CHAPTER 11 — THE LINE HE BREAKS
Aria POV
I barely slept.
Again.
Not because of the photograph this time, but because of the look on Damian’s face when he told me to go home.
That wasn’t power.
That wasn’t control.
It was something closer to fear—
but turned inward.
Whatever he remembered when he saw that burning house in my eyes…
it haunted him.
And, somehow, haunted me too.
When morning came, I dragged myself into the office with a heart that already felt bruised.
Trent wasn’t at his desk.
Odd.
He was always early.
The rest of the office moved stiffly, unusually alert, as if the building itself sensed a storm coming.
And when the elevator opened—
Damian stepped out with a presence that cracked the air.
Sharp suit.
Colder expression.
A quiet, dangerous calm that filled
