Aaron sighed and let her go after she forcefully stepped on his foot. He should have known this would happen; he'd appeared out of nowhere and kissed her without even saying hello. This Keeley needed to be won over slowly, a fact he'd forgotten in his desperation to be near her.

He couldn't repeat this mistake if he wanted to avoid her further hatred. Winning her back required time—he needed to become her best friend, as she had once been his. But time was a luxury he couldn't afford. Too many eyes were on him; a premature misstep would be disastrous.

With one last wistful glance at the woman he loved as she ran away, Aaron returned to the party. The gala was winding down by the time he reappeared. His absence went unnoticed, unsurprising given that, while an important figure, he was largely disregarded as a person. People only remembered him when they needed something.

This was a useful, if depressing, skill. His parents would be furious if they knew where he'd gone. His mother probably assumed he’d sought solitude after their argument.

Close to 1:00 AM, Carlton picked up the Hales, and they rode home in heavy silence. Car rides with his parents were always like this—a stark contrast to the car rides he'd shared with Keeley and Robert, filled with conversation, laughter, and singing.

This vibrant camaraderie had been foreign to him until Keeley mirrored it with him in Boston. He didn't have a driver during school, so it was always just the two of them. He cherished those car rides, especially when she'd spontaneously turn up the radio to sing along to a familiar song, interrupting mid-sentence.

That spontaneous singing ceased once they returned to New York and had a driver; though she still talked to him until "The Incident" drove them apart. He hated the return to silence, but their driver worked for his parents and would report any excessive friendliness.

Still wired from the kiss, Aaron changed into pajamas but couldn't sleep. Instead, he opened Anomaly's research files. He had his work cut out for him; these people would be difficult to manipulate. Building his network and acquiring enough shares to challenge his father might take longer than he'd anticipated. His plan was progressing at a snail's pace.

Taking over the company straight out of college suddenly seemed impossible. He couldn't disrupt Keeley's life again until he no longer feared his father or the Knightons. He needed to work harder.

Near 3:00 AM, he received a text from Cameron. His initial annoyance at the interruption vanished upon reading the message:

"I'm sleeping in before driving back, but I thought you'd want to know I took your $20,000, gambled almost daily for two weeks, and earned $126,750. You're welcome. Also, I'm about to die from sleep deprivation and can't drive home, so you're reimbursing me for a hotel and a buffet breakfast."

Aaron replied, "Fair enough for a job well done. I'll even let you keep the $750."

Cameron responded, "All hail Merciful Overlord Aaron."

Aaron wasn't sure if Cameron was being sarcastic, but he was too tired to care. Cameron Singleton had the makings of a valuable right-hand man. He'd chosen well; he believed in rewarding loyalty.

Speaking of loyalty, while still awake, he ordered a new computer hard drive with triple the storage for Aiden, who'd been complaining about lag caused by his surveillance programs. He might as well add a second monitor. Apparently, the whiz-kid hacker had been using his father's old laptop for years before acquiring a used desktop. Someone with Aiden's talent deserved better equipment. It was easy enough; Aiden was almost always on call.

After ordering the parts, Aaron finally fell asleep. He dreamed of Keeley—his Keeley, whose smile was sunshine, not this terrified version. The one he'd do anything to regain.

She was pulling on his arm, a gesture repeated countless times during their courtship. "Aaron! Come check this out!" "Aaron, look over here!" "Aaron!" "Hey, Aaron!" She dragged him in every direction, her smile radiant. He never tired of chasing after her.

Then the dream shifted. Her eyes, empty and cold, widened, staring accusingly. "Why don't you want me? Why do you always reject me? Why? Why don't you love me?"

The words were familiar, but their origin eluded him. He chased her giant eyes as they vanished, reaching out desperately. "I do love you! I was only trying to protect you; come back!"

The world plunged into darkness, echoing laughter mocking him. "Protect me? Your 'protection' killed me!"

Keeley's corpse, as he'd seen it in the morgue, fell from a hole in the sky, landing before him. Dead eyes opened, and the corpse sat up. "You killed me, Aaron!"

He woke with a gasp. It had been years since such a vivid nightmare. The nightmares had plagued him after identifying his wife's body, but subsided after his revenge and therapy.

He wouldn't let her die again. He would destroy anyone standing in his way of giving Keeley the life they deserved—the life they should have always had. He would get her back, smiling, and everything would be okay. No matter the cost, no matter the time.