After the meeting with her parents, Aria arrived back at the Cross mansion with a long face. The house still smelled faintly of  perfume, spilled champagne, the ghost of laughter and it pressed against her like an accusation. A maid hovered as she stepped inside.

“Ma’am, what would you like for dinner?” the woman asked, voice soft and practiced.

“Nothing. I want to be left alone. Don’t bother me, just brew my green tea and leave it at the door tonight,” Aria said, and the sentence landed flat. The maid nodded and retreated as if the world required no explanation.

As she moved up the stairs the sound caught her...