48. The Calm Before The Storm

MATTEO’S POV

Three days had passed since Aria had vanished, and each day felt like a lifetime without her.

The heaviness of her absence hung over me like a cloud, its weight suffocating and relentless.

Sitting in my chair, I thought of her constantly, each moment marked by her memory. Outside, the rain fell in sheets, a mirror of the raging within my heart, and I knew wherever she could see the rain as well.

It was nighttime, and I sought solace in my office, a sanctuary from the harsh reality of Aria's absence that taunted me at home. As I swiveled in my chair, the sound of my office door creaking open seized my attention.

It was Carter and Charlie right behind him smoking a cigar. Carter's eyes were like daggers, piercing through me with a rage that was both visible and unsettling.