Aria's POV
She paused, then added, "But one day, it's all going to come back to bite her."
"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Think about it." Astrid shrugged. "She thinks everything has a price. She thinks if she pays for something, it's hers. But guess what? Someone else can always pay more and take it right out of her hands."
"She's never found anything in her life that was actually worth holding onto."
I thought about Claudia's face. The desperation behind her composure. The way her hand kept drifting to her stomach, like she was clinging to the only thing she had left.
"You're right," I said finally.
Astrid froze for a second, then just looked at me. "You're different. Than before."
"Different how?"
"Lighter." She smiled. "Like something heavy finally lifted."
"Becaus
