Breaking Free, Loving Again -The Flash Marriage with Mr. CEO novel Chapter 401

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There was a pause…

A long one.

Neither of them spoke.

It was hard for Arwen to decipher what Aiden was thinking on the other end of the call.

She wanted to complain —to ask him why he hadn't shared his struggles. But then again … he had never hidden anything from her. He had said it all. Could she really accuse him of doing so now?

She wanted to be mad at him.

But how could she be, when he still took time to check on her every single day, even when he barely had time for himself?

Her heart softened.

So instead of complaining, instead of getting upset, she chose a different approach.

As the silence stretched between them, she finally answered the question she had posed.

"The best way to hide something … is to not hide it at all." Her voice was gentle yet firm. "But even so, that changes nothing. Because in the end, nothing hides forever. You know that, right?"

Aiden hummed softly from the other side. "I know. But there is also another facet to this. Have you heard of that?" he asked.

Arwen's brows furrowed as she studied her reflection in the mirror. "What?"

"Not everything on the surface is real," Aiden said, his voice calm —too calm.

Arwen didn't understand. Her fingers tightened around her phone. "What do you mean?"

And even though Aiden wasn't in front of her, she could still feel the slight smirk tugging at his lips.

But why?

She wasn't asking something trivial. His words carried weight, a deeper meaning that eluded her. If that was the case, shouldn't she ask him to explain so that she could understand it better?

"What I mean is that the media thrives on speculation," Aiden continued smoothly. "They can't report the truth until it's handed to them."

Even though he has put it in the simplest words, it still took Arwen a moment to process them.

Her gaze remained locked on her own reflection, and slowly, her expression shifted.

"So … you are saying the situation isn't as chaotic as they are making them seem?"

A brief pause followed before she heard Aiden respond.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"You don't," she shot back immediately. "You just downplay things as if they don't matter."

"That's maybe because nothing seems important when compared to you."

"Aiden Winslow!"

A soft chuckle rumbled through the phone. But Aiden said nothing else.

Silence stretched between them again, but this time, it felt different. He wasn't trying to defend himself —he was simply there, willing to take whatever she threw at him.

Arwen took a slow breath, her chest tightening.

"I want you to tell me everything," she finally said, her voice laced with quiet determination. "Exactly as it is. No sugarcoating. No brushing it aside. I don't expect you to hide anything from me. If you are wounded, show me your wounds bare. If anything, I want to be the one to heal them. I don't want to just sit here, protected from everything. I want to be there to protect you too. I —"

"Shush!"

Before she could say another word, Aiden silenced her with a single breath.

Arwen frowned. "Aiden, I am being serious —"

"Although your tears aren't ugly," he murmured, his voice as soothing as a lullaby, "I can't bear to see them lacing your mesmerizing eyes. Can you help me wipe them away first?"