Aria’s POV
I hate storms. It makes my skin crawl imagining nothing but danger. The storm started just before midnight that day. Wind pressed against the windows, thunder rolled through the clouds, and the whole city below looked like it was waiting for something to fall apart. The lights blurred behind the glass, trembling whenever lightning crossed the sky. It felt like the world had stopped breathing, like even the air inside the penthouse was too afraid to move.
He had been quiet all evening. Too quiet. Damien sat by the window with a drink in his hand, the half-empty bottle beside him catching the light each time it flashed. He didn’t look at me. He just watched the rain as if it owed him an answer for everything that had gone wrong. His shoulders looked rigid, his jaw locked, and th
