Mag-log inNot when I had seen it with my own eyes.Not when I knew what I saw.Riko Kenji Moretti was there that night.He stood over Noah. He didn’t deny it.So why was my father pretending otherwise?I clenched my jaw.“There’s something you’re hiding,” I muttered under my breath.And I was going to find ou
Kai.The cabin had never felt this quiet before. Not even in the years after Noah died.Back then, the silence had been heavy, grief sitting in every corner, clinging to the walls, pressing into my chest until I couldn’t breathe.Now. It felt empty.I sat at the small kitchen table, a cup of coffee
“Or do you want me to say I’m fine,” he continued, his voice rising slightly, “while he stands there mocking me? Threatening me?”Each word felt like it was being thrown at me.“I didn’t come here to—”“Then why are you here?” he snapped.I froze, because I didn’t have a good answer and everything i
“How are you doing?” I finally managed.A low chuckle escaped him and it sent a chill through me.“I’m doing well, Aria,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm so sharp it hurt. “In fact, I’m having a field day today.”My throat tightened.“Why don’t we throw a party after? Celebrate our win.”I bit
Aria.I shouldn’t have been there, I knew that the moment I slipped past security.My heart was racing too fast, and my hands wouldn’t stop shaking, not when every instinct told me to turn around and go back to the stands, to Maya, to somewhere safe and far away from him.But I couldn’t.Not after w
“I’m looking forward to it.”My blood boiled, every part of me wanted to lunge at him. To wipe that expression off his face.To make him feel even a fraction of what I had felt for ten years.But I didn’t move.Not yet.Because something in his eyes shifted as those dark brown eyes turned colder and
AriaBy Tuesday, I forced myself back into school because Mrs Holt was not buying my sickness.The corridors felt louder than usual, like everyone had something to whisper and nowhere else to put it. I kept my head down as I walked in beside Maya. “Okay, forget all the drama for a second,” she said
I exhaled slowly and ran my hand through my hair.I couldn’t lie to her. “Yes,” I said. “It has ended.”Her eyes flickered, calculating.“I have not released any formal statement,” I added. “Neither has my family, nor hers. I would appreciate it if this remained private for now.”She nodded immediat
I swallowed hard.“It was crazy in there,” he continued softly. “We’re all media trained, but that was hell.”He pulled back slightly, his hands resting lightly on my arms.“I saw the blog post. Everyone did. I’m sure my father knows by now. I just… I don’t know why he’s being quiet about it.”He tr
I blinked hard and forced myself upright.My ears rang and I raised the rifle again with shaking fingers, trying to ignore the sting, trying to focus through the dull pulse spreading behind my eye.I fired.The shot went wide, farther from the target and my father let out a short, sharp breath throu







