Aria didn’t calm down after leaving the dining room. If anything, the anger followed her upstairs and settled into her chest like something heavy she couldn’t shake off.
She shut the bedroom door harder than necessary and stood there for a second, breathing out sharply. It wasn’t just about the girls anymore. It was everything. The control. The way he spoke like his decisions were final. Like her opinion didn’t matter.
She walked further into the room, running her hand through her hair in frustration.
“I decide what affects me.”
Her jaw tightened as his voice replayed in her head.
So that was it. He decided. Always him.
She paced the room for a bit, trying to calm herself down, but it didn’t work. Every time she thought about it, her irritation came back stronger.
A knock came at th
