Aria slept like a queen that night limbs stretched across the soft hotel bed, her silk sheets gliding like whispers of triumph. For once, the world didn’t press on her chest. The storm had passed, and now she was the thunder.

The next morning, the sun kissed her face through the curtains, and she sat up with a smirk. “Today’s gonna be fun,” she muttered, sliding out of bed like a woman on a mission.

After a hot shower, she stood before the mirror, applying lotion to her smooth skin, then slipped into a short pink flare gown that hugged her waist like luxury itself. She sat, crossing her legs,...