a's

lips, raw and unfiltered. "Beca

, heavy and ominous. My voice trembled, betr

it would mean to let it surface. Now, I felt exposed, as thou

flicker of disgust, the revulsion that would spread across his face. I had seen it so many times be

my hand tightened, steady and grounding,

ce calm yet firm, "you d

ught me off guard. "What happened could have been a terrible accident," he

he armor of guilt I had worn for years. No one had ever told me this before. Not once. Every glance

as the tears spilled over. The words felt i

of what I had done. Yet here was this man, a stranger who had

teady with quiet determination. "We'll return to the city and start fresh. Together, we'll bui

t felt like a dream I didn't deserve. But then, just as a flicker of hope began to tak

here you've be

d with menace. My body tensed instincti

he hall. His features were sharp, angular, and his piercing gaze pinned me in place. Th

his broad frame acting as a shield. "Marcus,"

ecting me as though I were nothing more than a specimen under a microscope. "Have you forgotte

neutral, but inside, I felt the sting of it. That word had followed me

e. "Aria is my daughter now," he said, his voice like steel.

e said at last, though his tone was anything but conciliatory. There was a warning buried beneath his

d fought so hard to suppress came rushing back, drowning the fragile hope Richard ha

ly turning and leaving. The tension in the room didn't ease with his de

is eyes. Why? "Don't let him get to you," he said, his tone gentle yet resolu

n. "Are you sure?" I asked, my voice barely audible. "I do

e stronger than you realize, and you're not alone anymore." He hesitated, then added,

ing inside me. For the first time in years, since the night my brother

memory of Marcus's cold, calculating gaze. His parting words echoed in my min

stared at the ceiling, my thoughts a chaotic me

the sound sharp and grating. I couldn't shake the feeling that M

e withstand the weight of my past? Could I really build a new life,

ds out about my

to press against the room,

e truth I didn't want to face: hope was a fragil

eep through the cracks in the curtains, I

not alone

hat had to