A few days passed after the gala.
And for the first time since everything started—
Aria was bored.
Not just a little bored.
Completely bored.
The kind that made time feel slow and pointless.
The kind that made her restless.
At first, she tried to ignore it.
She walked around the mansion.
Sat in the sitting room.
Scrolled through her phone.
Watched TV she didn’t care about.
Ate when she wasn’t even hungry.
But nothing worked.
Every day felt the same.
Wake up.
Eat.
Walk around.
Avoid Adrian when she could.
Argue with him when she couldn’t.
Sleep.
Repeat.
It was exhausting in a different way.
Not emotional.
Not overwhelming.
Just… empty.
She hated it.
She needed something to do.
Something real.
Something that made her feel like herself again.
And there was only o
