CHAPTER168

　　The truth that she was burying, even from herself, was that Aria and Aaron had talked about playing together many, many times. He was supposed to teach her, but they never could quite spare the time to get through a game. Back then, he was trying to stop a war from erupting in his country and she was trying to keep it together about the one happening in Warlanda and Ethan’s frequent trips back and forth to and from Warlanda. It was enough just to hear from him. To know he was safe, alive. They were supposed to have forever to make him better at chess, for him to teach her, for her to help him find a way to finally best his father without cheating. Aria felt the stabbing pain that she’d buried with the news of the deaths of her family, the realization that he wasn’t coming, creep back up.