Aria stood in the center of the living room, drenched in silence, phone still in her hand, the image burned into her memory—Knox in a tux, Ivy draped over him like a silk ribbon. Her body trembled, but it wasn’t fear.
It was fury. Cold and coiled in her veins.
The door clicked.
She didn’t move.
Footsteps crossed the marble, slow and heavy. Keys dropped onto the console table. A jacket swished as it was flung over the armrest.
Then silence again.
“Aria?” Knox’s voice echoed into the space between them.
She turned.
He stilled when he saw her face. Her eyes were rimmed with unshed tears, but her posture was steel.
She raised the phone. Showed him the photo without a word.
He exhaled. Closed his eyes for a second like he’d expected this.
“She kissed me, Aria,” he said quietly. “I di
