Chapter 58
Chapter 58
The room was still dimly lit from the soft flicker of candlelight leftover from the dinner Ariana had prepared. She wanted to cook for Callum to express her gratitude so she sent Elena home earlier. Callum sat at the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees, eyes focused on the rug like it might offer him the right words. Ariana stood across from him, arms crossed, her expression caught somewhere between guarded hope and quiet weariness.
“I’ll tell you everything,” he said finally, voice low but steady. “But I need you to believe that I’m doing everything to protect you—and your sister.”
Ariana’s arms fell to her sides. “Then tell me now.”
Callum looked up at her, and the moment between them hung, heavy and full of meaning. He stood and crossed to her, reaching for her hand. “There’s something going on behind the scenes—something dangerous. What happened to you outside the hospital wasn’t random. I’ve been trying to keep it from reaching you, but…” He exhaled, jaw tense. “The Prestleys aren’t just socialites with money. Milanna’s father— Charles Prestley—is powerful and more dangerous than I’ve let on. He’s been threatening my position for years, but now, with you in the picture, it’s gotten personal.”
Ariana’s brows furrowed. “Why would it get personal?”
“Because Milanna still thinks there’s a future between us. She’s manipulative and her father uses her as leverage. That attempted kidnapping?” He paused, his hand squeezing hers. “We think it was them. A warning.”
Ariana sucked in a slow breath, her voice barely above a whisper. “You think? Or you know?”
“We’re close,” Callum said. “Which is why I have to leave again. Julian and I—we found a new lead. Someone who might’ve helped set the whole thing up. We need to find them before they disappear.”
“When?” she asked quietly.
“Tomorrow morning.”
She stepped away from him then, pacing slowly toward the window, her back to him. “Every time we get close… you pull away.”
“That’s not what this is,” Callum said, following her. “This isn’t about running. It’s about buying us time. About keeping you safe.”
She turned to face him, pain flickering behind her eyes. “Then why does it feel like I’m always the last one to know?”
Callum didn’t have an answer. He moved closer, gently cupping her face. “You have every right to feel this way. I’ve kept too much from you… and I’m trying to change that. I need you to trust me this on this one. I would never keep you in harms way..”
The words hovered between them, heavy with tension and truth. Ariana leaned into his touch, closing her eyes for a moment before nodding. “Okay. But when you get back… no more secrets.”
His thumb traced the edge of her jaw. “No more secrets.”
She softened slightly. “Are you staying tonight?”
His mouth lifted in a half-smile. “I was hoping to.”
⸻
They fell asleep tangled together in her bed—quietly, wordlessly, but no less connected. Callum watched her chest rise and fall in sleep, wondering when he’d started needing her so badly that even a day apart felt unbearable.
The next morning came too quickly. Callum woke early, careful not to disturb her as he got dressed. He paused at her bedside, brushing a kiss across her temple. She stirred but didn’t wake.
By the time Ariana stepped into the kitchen, Callum was gone.
A note sat beside a small plate of breakfast Elena had prepared: I’ll be back before you know it. Tell Charlie I said hi. —C.
Ariana stared at the note for a long time before pressing it to her chest.
⸻
Meanwhile, Callum and Julian stood in a secure hangar beside a sleek jet, the early light casting long shadows.
“You sure you’re up for this?” Julian asked, pulling on his jacket. “You’ve been running on fumes.”
Callum exhaled. “I don’t have a choice.”
Julian studied him for a moment. “You’re not just doing this for business.”
Callum met his gaze. “She’s different.”
Julian’s brow lifted. “You sound like a man with something to lose.”
Callum climbed the stairs of the jet. “That’s exactly what I am.”
As they boarded, Julian’s phone buzzed with an encrypted message. He read it once and handed it over to Callum. The screen showed a single phrase: She’s closer than you think.
“What the hell does that mean?” Julian muttered.
Callum frowned, reading the message again. His voice dropped to a growl. “It means someone’s watching us. And we’re running out of time.”
They shared a glance before taking their seats. The jet engines roared to life.
As the plane lifted off the tarmac, Callum leaned back in his chair, but his mind wasn’t on the lead or the Prestleys. It was on the woman he left sleeping, and the promises he made.
This time, he would keep them.