Aria Pov
The silence that followed our eyes meeting lasted only a second, but it felt much longer.
Victoria stood between us, smiling with complete, oblivious warmth, and the first question that left her mouth cut straight through the air.
“Did you two know each other?”
The words hung there, simple and dangerous.
“No,” I said.
“No,” Alexander answered at the same time.
Our voices overlapped, too quick, too identical in their refusal. Victoria laughed softly, as if the shared denial was nothing more than coincidence.
“Well, that settles it then. Aria, greet your stepdad properly.”
I forced my feet to carry me the rest of the way down the short steps. Every movement reminded me of the night before—the stretch of him inside me, the way my throat had taken him, the blank cheque I had
