The city didn’t feel the same after that night.
Not to Aria.
Hallways felt longer. Smiles felt rehearsed. Every gesture of kindness carried the faint aftertaste of intent. She had severed the council’s influence, yes—but severing didn’t mean erasing.
It meant exposure.
And exposed enemies became creative.
Dominic barely slept anymore.
He stayed close—too close sometimes—always a hand on her back, always watching who looked at her for half a second too long. Adrian mirrored him from the other side, quieter but sharper, his patience thinned to a blade’s edge.
Aria noticed.
She said nothing.
Because she needed to know.
Lucas didn’t stop.
If anything, he became more… careful.
He stopped cornering her. Stopped asking for forgiveness outright. Instead, he became present.
He correcte
