“I have something to tell you.”
Aria’s heart skipped.
There was something in Adrian’s voice that made her sit up a little straighter on his lap. It wasn’t cold. It wasn’t commanding. It was… careful.
That alone made her nervous.
She searched his face, trying to read him. “You’re starting to scare me.”
“I’m not trying to,” he said quietly.
“Then why do you sound like that?”
He didn’t answer immediately. His fingers tightened slightly at her waist, like he needed something to hold onto.
Aria felt it.
The hesitation.
That was new.
Adrian never hesitated.
“Just say it,” she murmured.
He looked at her again, his gaze steady but deeper than usual.
“I know we got married under abnormal circumstances,” he began slowly. “There was no love at the beginning.”
Aria didn’t interrupt.
Sh
