ARIA'S POV
Aria woke the next morning feeling emotionally raw. She'd told Damien she loved him. Had almost confessed everything about her mother, about why she was really here.
And he'd said he loved her back.
Which somehow made everything worse instead of better.
Because love didn't solve the impossible situation she was in. Love didn't magically cure her mother or make the lies disappear. If anything, love made the inevitable betrayal even more devastating.
She dragged herself out of bed and prepared for the day, her body still aching from last night's encounter. The shallow penetration had left her frustrated and desperate in ways that went beyond physical need.
She wanted all of him. Not just his touch or his words or his carefully measured affection. She wanted the commitment he kept dangling just out of reach. The forever he said would come when she was ready to be honest.
But she couldn't be honest. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
