Aria POV

I lay propped against the headboard, the sheets cool beneath me, the pillows stacked high enough to keep my body upright. My muscles ached with the kind of exhaustion that seeped bone-deep, but my mind refused to rest. The maids had helped me bathe, changed me into a soft gown, brushed my hair with careful strokes like I might shatter if they pressed too hard. Then they’d left, leaving behind a tray of soup untouched on the table, a glass of water, and the faint scent of lavender they’d tucked into the linen.

But none of it settled the storm inside me.

The door opened without a knock....