Aria's POV
The taxi dropped me off in front of the familiar wrought-iron gates just as the afternoon sun dipped low enough to paint the driveway gold. I paid the driver, stepped out, and paused for a second, breathing in the scent of cut grass and the faint jasmine from Mom's garden.
Home still smelled the same, even when everything else felt different. The front door flew open before I reached the steps.
Mom was already halfway down the path, arms open. She pulled me into a tight hug the moment I was close enough, her familiar rose perfume wrapping around me like a blanket.
"Aria, thank God," she whispered against my hair. "I was starting to worry you'd changed your mind again."
"I'm here," I murmured, hugging her back just as hard. "I'm sorry it took so long."
She pul
