He Didn’t Kidnap Me. Not Exactly novel Chapter 209

Chapter 209

The sincerity behind the statement caught me off guard.

For a moment I simply looked at her.

Then something inside me finally gave way.

“Aria…”

She looked up.

“Hm?”

…

“I’m sorry.”

The smile faded from her face, not because she seemed offended but because she immediately understood what I meant.

I lowered my gaze briefly before forcing myself to continue.

“I should’ve said this much sooner.”

The words felt heavy.

“I know what happened back at the hospital must’ve hurt you.”

I swallowed.

“I know how everything looked.”

My fingers twisted together nervously.

“I never told you how I felt about DeLuca because… honestly… I don’t think I even admitted it properly to myself until everything exploded.”

I laughed quietly, though there wasn’t much humor in it.

“And by the time I understood it, everything had already become a complete disaster.”

I finally looked back at her.

“I genuinely wanted you to be happy.”

The confession came from somewhere deep inside me.

“I never wanted any of this to happen at the expense of your happiness.”

A small ache settled in my chest.

“If I could go back and change the way everything unfolded…”

I shook my head slowly.

“I would.”

Silence settled gently between us.

Aria didn’t answer immediately.

She simply looked at me.

Really looked at me.

Long enough that I began wondering whether I’d somehow made everything worse.

Then, at last, she spoke.

“I was hurt.”

There was no anger in her voice.

Just honesty.

“I was really hurt.”

My heart sank.

“I know.”

“I liked him.”

She smiled faintly, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I thought I actually had a chance.”

Guilt twisted painfully inside me.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

She took a slow breath before the smile returned, this time warmer than before.

“But it’s okay.”

I blinked.

“What?”

“It’s okay.”

She shrugged lightly.

“You were my girl before he was ever my crush.”

The words settled over me so unexpectedly that I simply stared.

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