The Lies I Believed

I Will Not Break

"I really thought those files would have arrived at your home by now." Aaron closed the door behind him. "You claim everything is with your brother, but if he really cared about you, wouldn't I have them?"

"...I don't know what's happening anymore."

"Come on! It hasn't even been that long. Two or three days tops."

"How have you lost track of time?" I rolled my eyes. "Aaron, if my brother doesn't have the files, then I don't know who does."

"Sure you don't."

"I don't! I only told him about what I was going to do. He didn't even know about the files until I called him that night. Honestly, if you really wanted the files, you would have someone fly to New York and take them back. It's just that easy."

"It's just that easy," he mocked. "If I wanted it to be easy, do you think I would have kidnapped you? Lexi, I knew what I was doing since the beginning. I know you have problems with your memory. It wasn't that hard to guess that you'd leave the files somewhere and forget about them until I called you."

"Wow, so you planned this out?"

"Of course. Now I wouldn't say I'm a genius, but it's fun watching people follow what I've set up for them."

"You're mental!"

"Yes, I get that a lot." Aaron chuckled. "Don't worry, it'll be all over soon."

I didn't like the sound of that. Is he planning to kill me? How long is soon? I don't want to think I have an allotted time to live, but he could easily be messing with me. I refuse to react to anything he says.

"I usually don't sit and talk to people, but you're pretty interesting. Having you around is like getting a new toy. You want to play with it until it gets old or uninteresting." Aaron smiled. "It's too bad you're married. Otherwise, this would have gone great for you. Maybe we could have been a couple."

"Ew."

"Come on! I'm a fairly attractive guy. You can't say I'm not."

"I can. I'm married and only have eyes for my husband. Anyone else is dead to me in terms of looks and personality."

"...Not everyone changes like that, Lexi. It'll be a miracle if you can withstand the personality of the nicest man alive."

"There's no such thing, so I don't have a problem with that."

"Sometimes I want to strangle you, you know that?"

"Kinky..." I smirked.

"I hate you."

"Newsflash! I hate myself, too."

I can't help but think a lot of people hate me for the things I decide to do. I can't blame it all on anyone else. All the things that I've done up to now have put me in this position. If only I'd stayed away from Jackson and everything dealing with this life. I hadn't wanted to move and work for the enemy. That hadn't been on my agenda.

"Marriage isn't for the weak. It's not for the ones who think they can love one person for the rest of their lives. I know Asher more than you think you do. He'll take his precious time getting to you. You wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because he has other priorities. He always has. If you think about it, how long does it take him to handle a situation that doesn't involve his family? How long does it take him to handle a situation that does involve his family?"

Aaron pursed his lips and left the room. I sat on the mattress in silence. He has a point. Asher has always been one to prioritize work over his family. I got used to it over the past couple of years, but it always stings. I also noticed he never liked getting involved with things Dominic and Jasmine wanted to do. When it comes to Vincent, he's always pushing us to be attentive and make sure he has everything he needs.

I turned to the window and sighed. Aaron was being extremely cruel right now. He'd moved me to another room in the building and I thought I'd found hope. There was a huge window in the room, but I found out soon enough that no one could hear or see me from outside. Now I know how animals feel in a cage. People come and fawn over them, but can't do anything to help them. Captivity isn't fun. I don't think I've ever thought it to be fun.

I mean, it is nice to see the sun and stare at the flowers that dotted the ground. Spring is definitely just around the corner. I'm dying to feel the heat of the sun on my skin. Just once. Maybe for a few minutes.

"Oh, to have you hold me again and tell me how much you love me," I muttered. "Asher, I miss you more than life itself and I probably haven't been missing for that long."

Ooh, am I really that clingy? I hope not.

I do hope Hayden has done what he's supposed to do. I barely gave him any instructions. I hope he hasn't freaked out and forgotten to take care of himself. He's the only person I can count on right now. Ian probably doesn't know about what's going on. I don't want him to be involved. That's the last thing I want to do. He's suffered enough under our father's rule.

If Asher does find out about where I am, I hope he brings Jackson with him. There's something about Jackson that strikes fear into the heart of men. I don't think it's because he has connections to the most powerful people in the world. Unless it is. He's more than that to me. I look for acceptance with him. He's almost like a brother to me. I can't say the same for Asher. He hates him with a burning passion.

Oh, what have I done with my life? Nothing! Everyone walks all over me and I'm left with being the person no one wants to be around. Am I that uninteresting as a person? The media says so. Then again, no one ever listens to them. Ah, no one has cared about me since my divorce with Luca. What I would give for that type of attention again.

In the end, it's Brad I trust. He's been with me since before my mother faked her death, then died for real. Everything he's put me through was always with my best interest in mind. I know I'm sour about him making me marry Luca, but what if I hadn't? Asher definitely wouldn't care about me any more than he does now. I've seen happy couples get married, then break up not even a couple of months later. I don't think I wanted that to be us.

Brad will always be the father I never had. He'll definitely find a way to get me out of this situation. I can't expect too much from him, but I know he's looking for me right now. He's the only one who can get Asher to care about me again. Even if that means threatening him with something he could never actually pull off.