Chapter Eleven – The Weight of Silence

Aria didn’t remember walking out of the rooftop. All she remembered was the sensation—cold air burning her lungs, high heels clicking against marble, her heartbeat thundering louder than the music below.

She didn’t stop until she was inside the town car Damian had sent earlier. The driver asked no questions—just nodded at her quietly and drove off into the Manhattan night.

The flash drive burned in her hand.

She didn’t want to believe Royce. God, she didn’t want to.

But Damian’s silence haunted her.

If there had been nothing to hide, he would’ve said so. Would’ve taken her hand, told her the truth, faced it together.

But he hadn’t.

And now… everything felt like a lie.

Back in her apartment, Aria stood in the living room with the flash drive in one hand and a glass of water in the other, staring at her laptop like it was a weapon. She didn’t want to know. But she had to know.

She plugged the drive in.