PIECES THAT DON’T FIT
1165 Words
Aria’s POV
I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
The woman.
The way she looked at him.
The way she spoke—
Like she knew something no one else did.
Like she had been carrying it for years.
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“He deserves to know.”
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The words wouldn’t leave my head.
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Know what?
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And why did it feel like—
Whatever it was—
It was about to change everything?
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“Aria!”
I flinched.
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Nina snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Okay, that’s it. You’re officially gone.”
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“I’m here,” I muttered.
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“No, you’re not,” she said. “You’ve been staring at nothing for like five minutes.”
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I sighed, rubbing my temples.
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“I just have a lot on my mind.”
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“That’s obvious,” she replied. “But you’re not telling me anything, which is very suspicious.”
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I forced a small smile. “It’s just family stuff.”
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“Again?” she frowned. “What kind of family stress makes you look like this?”
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The kind I couldn’t explain.
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Before I could answer—
“Aria.”
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I froze.
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Ethan.
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I turned slowly.
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He was standing there, watching me.
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Concern written all over his face.
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“Hey,” I said quietly.
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“You look worse than yesterday,” he said.
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I let out a small laugh. “Thanks.”
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“I’m serious,” he replied. “What’s going on?”
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For a second—
I almost told him.
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Almost.
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But then I remembered—
I didn’t even understand it myself.
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“Nothing I can’t handle,” I said.
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He didn’t look convinced.
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“Let me help,” he said.
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My chest tightened.
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“Ethan—”
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“You don’t have to tell me everything,” he added quickly. “Just… don’t shut me out.”
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Something about that hit deep.
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Because I was shutting everyone out.
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Even myself.
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“I’ll try,” I said softly.
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That was the best I could give.
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He nodded.
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And for a moment—
It felt like he understood.
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After school, I didn’t go home immediately.
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I couldn’t.
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Not with everything spinning in my head.
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Instead, I walked.
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Trying to piece things together.
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The woman.
Damien.
The way he reacted.
The way he shut everything down.
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None of it made sense.
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Until something clicked.
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Years.
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She said “years.”
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Which meant—
Whatever this was—
It started long before he came into our lives.
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Long before my mother married him.
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So what happened back then?
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And why did it feel like my mother knew more than she was saying?
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When I finally got home—
It was quiet.
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Too quiet.
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“Mom?” I called.
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No response.
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I stepped further inside.
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And that’s when I saw it.
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A file.
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Left on the table.
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Half open.
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My heart skipped.
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I knew I shouldn’t.
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I really shouldn’t.
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But something pulled me closer.
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Slowly—
I reached for it.
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And opened it.
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My breath caught.
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Documents.
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Old ones.
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Yellowed at the edges.
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And right at the top—
A name.
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Damien.
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My heart started racing.
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What was this?
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My eyes scanned the page.
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Case file.
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My chest tightened.
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Court.
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Charges.
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My breath hitched.
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This wasn’t just any document.
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This was—
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“Put that down.”
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I froze.
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Slowly—
I turned.
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Damien was standing there.
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Watching me.
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His expression—
Cold.
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Sharp.
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Dangerous.
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“I didn’t know—” I started.
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“I said put it down,” he repeated.
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My hands trembled slightly as I placed it back on the table.
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Silence filled the room.
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Heavy.
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“What is this?” I asked.
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A mistake.
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Because his jaw tightened.
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“Something that doesn’t concern you.”
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“It does if it’s in my house,” I shot back.
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Wrong move.
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Because in the next second—
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He stepped closer.
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Too close.
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“You shouldn’t have opened it,” he said quietly.
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My heart pounded.
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“Then don’t leave things lying around,” I replied.
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A challenge.
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And he felt it.
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“Curiosity will get you into trouble,” he warned.
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“Then tell me what it is,” I pushed.
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Silence.
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Then—
“A mistake,” he said.
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The word hung between us.
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Heavy.
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“Whose?” I asked.
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His eyes darkened.
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“Everyone’s.”
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My breath caught.
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“What happened?” I whispered.
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A pause.
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Then—
“I was accused of something I didn’t do.”
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My heart skipped.
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Accused?
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“Like what?” I asked.
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His gaze held mine.
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And for a moment—
I saw it.
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Something raw.
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Something buried.
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Something painful.
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“Something that cost me everything,” he said.
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My chest tightened.
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“Everything?” I repeated.
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“Yes.”
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A pause.
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Then—
“My freedom.”
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My breath caught.
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Freedom.
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That meant—
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“You went to prison?” I asked quietly.
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Silence.
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Then—
“Yes.”
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The word hit harder than I expected.
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I stared at him.
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Trying to process it.
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Trying to understand how this man—
Standing right in front of me—
Had a past like that.
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“What did you lose?” I asked.
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Another pause.
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Then—
“More than you can imagine.”
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Something about the way he said it—
It felt personal.
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Like it wasn’t just about prison.
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Like it was about someone.
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But before I could ask—
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“Stay out of this,” he said.
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His voice firm again.
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Walls back up.
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“I can’t,” I replied.
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Because now—
I was already in it.
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His gaze lingered on me for a second.
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Then—
“Then don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
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And just like that—
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He walked away.
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Leaving me standing there—
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With one truth I couldn’t ignore anymore.
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This wasn’t just a secret.
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It was a past—
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That was starting to catch up with all of us.
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