Chapter 10 -Cold

Aria's POV

All hell let loose on a rainy Thursday afternoon in Chicago.

I was carrying a silver tray with Evelyn's afternoon coffee into the formal sitting room when Sienna "accidentally" bumped my arm as she passed. The cup tipped. Hot coffee spilled across the front of Evelyn's cream blouse and down onto the expensive rug.

The silence that followed was sharp enough to cut.

Evelyn looked down at the dark stain spreading across her silk, then slowly raised her eyes to mine. Her expression was calm, almost thoughtful.

"You seem to have a talent for spilling things," she said quietly. "Kneel."

I froze.

The word was simple, but I knew what it meant in this house. I slowly lowered myself onto the polished floor in front of her, the wet spot from the coffee already seeping into the knees of my uniform.

Sienna circled us slowly, wine glass in hand, a small smile playing on her lips. She glanced toward the tall windows where heavy rain was streaking down the glass, then back at her mother.

"Since she has such a knack for spilling things, Mother," Sienna said lightly, "maybe she should experience it herself."

She tilted her head toward the window.

"It looks cold out there."

Evelyn followed her daughter's gaze.

For a moment, she said nothing. Then a cold, understanding smirk touched her mouth.

"You're right," she said. "Let her kneel outside."

My stomach dropped.

"Go," Evelyn ordered. "Front steps. Stay kneel there until I decide you've learned something. Do not come back inside until I call for you."

Sienna's soft laugh followed me as I walked toward the door, my heart already hammering.

The rain was colder than I expected. It soaked through my uniform within minutes, plastering the fabric to my skin. I knelt on the wet stone steps as instructed, head slightly bowed, arms wrapped around myself.

The wind cut straight through me.

Within twenty minutes, my teeth were chattering. Within forty, my fingers had gone numb.

An hour later, when the heavy front door finally clicked open, I could barely stand.

I stumbled over the threshold into the entryway, shivering violently. Water poured off my soaked uniform, streaming down my legs and pooling on the pristine white marble floor.

With every step I took into the grand foyer, I left a trail of dirty, dark water and wet footprints across the polished stone. My hair hung in heavy, dripping strands over my face, splashing droplets onto the floor every time I moved.

Before I could reach the staff staircase, a sharp voice cut across the hall.

Mrs. Vance stepped out from the adjacent corridor, her eyes dropping immediately to the puddle spreading around my feet and the streaks leading back to the front door. Her brow furrowed in deep annoyance.

"Look at this mess," she snapped, her tone entirely devoid of sympathy. "You're dripping water over the entire entrance. Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to keep this marble polished?"

"I'm... I'm sorry," I managed to stammer through chattering teeth, wrapping my arms tighter around my chest. "I was just going up to change..."

"You're not going anywhere until this is cleaned up," Mrs. Vance interrupted sharply. "Get a bucket and mop from the closet and dry every last inch of this floor. I want it spotless before you even think about stepping upstairs to dry yourself off."

My chest tightened, but I knew better than to argue.

"Yes, ma'am."

It took another fifteen painful minutes to drag the heavy bucket out and mop up the foyer. My hands were so numb I could barely wring out the mop, and every breath I pulled in rattled painfully in my chest.

Water continued to drip from my clothes as I worked, forcing me to clean the same spots twice.

By the time the marble was finally dry and I was allowed to retreat to the staff staircase, a deep, bone-chilling cold had settled completely into me.

My uniform clung heavily to my skin, ice-cold and soaked through. My lips felt stiff and pale.

By the time I reached my small room and changed into a dry set of clothes, my throat already felt raw. My eyes burned.

I still had work to finish.

That evening, I moved through the house more slowly than usual, trying to hide the way my body trembled. My head ached. Every breath scraped against my throat.

I kept my gaze down and hoped no one would look too closely.

I was walking along the second-floor hallway with a stack of clean towels when I heard voices ahead.

Julian and Evelyn stood near the large window at the end of the corridor, speaking in low tones. I tried to pass quietly, keeping close to the wall.

Julian's cold blue eyes flicked toward me as I approached.

He stopped mid-sentence.

For a moment, he simply looked at me, at the unnatural pallor of my face, the redness around my eyes, and the way I was holding myself as if every movement cost something.

"Aria."

It was the first time he had spoken my name since the hospital.

I froze, the towels pressed against my chest.

He took a step closer, his expression sharpening.

"Are you all right? You look..." He stopped, eyes narrowing. "You're shaking. What happened to you?"

Evelyn's gaze settled on me like a weight. I could feel the silent warning in it.

My throat tightened.

The truth sat on my tongue, heavy and dangerous. If I said it, if I told him his mother had forced me to kneel in the rain for an hour, the consequences would fall on me the moment he left the house again.

So I lied.

"I... I got caught in the rain earlier, sir," I said, my voice hoarse. "I was taking out the trash and the door closed behind me. I had to wait until someone let me back in. It's nothing. Just a little cold."

Julian's eyes stayed on my face for a long moment.

He didn't look convinced.

The muscle in his jaw tightened the same way it had when he first noticed the mark on my wrist days ago.

"A little cold doesn't make someone look like this," he said quietly. "Who left you outside?"

"It was my own fault," I answered quickly, forcing a small, empty smile. "I should have been more careful. Really. I'm fine."

Evelyn's voice cut in, smooth and controlled.

"She's exaggerating, Julian. The staff are always dramatic about the weather. Go finish your work, Aria."

I nodded, grateful for the dismissal even as it stung, and walked past them on unsteady legs.

I could feel Julian's eyes on my back the entire way down the hall.

That night, the cold settled deeper into my chest.

I sat on the edge of my bed wrapped in a thin blanket, shivering, staring at the rain still streaking down the small window.

My body ached.

My throat burned.