All Chapters of THE FALL OF ARIA DONOVAN: Chapter 11 - Chapter 15

~SIENNA'S POV~Time here had no meaning. The men who took her rarely spoke; their voices came muffled through the steel door, sharp and hushed, followed by the sound of keys jingling and boots scraping across the floor. Every few hours, they’d shove a tray of food toward her greasy, cold, untouched. She refused to eat. Refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her break.Her throat burned from thirst, yet she turned away from every glass of murky water they left. Her lips were cracked, her skin pale, her once-bright eyes dimmed but still defiant. The bruises on her arms told stories of struggle of how she’d fought when they dragged her off the street, blindfolded and gagged, before throwing her into this underground cell.Occasionally, she could hear the distant hum of engines above, the faint rumble of voices — proof that she wasn’t buried too deep beneath the city. She tried counting the seconds between sounds, desperate for something to anchor her sanity.That evening, the

The academy’s courtyard was alive with chatter. Students in new uniforms, parents adjusting ties and fixing hair, teachers directing the crowd with rehearsed smiles. The banners read Matriculation Day, but the tension and excitement beneath them felt far more personal.Chairman Victor Haynes stepped out of his car to a wave of bowed heads and murmured greetings. Staff members straightened themselves the moment they spotted him. Respect followed him like a shadow.But the real center of attention was his son, Miles Haynes, an 18-year-old teen unimaginably privileged, and very aware of it.His posture was perfect, his uniform flawless, his eyes sharp. A group of boys whispered near the entrance, giving him a wide path as he walked with his chin held just slightly higher than necessary.“Move,” Miles said flatly when a one student blocked his way without noticing. The boy scrambled aside, stuttering apologies as Miles passed without a second glance.Victor watched him with a quiet, unrea