ARIA
The rain fell harder, like the sky itself wanted to drown out the sound of our breathing. Everything inside that car felt too small, too suffocating, and when Kael looked at me with that cold, broken disbelief in his eyes, something inside me splintered so quietly I almost didn't feel it at first. But then the pain spread, slowly, steadily, until it became unbearable.
He wasn't shouting. That made it worse. His voice was calm, cutting through the rain like a blade.
"How could you hurt me like this, Aria?"
I tried to find my voice, but all that came out was a strangled whisper. "Kael, I—"
He didn't even let me finish; his voice cracked again, low and full of something I'd never heard before... betrayal. "I had to find out from someone else. About my child. About you lying to me."
Every word hit me like a bruise. And I couldn't even defend myself because… he was right.
