Present Day
Dr. James Chen notices the slight tremor in Aria's hands before she does.
She's stirring her coffee with mechanical precision, her gaze focused somewhere beyond the café window, watching pedestrians hurry through the afternoon drizzle.
"You're carrying something heavy today," James says gently, his voice carrying the warmth that made him Manhattan's most sought-after trauma therapist.
Aria's spoon stills against the ceramic cup.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Only to someone who's trained to see beneath the surface."
She looks up at him then, and James catches the flash of vulnerability she tries to hide behind her polished exterior.
"The media attention is getting overwhelming. They're digging into everything my past, my marriage, my daughter."
James nods, his dark eyes patie
