Chapter 8 – Nowhere Near Him
The buzz of the city had never felt louder than it did that morning.
Aria sat in the corner booth of the small café two blocks from the diner where she worked. She clutched the warm cup of tea in her hands, but the heat didn't reach her fingers. Her skin felt numb, her mind heavier than ever.
She had spent the entire night tossing and turning, haunted by the news headlines that splashed across her phone screen the previous day:
"Mystery Girl Spotted Leaving Billionaire Kade Val's Hotel Room."
The attached photo was blurry — taken in the early hours of the morning — but she recognized herself. The oversized jacket she'd thrown on, her hair tucked messily into a hood, her slightly bowed head. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.
Her hands trembled around the mug. Her stomach turned, not from the nausea that had been bothering her all week, but from the sheer anxiety gnawing at her chest.
She couldn't breathe in this city anymore.
The decision was made.
She pulled the duffel bag closer with her foot and looked down at the list she had scrawled hastily in her journal:
Cancel lease
Quit job
Book ticket
Leave no note
Block his number
She had already done the first two. Her tiny apartment had been emptied out that morning. The keys were left on the kitchen counter. She'd handed in her apron and nametag with nothing but a thank-you. Her boss had tried to ask questions, but Aria had only smiled — a hollow, distant smile — and said she needed to go find herself.
It wasn't a lie. She didn't know who she was anymore. A twenty-year-old orphan. A waitress. A girl who accidentally got pregnant by the same man who had once shattered her heart.
And he was everywhere.
On billboards. On news channels. On social media. On people's lips.
Kade Val wasn't just her past anymore — he was a nightmare invading her present.
"I need to go somewhere where no one knows me," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
She'd picked a small town three hours away. Quiet. Coastal. She remembered going there once with her foster family before things went bad. It wasn't fancy, but it was peaceful. She could rent a room, get a simple job, have the baby in peace, and keep her distance.
This baby wasn't just a consequence — it was her turning point.
Even though she'd thought about aborting it, the very idea had made her feel like she'd be erasing the only thing in her life that hadn't left her. She hadn't chosen this, but now, a part of her wanted to protect it. She had to.
A knock on the café window startled her. She turned quickly, only to see a delivery guy walk by. Her heart pounded anyway. Ever since the photo leaked, she'd been scared. Scared of being followed. Scared of Kade showing up.
He hadn't, so far.
But that only made it worse.
She hadn't answered his calls or messages since that night. He'd tried a few times, asking if she was okay, asking to talk, but she couldn't bring herself to reply. Not after everything he'd said to her two years ago.
"You're just a kid, Aria."
"It's not serious. Don't be so naive."
"Grow up."
Those words still echoed in her ears like they were spoken yesterday.
And now? Now she was carrying his child.
She couldn't face him. Couldn't let him back in — not when she'd barely stitched herself together from the last time he ripped her apart.
Her phone buzzed on the table.
Unknown Number.
She stared at it. Her hands clenched into fists. Her heart thudded in her ears.
Then it stopped.
A voicemail icon popped up seconds later.
Her throat tightened.
No. She couldn't listen to it. Not now.
She slid the phone into her bag, threw some cash on the table, and stood up. The duffel strap went over her shoulder as she stepped outside.
The afternoon air was humid, the clouds overhead thick with the promise of rain. She welcomed it. A storm felt fitting.
As she crossed the street to the station, she didn't look back.
She wouldn't change her mind. She couldn't.
She bought her bus ticket with shaky hands and sat in the farthest corner of the waiting room, arms wrapped tightly around herself.
People walked past, unaware of the storm inside her. To them, she was just a girl with tired eyes and a big bag. No one knew her story. No one knew she was running.
And that was exactly how she wanted it.
Her name would never be linked to Kade Val again.
Not publicly.
Not privately.
Not ever.
But just as she was about to close her eyes and lean back against the wall, a voice broke her thoughts.
"Excuse me," a woman said kindly, holding out a folded newspaper. "You dropped this?"
Aria blinked. "No, I—"
But her eyes caught the front page of the paper and froze.
"Kade Val Denies New Relationship Rumors — Says He's Been Searching for Someone from His Past."
Her breath hitched.
She took the paper slowly, her fingers going cold.
He was looking for her.
And he had gone public.
Suddenly, leaving didn't feel so simple anymore.