°•♡Chapter 106~ The Morning After

Ansel’s door shut behind us with a heavy click.

Two guards were stationed outside. And one female sentry inside. No windows to crawl out of. She wasn’t going anywhere.

“She’s secure,” Ronan said before walking off to coordinate the next patrol.

I didn’t follow. My legs were too heavy, my head too loud. Instead, I sank onto one of the worn chairs back in the common room, elbows on my knees.

The fire crackled like it was mocking me.

Cael stepped in a few minutes later. He didn’t sit. Just leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching me.

“I was so stupid,” I muttered. “She was right in front of me, and I never once doubted her.”

His voice was calm. “You trusted her.”

“I shouldn’t have.”

“You always see the good in people, Aria. That’s not weakness.”

I looked up at him. “Isn’t it? She played me like a song, and I just kept singing along.”

“You’ve always been like that,” he said. “Even before all this. You gave people chances. That’s not on you. That’s on them for a