Chapter 994

The curtain lifted slightly, and Lena felt a whisper of cold air brush against her skin. Her fingers dug into the wall once more. She didn’t see the look in Aaron’s eyes. He had known she was hiding behind the curtain. But he hadn’t expected her to be dressed like that…

There was a saying among men – of all the countless things that could be considered alluring, a woman wearing nothing but a man’s shirt was undoubtedly one of them.

“Aaron?” Xandra called out when he didn’t move.

Aaron’s fingers loosened, and instead of pulling back the curtain, he let it drop back into place. Stepping in front of it, he said, “I just remembered I have something to take care of. Let’s check it out another time. I’ll take you home.”

Xandra hesitated, sensing a brief flicker of something unreadable in his demeanor. Her eyes drifted toward the curtain for a second, but in the end, she nodded and followed him out.

Lena waited, listening to the sound of the car engine fade into the distance before she finally emerged. Her back was damp with cold sweat, a small patch of the white shirt clinging to her skin. Even without seeing his expression, she knew Aaron had seen her just now. If she had the chance to erase any memory from her life, it would be this one.

Pushing the thought aside, she bolted toward the laundry room, desperate to change back into her clothes and leave immediately. As she passed by the coffee machine, she caught sight of her abandoned cup.

So he knew. He had known from the moment he walked in that she hadn’t left.

Which meant— her panic, her embarrassment, her entire freaking nightmare just now— he had let it happen on purpose.

Aaron—! Lena’s blood boiled. She furiously changed back into her clothes, grabbed her things, and stormed out.

Last night’s heavy snowfall had made the roads difficult, and cabs were nearly impossible to hail. But no matter how inconvenient it was, she had to leave. If she stayed a second longer, and Aaron returned— she might actually die of humiliation.

Thinking fast, she pulled out her phone and dialed Ron’s number. Right now, he was the most appropriate person to call. She couldn’t ask Hayden to come – given the current situation, that would be way too messy. For once, having a pretend boyfriend was proving useful.

More importantly, she had questions for him. Last night, she had called him for help. So why had Aaron shown up instead?

Ron, proving himself to be an exceptionally reliable fake boyfriend, arrived in minutes. It was almost as if he had been waiting for her call.

“Good morning, girlfriend,” he greeted her with an easy smile, reaching over to open the passenger door for her.

Lena’s mind flashed back to the night before – how Aaron had carried her into the backseat instead. Her mood soured all over again. She climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut – perhaps a little too forcefully.

Ron chuckled. “Who pissed you off this early in the morning?”

“I have a question,” Lena said, cutting straight to the point.

“Shoot.”

“Why didn’t you come to the police station last night?”

“I did,” Ron’s tone was as natural as ever. “But by the time I got there, you were already gone. The hatted man told me Uncle Aaron had picked you up.”

His lie was so smooth, his face completely unreadable. Lena narrowed her eyes at him.

“You didn’t tell Aaron about it first?”

“Why would I?” Ron asked, looking genuinely confused.

She hesitated. Logically, it didn’t make sense. Ron and Aaron had only met twice – they barely had any interaction. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

She turned her head, looking out the window. “You got here pretty fast.”

Ron smirked. “Are you giving me a cross-examination first thing in the morning?”

Lena huffed but let it go. Maybe she was overthinking things.

Ron glanced at her. “Where to? The hospital?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. I was heading there anyway.”

That was the nice thing about being around Ron – things were easy. There was never any awkward tension, never a feeling of being pressured to talk.

“What for?” Lena asked casually.

“Nothing major. Just a sore throat. Figured I’d grab some meds while I’m there.”

He kept his tone light, his driving slow. The entire road was moving at a crawl due to the snow.

For the first time that morning, Lena let out a long breath and sank into the seat. Away from that house. Away from him. At least for now.