es me more,the things Tori said or the way Connel looks at me" Ariel thought. "Like I

llness of unresolved questions, unanswered glances and emotions left unspoken. Ariel felt trapped

ht. "I came here with my own secrets, sure. But this place is full of shadows. Secrets in the wine, truth in locked drawers. Ghosts in people's smiles." she thought to herself. "I want to believe he married

at the door. "Your presence is needed at

d. She didn't want to go, didn't want to face Connel or see Tori's smug

iliar dress, a soft beige silk that clung to her frame like it had been tailored just

e. "That's

closet. I assumed it was just another dress you left behind." She looked down at the soft be

jaw. "It's not from

innocence. "Well, it was hanging

s throat. "Tori,

lose enough. "Funny," she said quietly, only for Ariel to hear. "You wear his rin

than to give Tori the satisfaction of reacting. Instead, she turned

e in the contract, but that doesn't mean I should be treated like I have

tell Zoey to send in more. Enjoy your meal. I h

ess. It was the way Connel acted, blind to everything, the way the silence m

but Watson seemed distant, lost in his own thoughts. Ariel wondered if he was worried about something

ary seeking solace. But as she crossed the threshold, She found the piano lid open, the keys freshly pl

note she touched, each space she stepped into, it was like Tori was ret

straw ca

er lipstick smeared on the mirror. Four wor

ust filli

the message lingered. Not just on the glass but in her chest. The words ech

tilting. Slowly. Qu

ge to pay off her family's debt and nothing more." She stood in the bathroom r

e that this union was only a deal but yet she claims to know so mu

contract, this arrangement?" She wondered aloud. "Tori's not wrong, I di

dismissed the thought. Connel wouldn't talk, he never did. And did it even matter? "This was a deal, wasn't it? He do

with the silence thick between her and Connel and everything getting under her skin, Ariel wasn't sure if she