NOVEL NEXT Chapter 686: I signed the papers that officially ended everything.
"Moon!"
Every gaze turned to look towards the entrance, only to pause at the sight of Aiden.
They weren't very familiar with this young man, but no one there could deny the unmistakable aura he carried around him. Regal, commanding, and almost suffocating in its intensity —as if born and brought up to stand above the rest.
His eyes were chillingly cold as they swept through the crowd as though searching for someone, until they landed on Arwen. Shifting into warm and gentle at once.
Arwen was also surprised. She didn't think he would appear like this. They have discussed that she would meet him outside.
"You are here?" she asked, her tone carrying the undeniable hint of surprise that she simply couldn't conceal.
The guests turned to look at her —stunned and confused —when they heard her speak.
They wanted to ask if she knew him, but they couldn't. The air felt just too tight to even allow them to whisper.
They could only watch everything from the sidelines as an audience.
Aiden's gaze fixed on Arwen as she strode forward with measured steps, each one echoing against the marble floor, his presence alone enough to make people instinctively move aside.
Dressed in a tailored black suit that seemed woven from authority itself, he stopped beside Arwen, his hand naturally sliding protectively to the small of her back.
She blinked a little before tilting her head up at him, waiting for him to explain.
"I texted you," he said finally, "and waited. But when you didn't reply even after a long while, I had to come in."
"You texted?" she asked again, a little confused. All this while she had been waiting for his text, so that she could leave the party. But she didn't remember that she received any.
Seeing Aiden nod back at her, she grabbed her phone to check. And right as he had said, his text notification was right on the screen that she failed to notice.
"Oh, it was you," she said, suddenly remembering. "I was about to check it when someone interrupted me." Her gaze flicked to Emily as she remembered that she had come right at the moment when she was about to check her phone.
But that was not something to blame. Turning to Aiden, she softly apologized. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to get you worried." Even though he appeared here calm and composed, she could tell that he was almost worried to death, waiting for her.
Aiden shook his head at her before reaching to comb away a deliberate strand of her hair behind her ears. "It's fine as long as you are safe."
She smiled and nodded.
His gaze darted around once before returning to her to ask. "Are you done here?"
She hesitated briefly. But just as she was about to speak, Emily's voice interrupted her with a little desperation.
"Arwen, did you forget you still have to sign the papers?"
Arwen turned to look at her, only to see Emily motion her towards the table where she had kept the papers.
"Sign them!"
"Emily," Arwen spoke softly, but there was a meaningful tone laced to it. "You don't have to get so anxious. I said, I would sign, so, I would sign."
With that, she lifted the pen again, pressing its nib against the paper.
However, just as she was about to sign, Aiden's question halted her.
"What are these papers about?" His brows furrowed, and his eyes slightly narrowed in scrutiny.
Arwen looked at him —for a moment, thinking what she should say. Not finding the right words to narrate to him everything in brief, she simply smiled and shook her head in nothingness.
He didn't probe further. But the elder from before once again spoke with good intentions.
"Child, don't make an easy decision. Think once about what I told you."
Arwen looked at him and felt his concern. Hence, turning to Aiden, she asked in a not loud but clear voice for everyone to hear.
"Tell me something, husband —if tomorrow, I have no one behind me, backing me up —no name, no family, no nothing, what will you do? Will you let others bully me?"
The furrow between Aiden's brows deepened. But he didn't think even for a second before answering her. "You will always have me backing you up, Moon. And with me around, no one could bully you."
She knew it.
Not because she has heard him say that many times, but because he had made her feel secure in her life.
As long as he had been around, he had never let anyone or anything bother her —not even the slightest.
She turned to look back at the old man.
The old gentleman stared at her for a moment before he nodded to her to go ahead.
Arwen didn't pause this time. Moving the pen over the paper, she smoothly signed her name on the papers without any hint of hesitation.
Everyone around her was stunned by her courage and decisiveness. If they had doubts about their intentions before, they all vanished at this moment.
"Done," Arwen said with finality before she capped back the pen in her hand and turned to hand it back. "Here, you can take it back. And like that, she handed him both the papers and the pen. Not a hint of regret was there on her face.
As the lawyer took the file from her, she turned to Aiden and gestured to him towards the exit. "Let's go."
He nodded and extended a hand out for her to take, which she held without any hesitation.
They had just taken a step when a wavering voice called out —weak and almost defeated.
"A-Arwen!"
Catrin stood there, her earlier arrogance stripped away. "Do you even realize what papers you signed just now?"
Arwen paused, her hand still in Aiden's. She stopped in her steps, but she didn't turn to look back. Her lips curved —not in confusion, but in quiet certainty.
"Yes," her reply came evenly. "I signed the papers that officially ended everything that I had long ended before."