Three days. That’s how long it had been since Aria last spoke to Lucien—since the full moon night when she had seen him in his most vulnerable state.

He hadn’t returned to their shared room, hadn’t texted, hadn’t even looked her way in the hallways. And every time she saw him, he was either with Damon, or worse—with *Selena*, the flawless senior he was always paired with. The one everyone whispered was his “official” girlfriend.

Aria tried to brush it off at first. Maybe he was just recovering. Maybe he needed space. But the silence was beginning to suffocate her.

By lunchtime, she couldn’t take it anymore.

The cafeteria buzzed...