into the corners of her mind. The smell of fresh espresso and baked pastries filled the air, but Aria barely noticed it. Her mind was occupied with the man sitting ac

like a lifeline. Aria noticed the subtle tremor in his fingers, the way he seemed to hesitate before every word, as if choosing his ne

e thinner, more worn. There were shadows under his eyes, evidence of sleepless nights, perhaps of regret. He wasn't the polished, flawless billi

to start. She wasn't angry-not anymore. She had let go of the bitterness long ago, when she realized that no amount of rage would change the past. But she was st

her spine. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, Aria. I've spent years regretting everything I d

wasn't some half-hearted apology. It wasn't just a "I'm sorry" that could be brushed aside. This was D

ldn't speak. She couldn't trust herself to say anything at all. Everything she had buried inside for yea

ow I hurt you, and I know I don't have the right to ask for anythi

rself together that way. Her voice was soft, almost hesitant. "You think you can f

sy. But I want to try. I've spent the last three years thinking about nothing but what I could've done differen

lked in here, she thought she would be stronger, that she would be able to hold herself back, to keep him at arm's length

. "You didn't even give me a chance to fight for us. You did

a coward, Aria. I didn't think about you-about us. I was so caught up in my own world that I c

oke her to hear him speak those words. She had built herself up so carefully, so meticulously over the past three years. She had learned to live with

emotions threatening to break free. "I'm not the same woman I was when you left. I'm not the g

for forgiveness right away. I'm just asking for a chance to

the table between them, her mind racing. She didn't want to let him back in. She didn't want to risk opening herself up to the same pain she h

g her eyes to meet his once more. "I'm not the woman I was when

. But... if you can find it in your heart to give me a chance to prove that I can

, maybe. And yet, there was something in his gaze, something raw an

re so many things she wanted to say. So many things she needed to say. But she did

the answers, Aria," he said soft

was sure they could keep. And though Aria knew she wasn't ready to forgive him-not yet, maybe not ever-she also knew tha