Chapter 35

Aurelia's POV

"Oh my God," I whispered, my head spinning around.

"Yeah," he commented. "You didn't even check the face of the driver. What if it was Ted Bundy?"

"Well, for starters, he's dead," I snorted, rolling my eyes while I was thinking of how to escape him. "There's no chance of entering an Uber where Ted Bundy is the driver."

"Why are you running from me?" He questioned. I could see his brow lift from the rearview mirror.

I let out a small laugh and sighed because he was batshit crazy.

How couldn't he see why I was avoiding him?

Still, I decided I was definitely going to deny it.

"I'm not avoiding you."

"Why didn't you wait for me to wake up?" He questioned, turning left.

Great, we were getting closer to home.

"We hooked up," I said, shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly. "Nothing special about it. What were you expecting? I wake up early and bring you breakfast in bed?"

"I have a lot of maids for that," he snorted. "And we're not hooking up Aurelia. You mean something to me."

I barked out a loud and bitter laugh, feeling irritation crawl beneath my skin. "You don't know me, Killian. I don't know what kind of fucked up fantasy you're trying to get with me, but fucking stop!"

"Au—"

"Want to know why I'm avoiding you?" I said, my voice rising as I sat upright. "Oh, let's start with, you're my stepdad soon, I screwed you by mistake. Okay, that's a pass, I mean, I didn't know. But you kept pushing boundaries. You don't understand, no, you kept making me feel like sneaking around is okay, and because we're both attracted, it should be fine. Then I go ahead and sleep with you again, but this time I'm the one who seduces you!"

I paused for a minute to catch my breath. "How do you think that makes me feel, Killian? I feel like a fucking slut, and my step mom has done nothing bad enough to me that she deserves this. I'm her daughter, screwing her fiancé, and somehow that's supposed to be okay?" I continued. "I'm literally trying to put some distance, and you keep showing up, keep demanding, keep trying to bend me to your sick will, and while fucking you can feel good in the moment... It's killing me slowly inside, and for fucks sake, you're a fucking murderer. You... You've killed people but somehow show no remorse."

Killian, who had been silently driving for a while now, skidded to a stop in the middle of the road, his hands clenching around the wheels. He inhaled, and then exhaled, then accelerated the car forward again.

"You're not even saying anything," I pointed out, frustration bubbling up in me. It would have helped if he had maybe apologized or tried to make me feel okay, even if it was just more manipulation. But Killian, who probably graduated with a PhD in annoying me, remained silent. "Just great," I muttered to myself, looking out.

"You know what?" I asked after five minutes of excruciating silence. "Drop me off."

"What?"

"I said, drop me off. Stop the goddamn car."

"You're emotional," he commented in a dry voice. "Not the right time for you to be making decisions."

"Well, you should not be making decisions with a hard dick." Two could play a game. Go low? I was definitely going to go lower..

"You don't exactly make it easy for me."

"And you think you make it easy for me?" I huffed. "You're allowed to make excuses, and I'm not?"

"Okay, great, what do you want me to do?" He questioned.

"Your nonchalance is so irritating because you are nonchalant at the worst of times."

"I'm not being nonchalant, I'm just asking what you want me to do."

"You're fucking funny," I spat. "You know what to do or say at other times, but not now?"

He shrugged.

God, if only I had a glass bottle, I'd have smashed it on his head.

"Fuck off. Stop the fucking car and let me out."

"No can do, Aurelia."

"Stop!" I screeched, kicking the driver's seat, but he didn't even flinch.

"For a grown woman, you sure as hell throw a lot of tantrums."

Great. Just great.

I was making a fool out of myself.

"Okay, what do you want my mom to say when you drop me off? When we walked into the house together?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow. "She already suspects you're screwing someone else. Do you want her to guess it's me you're screwing?"

"She's not going to make guesses," replied Killian. "You went to the club last night, there were some problems, you called me, and I picked you up. The last thing she'll suspect is that I'm screwing her daughter."

"I really don't want to be around you right now, Killian," I mumbled, wringing my fingers together.

"Great. So when we get home, lock yourself in your room, it's that simple."

This man was so fucking infuriating.

I said nothing and pulled out my phone, scrolling away mindlessly. My best bet was to stop coming home during weekends and spend my time at the dorm. After all, my final semester exams were approaching, and I needed to stay in school and focus. The last thing I needed was any form of distraction from Killian.

The house finally came into view, and he drove into the driveway flanking my shrubs on either side. The grass on the lawn was dying in one corner... Like my soul.

I opened the car door and stomped inside. My stepmom was seated on the living room couch, hugging a plushie to her chest. She looked up and had a small smile at the corner of her lips.

"Hi, Aurelia." Her eyes were red-rimmed— she had been crying.

"Mom," I whispered, moving towards her and pulling her into a hug. Killian stepped in just then, and she stiffened, then looked at me, and looked at him.

"She got herself in trouble at the club," Killian said in a dry voice.