Page 37 of Arden and the Girl Downstairs

“Chad will be back soon. He had to go open the bar for Logan. The rest of his harem stopped by, and they promised they would be back tonight,” Yasmin explains as she comes to stand beside Rhys, picking up my hand and giving it a squeeze. “Arden will also be back soon. He just had to do something real quick. He hasn’t left your side.”

Arden’s been here. Crap. I was supposed to meet him at school this morning. It’s his first day back.

“You should go home. I’m okay on my own,” I tell them. I glance back and forth between them—they look like crap.

“We aren’t going anywhere. You’re stuck with us,” Yasmin says as she sticks her hand on her hip to emphasise her point. Heaven help her future children; she’s got the mum pose down pat.

“Thank you,” I choke out as the flood gate opens and tears stream down my face.

Yasmin moves around and embraces me in an awkward hug without moving me too much. “Shhh, we’ve got you,” she whispers.

It’s during this emotional moment that the door opens. I can’t see who enters, but there’s no need for guessing once I hear Rhys’s next words.

“Did you really leave to buy a stupid freaking unicorn bow tie?”

A what? Why would Arden do that?

“Of course not. I had Ralph get me one and bring it to me. I needed to make sure things were sorted.” Arden’s smooth voice echoes in the room. There’s something different in his voice today, something is off.

Arden has haunted my dreams for weeks. I go between confusion and wanting to rip his clothes off. I want to slowly peel away every layer of his hard exterior to discover who the real Arden is. I’m the reason he went to rehab, though. Surprisingly, he doesn’t hate me, but I’m also not kidding myself. Our marriage is a scam and there is no way he is here to look after me.

Ever since that kiss when I dropped him off and glimpsed his vulnerability, I’ve known that I can only fight Arden for so long. My original assumptions of him were wrong, but I worry that if I open up again, and he behaves the same way, I won’t recover.

Rhys stands a little defensively, like he isn’t sure if he should let Arden near me.

“I need to talk to Ella. If, after that, she wants me to leave, I’ll go.” Arden’s voice shakes a little and I’m not the only one that notices.

I feel Yasmin move slightly to look in the door’s direction. Whatever she sees has her pulling away and grabbing Rhys on the arm. “Come on, let’s go get a coffee and give them a minute.”

As they step away from the bed, I shift my gaze to Arden.

In this moment, time stands still, and everything falls away. The expression on Arden’s face is one I have never seen before.

At first glance, it looks like everything is fine. He’s typical Arden, dressed in a pair of navy slacks, a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a unicorn bow tie.

But as I stare at him a little longer, I notice his bow tie is slightly crooked. And his hair isn’t in its usual perfect style; instead, it looks like he’s run his fingers through it one too many times.

But that isn’t what gives him away.

It’s the look of pure worry and determination in his steely eyes that makes me realise—even before he speaks—everything is about to change.

I don’t know if I’m ready for what’s about to come.

“Will you be okay?” Rhys’s voice is soft as he moves back over to me.

He must have seen something in my expression to cause him concern. I break away from staring at Arden to answer him, but I hesitate.

Will I?

Am I sure being alone with Arden in my current state is a good idea?

Before my brain can catch up, I realise I’m already nodding to reassure Rhys. He takes a moment to stare at me, waiting for me to change my mind.

Rhys and I have become close, but in a different way.

Our friendship is purely platonic. He started out as a helper in my war against Arden, but along the way, we became friends. I broke through all his walls with my persistent nature, and at some point, we both started confiding in each other.

I give him the words he needs to hear. “It’s okay, Rhys.” My voice cracks and the tears well in my eyes again.

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