Aria’s POVBrandon’s grip on her wrist was like iron. Every heartbeat pounded in her ears, every breath came in jagged bursts. Her palms were slick, her hands trembling...not from weakness, but from fear, from adrenaline, from the sheer weight of responsibility pressing down on her chest. Her grandparents. Eleanor. Thomas. She could not let them fall. Brandon’s smirk widened as he sensed her hesitation, his eyes sharp, calculating, as though he could see the fear and the plans swirling in her mind. “Decide, Aria,” he said again. “Surrender, or watch them burn.”Her mind raced. He was stronger than her, faster than her, and right now, he had her pinned. But strength alone did not win battles. He had underestimated one thing: her desperation, her resourcefulness, and the sheer refusal to lose anyone she loved.Her gaze flicked to the small table beside her ...the one she had left haphazardly while trying to process the earlier gunfight. A paperweight. Solid, heavy, metallic. She could
Last Updated : 2026-02-07 Read more