Se connecterFor a moment, he just stared at me then, slowly, his expression softened again, like he was slipping back into a version of himself that knew how to win me over.“You’re really choosing him,” he said quietly. “After everything I did for you?”I let out a short, humorless laugh. “You didn’t do anythi
Aria’s POVThe infirmary was too quiet, not peaceful—never peaceful—but had this kind of silence that felt forced, like the walls themselves were holding their breath. The smell of antiseptic was sharp enough to sting my nose the moment I stepped inside, and for a second I almost turned back.Almost
For a moment, he just stared at me then, slowly, his expression softened again, like he was slipping back into a version of himself that knew how to win me over.“You’re really choosing him,” he said quietly. “After everything I did for you?”I let out a short, humorless laugh. “You didn’t do anythi
Aria’s POVThe infirmary was too quiet, not peaceful—never peaceful—but had this kind of silence that felt forced, like the walls themselves were holding their breath. The smell of antiseptic was sharp enough to sting my nose the moment I stepped inside, and for a second I almost turned back.Almost
Aria's POVThe feeling wouldn't leave, it followed me through lunch, through the reports stacked on my desk, through every conversation I barely paid attention to and no matter how many times I reminded myself that Damon could handle himself, that he had survived far worse than a day spent with Kade
Aria’s POVSomething in me refused to settle and I know that it wasn’t exactly panic, but if it was, it wasn’t the mind that made you shake or lose breath. It was quieter than that, sharper too, like a thread pulled too tight under my skin, waiting to snap the moment I stopped paying attention. Dam
Aria’s POVRecovery felt unnatural, not painful or exhausting, just… wrong.By the next morning, I was already walking without assistance. Maeve kept checking my pulse every hour like she expected me to collapse at any second, but every time she examined me, her frown only deepened.“You should stil
I swallowed slowly. “Tell me what happened.”For a moment, he said nothing, then he leaned back slightly, his gaze fixed on the floor as if deciding how much to say.“Lex took me to Ghostshade,” he began quietly. “Maeve believed it could neutralize the poison in your blood. We fought half the forest
Aria’s POVThe silence in the infirmary stretched long after Kade’s words settled into the room.“Almost like nothing ever happened.”I looked between him and Damon, my stomach tightening at the expression on Damon’s face. He had gone completely still beside the bed, his eyes fixed on Kade with a co
Aria’s POVI woke up slowly, like my body had forgotten how to exist and was testing the idea one piece at a time.The first thing I noticed was the absence of pain, there was no burning in my throat, no iron-heavy weight in my lungs and no violent shaking that had ripped through me before everythin







