Making Up
ARIANA'S POV
I sank into the leather chair behind my desk with a sigh that felt like it came from my soul.
The silence in the office was deafening now that Hardin had left. It filled every corner of the room like a fog, curling around my legs, my shoulders, my heart. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to quiet the thunder that still rattled inside me.
Hardin.
God, I loved that man.
I wanted to hate him. I wanted to scream and rage and rip apart every reminder of him from my life. But instead, all I could do was close my eyes and remember the way his lips trembled when he said, "I didn’t cheat on you."
And deep down, I knew he was telling the truth.
Hardin wasn’t a liar. He never had been. He was flawed, infuriating, reckless even—but he wasn’t a liar. And if he said he didn’t remember that night, that something was wrong... I had to believe him. Or at least part of me did. The part that remembered how he looked at me like I was the only woman in the room. The part that remembered how his hands always held me like I was made of something precious.
It wasn’t him I should be mad at.
It was her.
Beatrice.
That manipulative, conniving bitch.
My eyes snapped open, and a new fire lit inside me. The kind that didn’t burn from heartbreak but from rage. She drugged him. She set him up. She tried to ruin us.
No. She almost did.
But not anymore. Not on my watch. I was going to make her pay for what she did. For the violation. For the heartache. For daring to touch what was mine.
Hardin is mine.
I grabbed my phone again, ignoring the flicker of leftover tears still drying at the corners of my eyes. My notifications were overflowing. Calls, texts, mentions, emails—all congratulating me on the launch.
The new collection.
She was a damn beauty. Sleek. Bold. Timeless. A reflection of the woman I had become.
You did it, I reminded myself.
And not just me. My team. God, my incredible team. The late nights, the skipped lunches, the breakdowns in the restroom. It had all been worth it. The media was raving. Orders were already pouring in.
For the first time in a long time, I allowed myself a small smile. I had built this from nothing. From the ashes of betrayal, heartbreak, loss. And I wasn’t about to let anyone tear it down.
The entire day was flooded with calls and texts of congratulations, I really can't believe how everything turned out so well.
It was like a dream.
****
It was time to go home after a long day of work but I couldn't bring myself to move because despite everything that has happened today.
The euphoria of success settled into the quiet room, something else pressed against me.
Loneliness.
Not the kind that comes from being alone.
But the kind that comes from missing him.
I stared at the door.
Willed it to open again. Willed him to come back. Willed everything to just be okay again.
And as if summoned by the force of my desperate hope—the door creaked open.
Hardin.
My heart stuttered. He stepped into the room like a goddamn vision. No, like gravity itself. Pulling everything inside me toward him with terrifying ease.
He didn’t say a word.
And he didn’t have to.
Because the moment our eyes met, the air shifted. Heavy. Electric. Almost holy.
I stood slowly, as if in a trance. Every bone, every nerve, every breath was focused on him.
He took a step forward. Then another. My feet met his halfway.
"Hey," he whispered.
God, that voice.
It cracked something inside me.
A sob broke from my lips before I could stop it, and I threw my arms around him.
He caught me like he’d been waiting his whole life for this moment. His arms wrapped around my waist, strong and familiar, and I melted into him.
"I missed you," he breathed into my hair.
"I missed you, too," I whispered against his chest.
And then he pulled back just enough to tilt my chin up and kiss me.
Not a gentle kiss.
A desperate one.
Hot. Wild. Reckless. Full of all the words we didn’t have the strength to say. His mouth moved over mine like he was claiming me. And I let him. Because I wanted to be claimed. I wanted to forget the pain, the lies, the confusion.
I wanted to feel again.
And with Hardin, I did.
I fisted his shirt as the kiss deepened, our bodies molding together like we hadn’t been apart for days. Like we had never been broken.
When we finally pulled apart, we were both breathless. My hands trembled against his chest.
"I believe you," I said softly.
He blinked.
"You do?"
"Yes. I do. Beatrice set you up. I know it now. And I swear, she’s going to pay for what she did to you."
His jaw tightened. "You don’t have to get involved in this."
"She drugged you, Hardin. She tried to destroy your life. Our life. You think I’m going to sit back and let her walk away from that?"
His eyes softened. He cupped my face in both hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears that still clung stubbornly to my lashes.
"You’re the strongest person I know, Ariana."
"And you're mine," I said fiercely. "Don’t ever forget that."
His lips brushed mine again. Slower this time. Tender. Reverent.
We stood like that for a while. Just holding each other.
And for the first time in days, the storm inside me calmed.
After a few minutes, we settled on the couch, our limbs tangled together like vines. I leaned my head against his shoulder, our fingers laced.
"The launch went well," I murmured.
"I saw. You were everywhere."
"I can’t believe it."
"I can. You deserve every bit of it."
I looked up at him. "You really think so?"
He nodded. "You built this with blood and sweat and pain. No one can take that from you."
I smiled, my heart swelling.
And God, the look in his eyes. It was like he could finally breathe.
Like we both could breathe.
"I love you so much baby,” he whispered,
"I love you too, so much.”
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