ARIA'S POV
There’s still no sign of Dante. It's getting late he said he'll be back soon. I tell myself not to panic. He’s done this before — slipped out early, handled something quietly, returned like nothing happened.
“Dante?” I call softly. No answer. I reach for my phone once again. Still no missed calls. No messages. I scroll back, searching for something — anything — I might’ve missed but there's nothing. My fingers hover over his contact before I call again. It rings again. Twice. Then straight to voicemail. My stomach tightens. I try again.
Same result.
“Okay,” I whisper to myself. “Okay. Don’t spiral. He's going to come in any moment."
I get up, wrap a sweater around myself, and walk the apartment — checking rooms I already know are empty. The kitchen is untouched. No coffe
