Chapter 54. Me or Aaliyah

Max’s POV

I sat in my chair, watching the door that Ava walked out from. The silence that ensued was expanding, choking my constricting heart. Ava’s words still echoed in my head, bitter and cold.

“You can’t have both, Max. Me or Aaliyah.”

I buried my face in my hands and laid my head on the table. Her threat branded itself into the ribcage. My chest constricted, as if a vice was closing around my heart and starting to twist, screw down and crush it.

God, I loved her. Always did. When she left years ago, I missed every inch of her. I wanted her close to me again. And when I saw her again, my feelings grew stronger and I began to want in ways I wasn’t supposed to.

And divorcing Aaliyah was not an option, it was like holding at arm’s length the firecracker in my hand that would blow up in my entire life. My parents would lose their minds if I even suggested it. They adored her, thought she was too good for me, sweet, lovely and from an

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