Chapter 4

ARIA'S POV

The walk back to the Vale mansion felt like a death march. My life as a nineteen-year-old student was officially over.

I stood at our front door, my hand shaking too hard to fit the key into the lock. I knew Dr. Sterling had already called my stepmother, and of course my father would hear it from her as well.

I pushed the door open and was immediately hit by the suffocating silence of the grand foyer. It didn’t last long.

"In the study. Now."

My father’s voice was like a whip crack. He didn't even look at me as he walked past the staircase.

I followed him silently, my stomach churning. Veronica and Lydia were already there, sitting on the velvet armchairs like they were waiting for a show.

How did Lydia even get here so fast….?

"Sit," my father commanded.

I sat on the edge of a hard wooden chair, my bag clutched to my chest.

"I just got off the phone with Dr. Sterling," he began lowly. "She told me a very interesting story about her most recent patient. A patient who happens to share my name."

"Dad, I can explain—"

"Explain what?" he roared, slamming his fist onto the desk. "Explain how you’ve dragged this family’s reputation through the mud? Do you have any idea what this does to my standing? I am in the middle of a massive merger, and you decide to get yourself knocked up?"

"It was Adrian," I whispered. "We... We've been best friends forever. I thought—"

"I don't care who it was!" he spat. "And don't you dare mention that boy’s name."

"The Blackwoods have already made it clear they want nothing to do with this 'situation.' They’ve called it a blatant attempt at extortion. You’ve made us a laughingstock before the child is even born."

Veronica leaned forward. "Aria, dear, you have to understand. We cannot have a scandal of this magnitude attached to the Vale name. People are already talking. Lydia’s social prospects could be ruined just by association."

"My prospects?" Lydia chimed in, tossing her hair. "I’m the one who had to watch Adrian’s face when she barged in today with that pathetic lie. It was embarrassing, Dad. She’s lucky he didn't call the police."

I looked at her, wondering how she could be so hateful. "It's not a lie, Lydia. And you know it."

"Enough!" my father snapped. "I’ve already spoken to Dr. Sterling. We’ve made arrangements. There’s a private clinic a few hours away. They specialize in... discreet resolutions for these kinds of mistakes. You’ll be going there tomorrow morning at six."

My blood turned to ice. "A discreet resolution? You mean an abortion?"

"I mean we are fixing this," he said, turning his back to me. "You’ll have the procedure, you’ll spend a few weeks 'volunteering' out of state to recover, and then we will never speak of this again. You’ll return to your studies and behave like the daughter I invested so much in."

"No," I said, my voice cracking but firm. "No, I’m not doing that. This is my baby."

Veronica shook her head, her face a mask of faux concern. "Aria, dear, you have to understand. We cannot have a scandal of this magnitude attached to the Vale name. If you won't accept the procedure to fix this mistake, your father has found another way to protect our standing."

I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning. "What other way?"

My father leaned back, his eyes like flint. "Old man Miller. He’s been looking for a young, quiet wife to manage his estate. He doesn't care about the baby—he just wants someone to warm his bed and stay out of his business. If you don't abort that thing tomorrow morning, you’ll be married to him by the end of the week. At least then the child will have a legal name that isn't mine."

I looked at him in horror. Miller was nearly seventy. He was a known drunk and a man my father usually laughed at behind his back. "You’d sell me to that man? Just to hide a pregnancy?"

"I’m saving what’s left of your dignity," he snapped. "Now go to your room. The door will be locked. You have until 6:00 AM to decide: the clinic or the altar. Either way, you’re leaving this house.”

"You don't have a choice, Aria," Veronica said smoothly, standing up. "You live under this roof, you eat our food, and you carry our name."

"You will do exactly what your father says, or you will find yourself on the street with absolutely nothing. No scholarship, no money, and certainly no family."

"Go to your room," my father ordered without looking back. "The door will be locked from the outside. Don't make this more difficult than it already is."

I didn't argue. I knew there was no point. I walked upstairs, the sound of the heavy deadbolt clicking into place ringing through my soul.

I leaned against the door, sliding down until my knees hit the floor.

They were going to force me. In this house, in this state, they had the power to do it.

I looked around my room—the small life I’d built while trying to be the "perfect, nerdy genius" my father demanded. It was all a lie.

I guess this is it, Mom, I thought, my eyes stinging.

I grabbed my backpack and started stuffing it with the essentials. I didn't take much—just a few changes of clothes, my mother’s old locket, and my laptop.

I was a genius, right? I had to use that brain now to save the only thing in the world that was truly mine.

I waited until the house was deathly still. At 2:00 AM, I grabbed my backpack. 

I didn't take much—just my mother’s hidden savings and her old locket. I opened the window and climbed down the trellis, my hands slick with sweat. I’d done this a dozen times to meet Adrian, but this time, I was running for my life.

I hit the grass and sprinted for the back gate. I punched in the code, my breath coming in short, painful gasps. I ran until my lungs burned, making it three blocks away before I heard the low purr of an engine behind me.

A sleek black car pulled up alongside me, and I froze, ready to scream, thinking my father’s security had found me already. 

The window rolled down, and a man I didn't recognize—sharp jawline, eyes that looked like they’d seen too much—leaned out.

"Need a lift, little bird?" he asked, his voice a smooth, dark velvet.

"Go away," I hissed, backing up.

"You're shaking," he noted, his gaze drifting to my packed bag and then back to my face. "And you’re running away from the Vale mansion at two in the morning. That usually means trouble is right behind you. I'm Julian. I don't care why you're running, but I’m heading to the city center. You want a ride or you want to wait for whoever is following you?"

He did have a point.

I looked back at the darkened street and then at him. It was a massive risk, but staying was certain death. I hopped into the passenger seat. "The bus station. Please."

He didn't ask questions. He just drove. As we reached the station, he handed me a small card with a number on it. "If you ever find yourself in Seattle and you need a job to survive cause you can't find any on your own, call that number. Ask for Julian."

I didn't say anything as I scrambled out of the car and immediately bought a one-way ticket to Seattle, the furthest place I could think of. 

As the bus pulled away, I watched the city lights fade. I was nineteen, pregnant, and penniless, but I was free. I was never going to let anyone control me again.