Page 128 of Code of Heart
He had begged for the darkness to pull him under, to keep him there. Because resurfacing meant facing a world without her…a reality he didn’t know how to survive.
Barely breaking the surface, his friends’ voices crashed into him all at once, cutting through the fog.
They were saying her name. Over and over again. Aurelia.
Hearing it made his chest seize. For a brief, fragile moment, he stayed still, listening. The moment he let the world back in, the raw emotions he buried came roaring to life, unstoppable.
His mind went utterly blank again when he heard Isaac curse and disconnect a call, his movements frantic as he searched for his keys.
“That was Owen,” Isaac said, his voice sharp with panic. “Selene is the one who drugged her, and she didn’t show up to work today. He thinks she’s in danger!”
Grace and Ivy exchanged wide-eyed, terrified looks.
“Owen’s already on the way to Aurelia’s house,” Isaac added quickly. “And Charles…he’s got the police involved.”
The room tilted under Levi’s feet. Before anyone could say another word, he shot up from the couch.
“I’m coming with you,” he snapped, already moving toward the door.
Isaac didn’t argue. He didn’t have time to; he was too busy charging ahead, the front door slamming open as they bolted to the car. The second they hit the road, Isaac filled him in on the rest—what Owen had found in the security footage, the truth they’d missed staring them in the face all along.
Selene…Auri’s best friend. The woman who had stood by her side since childhood. How could she do something so vile?
Levi’s stomach twisted violently. Owen had known and felt that night that something wasn’t right, but they’d dismissed it because she was her friend. Now, all Levi could think about was getting to Aurelia before something irreversible happened.
The full weight of his failures barreled into him, threatening to pull him under again. He forced himself to be calm and rational this time because if anything happened to her…he would never forgive himself.
This time, there wouldn’t be a second chance.
CHAPTER 53
Aurelia
Aurelia spent the morning curled up on her couch, propped up by pillows, doing everything she could to avoid thinking about Levi.
After lunch, she tried to lose herself in the newest release from her favorite author, a book she had been dying to read for months. But no matter how many times she forced her eyes across the page, nothing stuck.
Her focus fractured and drifted, the words blurring until she realized it wasn’t just her mind, as tears had started falling again, clouding her vision. With a shaky breath, she gave up and set the book aside when her phone buzzed with an incoming call from Selene.
Not in the mood to be personable, Aurelia hesitated before answering, but guilt won out.
Selene’s voice came through the line, breathless and concerned. She was mortified, apologizing profusely for Kyle somehow slipping past security. She swore she was already investigating it with the security team, promising to hold whoever was responsible accountable.
“I’m so sorry, Aurelia. I let you down,” Selene said, her voice thick with remorse. “This never should have happened.”
Aurelia tried to soothe her. “Stop blaming yourself,” she said softly. “Kyle has always been above the rules, above the law. You couldn’t have known he’d be there.”
It wasn’t only Kyle’s arrogance—it was his patience. His terrifying ability to wait, to bide his time until his next cruel move. That was the most terrifying part.
Selene knew that better than anyone. She knew what Kyle had done to her. Knew all the dark corners of her trauma. Aurelia had to believe that if she had seen him there that night, he would’ve been escorted out by security.
The conversation was almost enough to settle her nerves—until Selene mentioned the photos.
Her hands began to tremble the moment Selene mentioned them.
“They’re everywhere,” Selene whispered. “The news…social media…I didn’t want you to find out through a media outlet, but photos of you are plastered everywhere, and it’s…it’s not good.”
Aurelia’s heart dropped to her stomach as she fumbled for the remote, her fingers numb with dread.
