her, I would make her pay. However I could. Whatever it took.

If I could hurt her the way she’d hurt him, I would.

Without hesitation.

Warm fingers brushed my cheek, pulling me back from the dark spiral of my thoughts.

"Are you okay?"

Kael’s voice was soft, concerned.

I turned to look at him, and something in my chest loosened at the sight of his profile... strong jaw, dark eyes flicking between me and the road, that slight furrow between his brows that meant he was worried.

A smile pulled at my lips before I could stop it. Unconscious. Automatic.

"I’m fine," I said.

The look he gave me said he didn’t believe a single word.

But he didn’t push. Instead, he reached over and clasped our hands together, bringing mine to his lips.

He pressed a kiss to my knuckles. Then another. And another.

His breath was warm against my skin, and I felt something settle in me that I hadn’t known was unsettled.

Safety. Comfort. Home.

"I’m not going to force you to tell me what’s on your mind," he murmured against my hand, his eyes back on the road. "But don’t hesitate. I’d tear down mountains for you if you asked. Burn the whole world down if it meant keeping you safe."

He pressed another kiss to my palm, his voice dropping lower.

"That’s how completely you have me, Aria. How deeply you’re embedded in every part of me. You’re not just in my heart... You are my heart."

My breath caught.

My chest felt too full, too tight, like it couldn’t contain everything I was feeling.

I wanted to pull him close. Wanted to kiss him until neither of us could breathe. Wanted to crawl into his lap and never let go.

But we were driving. On a highway. With other cars around us.

Safety first.

So instead, I pulled his hand to my lips and kissed it. Hard. Then bit down gently on the pad of his thumb.

He made a low sound in his throat that sent heat flooding through me.

I rested my face in his palm, letting his warmth seep into my skin, and closed my eyes.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I know," he said. "I love you too."

And for the first time since leaving that conference room, I felt like I could breathe.

---

By the time we reached the hotel, the snow was falling steadier.

Kael pulled into the underground parking, and we took the elevator up to the suite.

Halfway up, the world tilted.

Dizziness hit me like a wave, sudden and disorienting. My vision blurred at the edges. My knees buckled.

"Aria!"

Kael caught me before I could fall, his arm around my waist, pulling me against his chest.

"I’m okay," I said quickly, even though the elevator was still spinning slightly. "Just dizzy."

"When did you eat last?" he demanded, his voice sharp with worry.

I tried to remember. "This morning?"

"Jesus Christ, Aria."

The elevator doors opened, and before I could protest, he scooped me up into his arms.

"Kael, I can walk—"

"No."

He carried me out of the elevator, down the hallway, and into the suite like I weighed nothing.

I should have been embarrassed. Should have insisted he put me down.

But honestly?

I secretly loved it.

Loved being held by him. Cared for by him. Treated like I was precious and fragile and worth protecting.

Even if I wasn’t actually fragile.

He set me down gently on the couch, then immediately started shedding his coat and tie, his movements sharp and efficient.

"Change into something comfortable," he ordered. "I’m ordering food."

"Kael—"

"Now, Aria."

I huffed but obeyed, disappearing into the bedroom.

I stripped out of the navy dress and heels, trading them for one of Kael’s soft cotton shirts and a pair of sleep shorts.

His shirt smelled like him. Clean and masculine and comforting.

That’s all I ever wanted to wear.

When I emerged, he’d changed too... dark sweatpants and nothing else, his chest bare and distracting.

He was on the phone, presumably with room service, but his eyes tracked me as I walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The snow was falling heavier now. The city below was already dusted white, lights twinkling through the flurries like stars.

It was beautiful.

Before my mind could spiral again... back to Sarah, back to memories I didn’t want... I felt him.

Kael’s arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me back against his chest. His lips found my neck, pressing soft kisses there. My shoulder. The curve where my neck met my collarbone.

"Stop thinking," he murmured against my skin.

"I’m not—"

"Yes, you are." He turned me in his arms so I was facing him. "I can see it in your eyes."

Then he kissed me.

Slow and deep and consuming, like he was trying to pull every dark thought out of my head and replace it with him. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

It worked.

By the time he pulled back, I was breathless and clinging to him.

He picked me up again... I was starting to remember that he just liked carrying me... and walked us to the bedroom.

He laid me down gently on the bed, his body covering mine, his weight pressing me into the mattress in a way that made me feel safe and grounded.

"You can sleep if you want to," he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I’ll wake you when the food gets here."

"I’m not tired," I protested, even as my eyes were already closing.

"Liar."

His hand stroked through my hair, gentle and soothing, and despite everything, I felt myself drifting.

The last thing I felt was his lips on my temple and his whispered words.

"I’ve got you, baby. Always."

---

I woke to the need to pee.

My eyes cracked open slowly, adjusting to the soft morning light filtering through the curtains.

Kael was still asleep beside me, one arm thrown over his head, his face relaxed in a way it rarely was when he was awake.

Peaceful. Beautiful.

I carefully extracted myself from the blankets, trying not to wake him, and padded to the bathroom.

After I finished, I noticed the balcony door in the bedroom.

Curious, I walked over and pulled back the curtain.

And froze.

The entire city was covered in snow.

Thick, pristine white blanketed everything. Rooftops, streets, cars. The world looked like it had been wrapped in a soft, clean silence.

It was breathtaking.

I stood there for a moment, just staring, my breath fogging the glass.

Then I remembered... the TV.

I walked back into the living area of the suite and turned it on, keeping the volume low so I wouldn’t wake Kael.

A news anchor appeared on screen, bundled in a winter coat, standing outside in the snow.

"—historic snowstorm that hit the city overnight. Officials are advising residents to stay indoors as the storm is expected to continue for the next forty-eight hours. Travel is not advised. The city has essentially shut down, with most businesses closed and public transportation suspended—"

Forty-eight hours.

Snowed in.

With Kael.

For two whole days.