Chapter Two Hundred and ThirteenAria didn’t realize how tired she was until the hotel room door closed behind her.The quiet met her immediately, soft and undisturbed, like the world had paused outside and left her alone with herself. For a moment, she just stood there, her hand still resting on the handle, her shoulders slightly slumped in a way she hadn’t allowed all day.The conference had been long, structured, demanding in that way where you had to stay sharp from start to finish. Conversations, presentations, professional smiles, controlled responses—it all required energy. And she had given it, the way she always did.But now, with no one watching, no expectations sitting on her shoulders, the stillness of the room settled around her in a way that made everything feel… real again.She stepped further in, closing the door fully behind her before dropping her bag gently on the chair by the wall. The room was neat, everything arranged perfectly, from the crisp sheets on the bed t
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