Page 86 of All That She Needs

Before any of us could say a word, Kayden dashed out the door, as if there was something urgent that he needed to handle immediately.

"What's wrong with him?" I mumbled to myself.

"Let him be," Aiden said with a sigh, then winced as a low groan escaped him, likely from the pain flaring up. He shifted slightly, trying to ease the discomfort, but it was clear that even small movements weren't easy for him right now.

"We'll give you two some time to talk," Max said, extending his hand to Chloe, sensing that I needed to have a conversation with Aiden about what had happened. "Come on, Chloe. Let's grab a croissant at the cafe up front."

Chloe hesitated for a moment, but her eyes lit up when Max added, "They have those Nutella-filled croissants you love."

She grinned happily and instantly slid off the bed—so easy to persuade with just the promise of sweets. "I'll be back, Dad," she said, following her uncles out of the room.

When we were alone, my gaze lingered on his injured leg, and I couldn't help but wonder if he would walk properly again.

"I can," Aiden replied, catching me off guard. I didn't realize I had spoken my thoughts aloud. "I'll work hard on it until I can."

"What happened, Aiden?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. "Why was she acting like that?"

Aiden sighed, leaning his head back against the bed, which was slightly reclined for his comfort. "The universe was giving me a lesson, Asha," he said. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them to look at me earnestly. "I only have myself to blame."

I didn't know how to respond, so I stayed quiet, sensing that he had more to say.

"Did Roy tell you how the accident happened?" he asked. I nodded. "Well, now I'm going to tell youwhyit happened. And believe me, there's a reason for me telling you this."

"Okay," I replied, waiting for him to continue.

"She came to me saying that I had sent Ryan, her fiancé, text messages containing screenshots of my conversation with her, along with some pictures. Apparently, she had been dating Ryan while she was with me, and because of that, Ryan canceled their wedding. She also claimed that I had texted her, calling her a lying whore and accusing her of giving me a hard time for always choosing you while she was cheating on me with Ryan." He paused, looking at me warily for my reaction.

I kept my face neutral, but inside, I was screaming. Holy shit! Seriously?She cheated on him. Ryan was the one who canceled their wedding?

Luckily, Aiden didn't see it in my face. "She thought it was my attempt to get her back by ruining her engagementto Ryan and wanted us to get back together. But I said no. I dismissed her and told her to go home. We were at the cafe near my apartment, and I just left her there."

My lips twitched, and I had to curl them in between my teeth. It was both sad and hilarious, and I couldn't even pinpoint exactly what struck me as funny. Maybe I was just relieved that karma had caught up with both of them. Then my gaze fell to Aiden's leg, and guilt washed over me. I suddenly felt like a terrible person.

Aiden rubbed his face with his hands and leaned back further, staring at the ceiling. "It must have driven her crazy because she thought I had destroyed her chance to marry Ryan just to dump her."

That was tragic. But all I could think about was how much I wanted to laugh.

Oblivious to my drifting thoughts, Aiden continued. "It hit me then—my life felt like a bad joke. But you know what was running through my mind at that moment? What made it unbearable?" His gaze met mine, and though I struggled to keep a straight face, he seemed to take it as something else entirely.

"How I lost you," he said softly. "I lost you for something that, in the end, didn't mean a thing."

Oh God, help me. I didn't know how much longer I could keep this in. It felt wrong to be this happy about it, but I couldn't help myself.

"But I never sent those texts, Asha. Not to her or to Ryan."

That brought my thoughts to a screeching halt. I took a moment to process what he had just told me. I was too caught up in the realization that she had been playing him all along and that her fiancé had dumped her. "You didn't?"

He shook his head. "I never contacted her. Not for a long time. And I didn't have Ryan's number."

"Then who?" I asked, bewildered.

Aiden cast me a pointed look, and slowly, it dawned on me. "Oh, shit," I gasped. "Kayden?"

"I don't have proof, but I suspect it was Kayden."

"Does she know it wasn't you who sent it?"

"No. I didn't tell her. She still thinks it was me. That's probably why this"—he gestured to his injured leg— "happened."

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