- Aria -
I didn’t mean to go back upstairs.
That was the lie I told myself as I stood in the hallway, staring at the master bedroom door like it might bite me if I got too close.
Five minutes. That was all.
I just needed five minutes to grab the tablet I’d left on the dresser earlier. After that, I’d be gone before anyone could pull me into a conversation or an argument.
The universe laughed at that plan.
The door was ajar.
I pushed it open with my shoulder, already bracing myself—and stopped short.
Luca was hunched over the edge of the bed, one hand clamped hard over his stomach, the other bracing against the mattress.
His breath hitched, shallow and weak. He wasn’t seeking sympathy with his silence; he was simply too depleted by the agony to do anything but e
