Aria's tone was all teasing, as if nothing had happened. But Caleb's heart clenched, and he held his breath, his face tight."Aria, if you're..." he started, wanting to say, "feeling upset, you can talk to me."He didn't finish the sentence before Aria shot him a sideways glance. She was still smiling, her white teeth flashing, but it felt completely insincere."Aria," he said her name, his deep voice filled with a hint of pain."What's wrong?" Aria swayed her head, her smile growing more and more playful. "Caleb, don't look at me like that. I don't mind, really, I don't."Caleb stayed silent. Aria walked to the bed, gently pried open her tightly clenched hands, and looked down at her palms, which were nearly torn to shreds by her own fingernails.He let out a sigh. "You're clearly upset. Why force yourself to smile?" he said, his voice full of heartache. "Aria, it's not worth it. He's not worth you hurting yourself like this."From the moment Caleb insisted on opening her hands, Ari
Last Updated : 2025-08-20 Read more