By the time they got back to the mansion, Aria didn’t feel like the same person who had left earlier.
Something had shifted.
Not completely. Not enough to fix everything.
But enough.
The car ride back had been quiet again, but this time, it wasn’t heavy. She didn’t feel like she was suffocating under her own thoughts. Her chest didn’t feel tight anymore.
And maybe that was the problem.
Because the moment she stepped into the room—
Something in her flipped.
It started small.
She kicked off her shoes without care, tossing them aside. Then she dropped onto the bed, bouncing slightly from the impact.
Adrian closed the door behind them, watching her.
“She must have had too much sugar,” he muttered under his breath.
Aria let out a random laugh.
It wasn’t controlled.
It just… came
