جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 300

ARIA’S POVFrom now on, I do my best to stay a bit away from Adam. Blake is out of the picture, and I believe Adam has realized by now that there is no use hiring or taking help from other men to try and win me. I may seem difficult, but my walls are still strong and high for him to jump. It’s the same wall he has built, but I have maintained it for him.I see that he is getting better and perhaps soon he will start going back to work, which is quite a relief. Then I could go back home. The thought of returning to my own space brings a sense of peace and anticipation. I miss the familiarity and the autonomy of my own surroundings.We haven’t had a proper conversation about the amount of time I’ll reside in his home and I shall do so only when he is completely on his feet. I am afraid if I bring this conversation up now, then he may fake his condition, for right now I believe Adam can go to any lengths to get me to stay in his house forever.Despite the distance I try to maintain, ther

ARIA’S POVDays go by, and I decide to stop doing any work in the kitchen. Instead, I let the maids handle meal preparation, or I go out for dinner with my family, Ethan, or even Stella. Sometimes, I simply order food to the house. This change in my routine seems to frustrate Caroline immensely. She can no longer leave dirty dishes for me to wash or create any other mess for me to clean up.Whenever I go to the kitchen for a glass of water, Caroline follows me or pretends she needs to do some work there. To her astonishment, I just take what I need and leave the kitchen immediately, leaving her behind. I can sense how mad she is, and I wonder how long it will be until she snaps.Her frustration becomes more apparent with each passing day. She tries to provoke me in subtle ways, like leaving cupboards open or slightly misplacing items, but I refuse to take the bait. I maintain my distance, focusing on Adam's recovery and my own well-being.One evening, as I head to the kitchen to grab

ARIA’S POVThe twilight wraps the garden in a shroud of tranquil hues, the sky shifting from deep indigo to a softer blend of violet and navy. Each stroke of the brush seems to echo the delicate balance between day and night, capturing a fleeting moment of serenity that has always eluded me. The cool air whispers through the leaves, and the distant hum of crickets adds a gentle rhythm to my creative process. In this ethereal light, the garden transforms into a sacred space where time seems to slow, allowing me to lose myself completely in the act of painting.The garden has been my refuge, a sanctuary from the chaos that often swirled around me, both at Adam’s house and at work. During those dark days, when the world felt unbearably heavy, I would slip from my bed and seek solace beneath the open sky. The night’s embrace, with its veil of stars and moonlight, offered a respite from the incessant noise of my thoughts. I’d sit among the flowers and shrubs, the cool grass a soothing balm

ADAM’S POVI stand frozen near the door, my heart sinking as I witness the confrontation between Aria and Caroline. The venom in Caroline’s voice, the coldness in her eyes—it’s a side of her I’ve never seen before, and it chills me to the core. Caroline has always been my favorite, a steady presence in my life who I thought could do no wrong. But now, as I see her treating Aria with such disdain, such utter disrespect, I feel a wave of shock and disgust crash over me.Aria’s words, sharp and unyielding, cut through the air like a blade. Each one is a revelation, a window into a reality I’ve been blind to for far too long. The commanding tone Caroline used, the expectation that Aria would simply comply without question—it all feels eerily familiar, like a haunting echo from the past. It reminds me of the way Eva and my mother used to treat those they deemed beneath them, the way they wielded power like a weapon. I never thought Caroline, of all people, would act in the same way. But he

ARIA’S POV“How dare you insult Aria? You’re FIRED!”Adam’s decision to fire Caroline hits us both like a bolt from the blue. We stand there, equally baffled, as his words hang in the air, their finality unmistakable. This was not what I expected. I knew he was angry, that he felt guilty for not recognizing how badly I was treated, but this…this is a level of decisiveness I hadn’t anticipated.In that moment, it becomes clear that once Adam is done, he’s truly done. I recall how he didn’t hesitate to leave his sister behind bars when she crossed a line, or to place his mother in a retirement home when she became too difficult to handle. And Caroline—she’s just a maid, after all. But still, the swiftness of his decision is shocking.“Please, Adam…. Please don’t do this to me.”Caroline, on her knees now, crawls towards Adam, her dignity abandoned in a desperate plea for mercy. She begs him, her voice choked with fear and regret. The sight of her, reduced to this state, would have once