Time seemed to stop. The room was silent except for the sound of my pain spreading through the air, sharp and stinging like needles in my veins.
After what felt like forever, I forced my breathing to steady. Slowly, I lifted my head, my expression cold as steel. I grabbed my phone, fingers shaking with restrained fury, and dialed Caleb—my secretary.
“Find out everything that happened to Aria during those three years in prison,” I said, my voice low and icy. “Every detail. Leave nothing out.”
When the call ended, I sat motionless in the chair, staring blankly at nothing.
My chest felt tight, as if a fire were burning inside me, threatening to tear me apart from within.
I didn’t know how long I stayed like that. Only when my throat went dry did I finally stand and leave the study.
At t
