He looked at her across the coffee table, his expression calm and steady as always. “Aria, what’s the one thing you’re most scared of right now? Be honest with me.”
She stared at her hands, fingers twisting the edge of her sweater like it might hold her together. Her voice came out small, soft, almost a whisper. “Dark… places. When it’s completely dark. That’s what scares me most.” She glanced up at him quickly, cheeks already pink from the confession. “My dad used to lock me in the closet when he was drunk and angry. Just leave me there in the black for hours. I’d sit there shaking until he came back, and then he’d yell for me to come out.”
Dominic nodded once, the motion slow and deliberate, his eyes never leaving hers. He stood up smoothly, removing his tie with one hand and letting i
