Chapter 32 The Unraveling
She found Aiden on the roof.
Not the balcony off his room, but the actual roof…accessible through a maintenance door she didn’t know existed. He was sitting on the edge, legs dangling over, looking at the city lights below.
“That’s not safe,” she said, climbing out to join him.
“Nothing about any of this is safe.”
She sat beside him anyway. Close enough to touch but not touching. Giving him space while staying present.
“My brother was murdered,” she said finally. “For six months, I thought I killed him. And it wasn’t true. It was never true.”
“My mom was murdered. And my dad spent six years turning that murder into a chess game.”
“Five people, At least five people died because one man wanted money.”
“And we’re supposed to stop him. Somehow. While also dealing with our fake marriage that became real and the press and a dying father and…” Aiden laughed, sharp and broken. “It’s too much. It’s all too much.”
“Yeah. It is.”
They sat in silence for a long time.
Finally, Ariella said: “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Part of me wants to fight. To destroy Winters. To make him pay for everything… My Mom, Ethan, all of it. But part of me just wants to run. To take Lily and leave Portland and never look back.”
“Both sound reasonable.”
“Which would you do?”
Ariella thought about it. Really thought about it.
“I think,” she said slowly, “I would fight. Not for revenge. Not even for justice, really. But because if I didn’t, I’d spend the rest of my life wondering. Wondering if I could have stopped him. If I could have prevented the next murder.” She paused. “Ethan would want me to fight. He was always the brave one. Always stood up to bullies.”
“My mom would want me to fight too. She was fearless. Took on problems no one else would touch.”
“So maybe we fight. For them.”
“Or maybe we fight for us. To prove we’re not just pieces in someone else’s game.” Aiden looked at her. “But if we do this, if we actually take on Winters it’s going to be brutal. He’ll come after both of us. Our families. Everything.”
“I know.”
“And the contract ends in two months. You could walk away. Be free of all this.”
“I could.”
“But?”
“But I don’t want to.” The words came out steady and sure. “I want to stay. I want to fight. I want to make sure Winters never hurts anyone else.”
“Even if it costs you everything?”
“Even then.”
Aiden took her hand. “We’re going to regret this.”
“Probably.”
“We’re going to get hurt.”
“Definitely.”
“But we’re doing it anyway.”
“Yeah. We are.”
They sat on the roof as the city glittered below them, two teenagers deciding to fight a killer because the alternative was letting more people die. Because their murdered relatives deserved justice. Because sometimes you had to be brave even when…especially when you were terrified.
“Together?” Aiden asked.
“Together,” Ariella confirmed.
And somewhere in the mansion below them, Richard Frost took his last breath, finally able to let go knowing his children would finish what he started.
Even if it destroyed them in the process.
Richard Frost died at 3:47 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Ariella and Aiden were still on the roof when Marcus found them, his face gray with grief and exhaustion.
"He's gone," Marcus said simply.
The words should have felt momentous. Earth-shattering. Instead, they just felt inevitable.
Aiden stood slowly, like his body had forgotten how to move. "How?"
"Peacefully. In his sleep. The nurse said…" Marcus's voice cracked. "He smiled at the end. Like he'd finally found peace."
"Peace," Aiden repeated, the word hollow. "He manipulated us for six years and died at peace."
"He loved you. Everything he did…"
"Don't." Aiden's voice was steel. "Don't tell me it was love. Love doesn't lie. Love doesn't use people. Love doesn't turn grief into weapons."
Marcus nodded slowly. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"What happens now?" Ariella asked.
"Legally? The company transfers to Aiden immediately. Full control. Richard's will is ironclad. And with it comes…" Marcus pulled out a USB drive. "Everything. Six years of evidence. Financial records. Private investigator reports. Witness statements. Everything you need to destroy Winters."
He held it out. Aiden stared at it like it was a bomb.
"I don't want it."
"Aiden…"
"I don't want his revenge plot. I don't want to be his weapon. I just…" His voice broke. "I just want my dad back. The one who taught me to ride a bike. Who read me bedtime stories. Who loved my mom without turning her death into a war."
"That dad died with your mom," Marcus said gently. "The man who raised you after that did the best he could. It wasn't enough. But that was all he had."
Aiden took the USB drive with shaking hands.
"We need to tell Lily," he said finally.
"I'll wake her."
"No. I'll do it. She should hear it from me."
He walked back inside, moving like a ghost.
Ariella started to follow, but Marcus stopped her.
"Wait. There's something else."
"How can there be more?"