Chapter 750 - Two days before wedding (J&J) (9)

Aiden is not sure why Jeff stepped outside of the event hall, but he has no intention of staying longer in the lobby with Madison. There is nothing left to say between two of them and he can only hope that Madison got the message and that she will stay as far away as possible from him and Sarah.

He walked toward the event hall, leaving behind unmoving Madison who was still processing his words.

Jeff was one step behind him.

Two brothers got inside small hallway which connects the lobby with the event hall.

"What was that?" Jeff asked as soon as the door closed behind them, enclosing them in the privacy of the small hallway.

"You don't need to worry about it.", Aiden snapped at Jeff.

Jeff paused his steps and put his hand on Aiden's shoulder to make him stop walking. "Are you sure? Are you aware how close you were to that woman? What would happen if that was Sarah instead of me coming out and seeing you like that?"

"But it was you." Aiden shrugged off Jeff's hand. He is already anxious, and he does not want Jeff to add to it.

After witnessing the scene played between Aiden and that woman, Jeff suspected that Aiden is fooling around, and his behavior now only confirmed it.

"You are playing with fire.", Jeff growled at Aiden, unable to suppress his anger.

"Don't you think I know that?" Aiden growled back.

Jeff was barely controlling himself not to punch his brother in the face. "I knew that you are reckless and inconsiderate, but this… this is beyond selfish. I hope you thought about this carefully, and you truly believe that she is worth it. Because this will crash on all of us, and you will not be able to take it back!"

Aiden froze when he realized that Jeff is insinuating that he is cheating (or planning to). "There is nothing between me and Madison! For me, there is only Sarah!"

"Then I suggest you act like it.", Jeff squeezed through his teeth. "If you plan to revert to your old ways, don't expect that I will cover up for you!" Jeff glared at Aiden for few seconds before pushing the door open to go inside the event hall.

Aiden stood in that small hallway and the only part of his body which moved were his eyes, darting aimlessly. He knows that Jeff misunderstood the situation. Aiden was telling Madison to stay away from him, but if anyone saw them without hearing what was said… if that was Sarah instead of Jeff… 'Shit! What is wrong with me? Even if she heard my words it would not turn any better!'

The words he said were not him, that is not how he thinks, not anymore. He only wanted to make a point for Madison to stay away! The words said were by Aiden from one year ago, the one before he met Sarah… but what if that Aiden is not gone? What if he is just waiting to come out… and hurt Sarah?

Aiden felt like someone gripped his heart and he was unable to breathe. He was angry and helpless at the same time. A horrible combination because helplessness seeps all the strength out of him and he can't find an outlet, so anger just swirls inside him while eating him alive.

Aiden wondered if he will ever be able to enjoy his happiness with Sarah without the fear that his ugly past will bite him when he least expects it.

He is not sure how long he stood in that hallway without moving while his mind raced.

…

Jeff entered the event hall and it took him few seconds to realize that he is upset. He can't go to JoAnna like this! She will ask him what happened, and his options are to come up with a lie or to tell the truth, and neither of them is a good thing. He does not want to lie to her and telling her the truth will make her blow a fuse. Jeff still remembers when his sweet Anna threatened Aiden how she will make sure that he can't copulate if he ever hurts her sister again. As much as Jeff does not approve of Aiden's behavior, he does not want to be the catalyst for his brother to lose such an… essential function.

Jeff headed to the bar. "Bulleit bourbon, no ice.", he told the bartender.

"What happened?", Felix's voice made Jeff almost jump out of his skin. Jeff didn't see Felix right next to him. He was so upset, that he didn't see anyone.

Jeff looked at Felix and saw that Felix is observing him intently.

"I saw you exit. And now you are back. In this state. What happened?", Felix elaborated.

Jeff looked around and saw that besides two of them, others are out of the earshot. Realizing how upset he is, he knows that he needs to share this, otherwise he will not be able to shake it off for a long time. And if he does not clarify, who knows what Felix will imagine. And at this point… there is no one other than Felix who can understand what is weighing on his mind.

"Do you remember when we were in that cabin in Canada… Sarah had a meltdown, how Anna called it, and Aiden took her away?"

Felix nodded in response, and Jeff continued: "If a person who exited few minutes ago was Sarah instead of me… we would witness another meltdown."

Felix is aware that Sarah's meltdown was due to few things, and one of them are photos of Aiden with some girls. Considering the circumstances, Felix came to a conclusion.

"Are you saying that Aiden is… playing around?" Felix's icy voice revealed how repulsed he is by that thought. At the same time, he is in disbelief. Since he met Aiden, he witnessed how much Aiden is devoted to Sarah. Felix is even staying in their house for last few days and can see that Aiden is absolutely in love with Sarah… there is no way he would fool around.

Jeff finished his glass of bourbon in one go. "One more…", he told the bartender and then looked at Felix: "I'm not sure what I saw. But it was… ambiguous."

After thinking about it, Jeff has to admit that besides them standing close to each other and Aiden talking in a low voice, he didn't see more than that. But that woman is definitely interested in Aiden, and the way she dressed… that combined with Jeff's knowledge of Aiden's previous behavior… made him (maybe) jump into conclusions.

Felix thought that there is only one way to clear misunderstanding between two brothers who never say completely what is on their mind. "Where was that?"

"Lobby, main entrance." Jeff answered, unsure what will Felix do with this information.

Felix knows that Sarah and Aiden set up Eve to watch over the event. He does not know the details, but they will definitely cover the entry points.

Felix pulled his phone and texted Eve to show him footage from main entrance. It didn't take long until the right footage was shown on his screen.