Aria’s POV
The photographs lay spread across the bed, their faded colors holding more weight than Aria could bear. For the first time, she was looking into the faces of her parents—her real parents. There was a strange familiarity in their eyes, but they were still strangers, and that left her unsettled.
Her thoughts wandered back to Damien, to the sharp exchange they’d had. She regretted raising her voice, but she couldn’t regret standing up for herself. She and Ethan deserved more than suspicion and distance. Still, part of her ached to understand him better—there had to be a reason for the walls he kept building.
There was a small knock and door opened quietly. Damien stepped inside. He didn’t command the space with his usual authority. Instead, he hesitated, as though gauging whethe
