ext, I was sitting in my car, grabbing the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles had turned white. Rain poured heavily outside. I hadn't even realized it was raining. My vision was obscur

d. I felt anger rising inside me. "Leave!" This time, they listened. One by one, they climbed onto their motorcycles. Jaxon was the last to leave. For several seconds, he stood there staring at me. Then he whispered, "I'm sorry." I slammed the window shut. Then I locked it. One by one, I blocked their numbers. Jaxon. Blocked. Ryder. Blocked. Mason. Blocked. Cole. Blocked. Ethan. Blocked. Six years. Gone with the press of a button. I cried myself to sleep. The next morning, I woke up feeling numb. For a few seconds, I forgot. Then reality hit me. Jaxon. The betrayal. Everything. I groaned and buried my face in my pillow. A knock sounded. "Come in." Dad entered carrying a tray. "Breakfast." I sat up slowly. "I'm not hungry." "You need to eat." I sighed. There was no point in arguing. I forced myself to eat a few bites. Dad watched me carefully. "You're staying home today." "I have classes." "No." I frowned. "Dad-" "No arguments." I knew that tone. The conversation was over. My phone buzzed. Unknown Number. I ignored it. It rang again. And again. Frustrated, I answered. "What?" Silence. Then a female voice spoke. "Hello, Aria." I froze. I recognized that voice immediately. Isabella. "What do you want?" "I need to talk to you." I laughed bitterly. "We have nothing to talk about." "Please. It's important." "I don't care." "Aria, there are things you don't know." Anger exploded inside me. "Save it." I hung up. Seconds later, a message arrived. Meet me at the Riverside Cafe at noon. What I have to tell you concerns your mother. My blood ran cold. My mother? Before I could think, another message appeared. Come alone. I stared at the screen. Something told me not to go. But another part of me couldn't ignore it. Because Isabella had just mentioned the one person who could make me do anything. My late mother. And deep down... I knew I was going to meet her. I spent the next three hours staring at my phone. I should have ignored the message. I knew that. Isabella had already taken enough from me. I owed her nothing. Yet I couldn't stop thinking about what she had said. What I have to tell you concerns your mother. My mother had died when I was ten. A car accident. At least, that's what I had always been told. Everyone in the Black Ravens knew how close we had been. Mom had been my entire world. Even after all these years, there were still days when I reached for my phone, wanting to call her before remembering that I couldn't. If Isabella was using my mother to manipulate me, I was going to lose my mind. But if she wasn't I needed answers. At exactly eleven-thirty, I got dressed and quietly headed downstairs. Dad looked up from his laptop the moment he saw me. "Where are you going?" I hesitated. "Out." "Out where?" "Just out." Dad frowned. "Aria, after what happened last night, I don't think that's a good idea." "I need some air." "Take one of the club guys with you." I immediately shook my head. "No." "Sweetheart" "No, Dad." The last thing I wanted was to be surrounded by the Black Ravens. Not today. Maybe not ever again. Dad studied me for a moment before sighing. "Be careful." I nodded and left before he could change his mind. The drive to Riverside Cafe felt longer than usual. My stomach was in knots. Part of me hoped Isabella wouldn't show up. Unfortunately, she was already there when I arrived. She sat alone near the window, dressed casually