ARIA’S POV
It felt useless sitting in the luxury when in reality, it wasn’t mine. Edrick still wasn’t mine. At least not the way I wanted him to be.
I sat alone in the sitting room, my hands folded over my stomach, listening to the slow tick of the antique clock on the wall. Every second felt louder than the last. Night had already settled in, wrapping the Vale mansion in its usual cold silence, yet Edrick still hadn’t returned.
Again.
I told myself not to think too much about it. He was busy. He always was. But knowing that didn’t make the waiting any easier.
“Maybe he’ll spend the night at the penthouse,” Hannah said casually as she walked in, placing a cup of tea on the table in front of me. “You know it’s closer to the office.”
I clenched my jaw.
Hannah, Edrick’s cousin, smiled
