a's
lips, raw and unfiltered. "Beca
, heavy and ominous. My voice trembled, betr
it would mean to let it surface. Now, I felt exposed, as thou
flicker of disgust, the revulsion that would spread across his face. I had seen it so many times be
my hand tightened, steady and grounding,
ce calm yet firm, "you d
ught me off guard. "What happened could have been a terrible accident," he
he armor of guilt I had worn for years. No one had ever told me this before. Not once. Every glance
as the tears spilled over. The words felt i
of what I had done. Yet here was this man, a stranger who had
teady with quiet determination. "We'll return to the city and start fresh. Together, we'll bui
t felt like a dream I didn't deserve. But then, just as a flicker of hope began to tak
here you've be
d with menace. My body tensed instincti
he hall. His features were sharp, angular, and his piercing gaze pinned me in place. Th
his broad frame acting as a shield. "Marcus,"
ecting me as though I were nothing more than a specimen under a microscope. "Have you forgotte
neutral, but inside, I felt the sting of it. That word had followed me
e. "Aria is my daughter now," he said, his voice like steel.
e said at last, though his tone was anything but conciliatory. There was a warning buried beneath his
d fought so hard to suppress came rushing back, drowning the fragile hope Richard ha
ly turning and leaving. The tension in the room didn't ease with his de
is eyes. Why? "Don't let him get to you," he said, his tone gentle yet resolu
n. "Are you sure?" I asked, my voice barely audible. "I do
e stronger than you realize, and you're not alone anymore." He hesitated, then added,
ing inside me. For the first time in years, since the night my brother
memory of Marcus's cold, calculating gaze. His parting words echoed in my min
stared at the ceiling, my thoughts a chaotic me
the sound sharp and grating. I couldn't shake the feeling that M
e withstand the weight of my past? Could I really build a new life,
ds out about my
to press against the room,
e truth I didn't want to face: hope was a fragil
eep through the cracks in the curtains, I
not alone
hat had to