Aria POV

The door clicked shut behind me, and with it, the last bit of strength I’d been pretending to have.

My back hit the wood, hard enough that the air left me in a shaky gasp. My hands flew up to cover my face, but they couldn’t catch the flood breaking loose. The sobs ripped out anyway, violent, humiliating, raw.

.

My legs wobbled beneath me, and I sank to the floor, knees pressed to my chest. The stone was cold against me, but it was nothing compared to the cold inside. The kind that settled deep, heavy, whispering lies I almost believed.

I pressed my forehead against my...