LOGINChapter Two Hundred and FourteenAria didn’t rush her departure from Canada. There was no emotional farewell, no dramatic pause at the door, just the simple act of folding her clothes and placing them neatly back into her bag as if she was closing a chapter she hadn’t fully understood while living it. The hotel room stayed quiet around her, the kind of quiet that doesn’t demand attention but still manages to fill every corner.She checked the room twice, not because she forgot anything, but because her hands needed something to do. Her passport was already in her bag, her phone charged, everything arranged with the same discipline she always carried into her professional life. Still, she stayed a little longer than necessary, sitting at the edge of the bed for a few seconds before standing again.When she finally left, she paused in the hotel lobby. People moved around her, checking out, arriving, talking softly in different directions. No one noticed her stillness. Her fingers tighte
Chapter Two Hundred and ThirteenAria didn’t realize how tired she was until the hotel room door closed behind her.The quiet met her immediately, soft and undisturbed, like the world had paused outside and left her alone with herself. For a moment, she just stood there, her hand still resting on the handle, her shoulders slightly slumped in a way she hadn’t allowed all day.The conference had been long, structured, demanding in that way where you had to stay sharp from start to finish. Conversations, presentations, professional smiles, controlled responses—it all required energy. And she had given it, the way she always did.But now, with no one watching, no expectations sitting on her shoulders, the stillness of the room settled around her in a way that made everything feel… real again.She stepped further in, closing the door fully behind her before dropping her bag gently on the chair by the wall. The room was neat, everything arranged perfectly, from the crisp sheets on the bed t
Chapter Two Hundred and TwelveThey didn’t walk away immediately.That was the part that stayed with him.For a few seconds that felt longer than they should have, they just stood there, facing each other in the quiet corner of the conference hall. People moved in the background, voices blending into a low hum, footsteps passing by, conversations rising and falling around them, but none of it touched that moment.Aria didn’t look shocked. She didn’t look angry either.She just looked at him.Not the way she used to—there was no softness, no warmth waiting beneath the surface. But she didn’t look away. That alone said more than anything she could have said out loud.Damien held her gaze, steady, calm, but inside, there was something he couldn’t quite name. Not panic. Not fear. Something deeper than that. Something that made him stand still instead of trying to fix the moment like he would have done before.He didn’t rush to speak.He didn’t try to explain.For once, he didn’t try to ta
Chapter Two Hundred and ElevenThe morning arrived without delay.Aria was already awake before her alarm went off, lying still for a few seconds as she stared at the ceiling. It wasn’t nerves that kept her up. It wasn’t excitement either. Just awareness. The kind that comes when you know the day ahead matters, even if you don’t say it out loud.She sat up slowly and pushed the covers aside, moving through her routine without rushing. Everything felt steady. Familiar.By the time she stood in front of the mirror, her hair slightly damp from her shower, she kept it simple. No effort to change herself into something she wasn’t. She brushed it back neatly, letting it fall naturally without forcing a style that didn’t belong to her.It suited her.Clean.Easy.Uncomplicated.She reached for the suit next.The grey fabric looked just as right as it had the day she chose it. She slipped into it without hesitation, adjusting the jacket carefully over her shoulders before fastening it. The tr
Chapter Two Hundred and TenThe day finally came without any announcement.It didn’t feel special when it started. It didn’t feel heavy or different. It was just another morning that moved forward like every other one before it.But for Aria, it carried something she chose not to name.The airport was busy when she arrived. People moving in different directions, voices overlapping, announcements echoing from above. She moved through it all quietly, her steps steady, her mind focused on what she needed to do.This was work.That was the only thing she allowed herself to hold onto.She kept her attention on the process. Boarding. Finding her seat. Placing her bag properly. Sitting down without rushing. Everything simple, controlled, familiar.The flight itself passed without much thought. She didn’t try to sleep. She didn’t scroll through her phone endlessly either. She simply sat there, looking out of the window at intervals, her thoughts coming and going without settling on anything t
---Chapter Two Hundred and NineThree days before the conference, Aria found herself standing in a place she rarely visited unless it was absolutely necessary.A clothing store.She paused just a few steps past the entrance, her eyes moving slowly across the neatly arranged racks. Everything looked organized, polished, almost too perfect. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t familiar either.Shopping had never been something she enjoyed.Most of her wardrobe came from practicality. Clothes that allowed her to move easily through long shifts, clothes she didn’t have to think about too much in the morning. Neutral colors. Simple cuts. Nothing that required attention.But this time was different.The conference wasn’t something she could walk into wearing just anything. It wasn’t about impressing people, and she knew that clearly, but she also understood what the setting required.Professional.Put together.Presentable.Not for anyone else.Just for herself.She walked further into t
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-SixBy the time they arrived in Canada, Damien had exhausted himself from shouting Clara’s name. It didn’t matter. No amount of pleading changed anything. The convoy split the moment they left the airport grounds. Clara was taken elsewhere, dropped off at her own pla
Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen Richard sat at his desk, fingers hovering over the keyboard, the city skyline through his office window bright and clear. It should have been a normal morning. Meetings, calls, the usual. But a single notification pulled him from routine.An email from Aria.He open
Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen Damien came back to himself slowly, not all at once.His eyes opened, but his mind lagged behind. The ceiling above him looked familiar, yet wrong, like a place he hadn’t chosen to be. His mouth was dry, his tongue thick. When he tried to swallow, it felt like sand
Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen The dining room smelled of food that had gone cold too fast.Damien sat at the long table, shoulders slumped, one hand wrapped loosely around his fork. He chewed slowly, eyes unfocused, like his mind was somewhere else and his body was only doing what it had been t







