Aria’s POV
"Don’t you dare look at him again!"
Rebecca’s voice sliced through the club like a knife. Her finger jabbed toward my face, trembling with rage.
I pressed my shaking hand against my burning cheek. The sting radiated through my skull. Stars still danced at the edges of my vision.
Silent tears stread down my face. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t do anything but stand there like a broken doll.
The entire club had gone silent. Every eye was on us. On . The Shadow Moon trash who’d dared to reach above her station.
"Get out," Rebecca hissed. Her green eyes blazed with triumph. "Get out of my sight, you pathetic whore!"
My legs moved before my brain could process the command. I stumbled backward. Nearly knocked over a chair. Didn’t care.
I ran.
Past the VIP section. Past the bar. Past all those staring faces and whispered judgnts. I kept my head down. Couldn’t look at anyone. Couldn’t bear to see the pity. The amusent. The sick satisfaction of people watching soone else’s humiliation.
The back door. I needed the back door.
I slamd through it. The cold night air hit my face like a slap. Another slap. How many tis could one person be struck down before they stopped getting up?
My legs gave out.
I crumpled against the brick wall of the alley. Slid down until I was sitting on the cold, dirty ground. The concrete bit into my skin through my thin uniform. I didn’t care.
A sob tore from my throat.
Then another.
Then I was crying so hard I couldn’t breathe. My chest heaved. My body shook. Every sound that escaped felt like it was being ripped from sowhere deep inside.
She’d hit .
In front of everyone.
And Kael had just sat there.
He hadn’t moved. Hadn’t spoken. Hadn’t even looked up from his goddamn phone.
Like I was nothing.
Like I’d never ant anything at all.
The crying turned to wailing. Ugly, gasping sobs that echoed off the alley walls. I pressed my fist against my mouth, trying to muffle the sound. Failing completely.
My already shattered heart felt like soone was grinding it beneath their heel. The sha. The pain. The fact that he hadn’t even lifted a finger to stop it—everything burned.
Why?
Why did I keep doing this to myself? Why did I keep trusting people who only wanted to hurt ?
First Finn. Now Kael.
What was wrong with ?
The back door burst open.
I flinched. Tried to scramble to my feet. Failed. My legs were too weak. My body had given up.
"Aria!"
Elara’s voice. Panicked. Worried.
She ran toward , her heels clicking against the concrete. Dropped to her knees beside without hesitation.
"Oh god. Aria. What happened? Are you okay?"
I couldn’t answer. Couldn’t form words through the sobs still wracking my body.
Elara pulled into her arms. Held tight. Rocked gently like a child.
"It’s okay," she murmured. "You’re safe now. I’ve got you. You’re safe."
I buried my face in her shoulder. Let myself be held. Let myself fall apart completely.
"I can’t..." The words ca out broken. Barely intelligible. "I can’t do this anymore."
"Shh." Elara stroked my hair. "You don’t have to explain. Just breathe."
We stayed like that for what felt like hours. Her holding . crying until I had nothing left.
Eventually, the tears slowed. My breathing evened out. The shaking subsided into occasional tremors.
Elara pulled back. Looked at my face. Her expression crumpled with sympathy.
"Co on," she said softly. "Let’s get you inside. Away from prying eyes."
She helped stand. My legs felt like jelly. But with her arm around my waist, I managed to stay upright.
We stumbled through the back door. Through the staff corridor. Into the break room.
Elara lowered onto the old couch in the corner. The cushions sagged beneath . The fabric slled like coffee and cigarettes. I’d never been so grateful for sothing so shabby.
"Stay here," Elara said firmly. "I’ll handle the rest of your tables. You don’t have to go back out there."
I opened my mouth. Tried to protest. A small sob escaped instead.
"Thank you," I managed. The words ca out raspy. Wrecked. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry."
"Don’t apologize." Elara squeezed my hand. "Just rest. I’ll co check on you when I can."
She disappeared through the door.
I was alone.
I lay back on the couch. Stared at the water-stained ceiling. Let my mind go blank.
The night passed in fragnts. Ti lost all aning. I drifted in and out of consciousness. Sotis I heard distant music from the club. Sotis footsteps in the hallway. Sotis nothing at all.
Elara ca back once. Brought water. Made drink it. I don’t rember what she said.
Eventually, the sounds from the club faded. The music stopped. The chatter died away.
Closing ti.
I sat up slowly. Every muscle ached. My face still throbbed where Rebecca had struck . My eyes felt swollen and raw.
But I was alive.
That was sothing.
Elara appeared in the doorway. Her shift was over. Her makeup was smudged with exhaustion. But she smiled when she saw sitting up.
"There you are." She walked over. Sat beside . "Feeling any better?"
"Not really." Honesty seed pointless at this stage. "But I’ll survive."
"You always do." Elara bumped her shoulder against mine. "Co on. Let’s get out of here."
We walked out together. Through the now-empty club. Past the tables I’d never serve again. Past the VIP section where my world had ended.
I didn’t look. Couldn’t.
The night air was cooler now. The streets quieter. Most of the late-night crowd had already gone ho.
We walked toward the bus stop. Our footsteps echoed against the pavent. Neither of us spoke for a while.
Finally, Elara broke the silence.
"Aria." Her voice was careful. asured. "You have to tell . What did you do to that girl?"
My fingers tightened around my bag strap. Every instinct scread at to bury this. Let the sha rot in silence. Never speak of it again.
But Elara had held while I fell apart. She’d covered my tables. She’d protected when I couldn’t protect myself.
She deserved the truth.
"It’s complicated," I mumbled.
Her eyes sharpened. "How complicated?"
I exhaled slowly. Watched my breath fog in the cool air.
"Kael and I..." I hesitated. The words felt heavy on my tongue. "We had a thing."
Elara’s jaw dropped. Shock and disbelief warred across her face.
"You and Kael?" Her voice pitched higher. "You an THE Kael?"
I nodded. Already regretting saying anything.
"You’re telling you and Kael Blood Crown—" She stopped. Blinked. Started again. "The Alpha heir? That Kael?"
"It wasn’t anything serious." The lie tasted bitter. "Just a couple of dates—"
"Dates?" Elara’s mouth fell open again. "You actually dated Kael Blood Crown?"
I winced at her reaction. But I couldn’t bla her. People like us didn’t date people like Kael Blood Crown. We served them drinks. Cleared their tables. Stayed invisible. We didn’t sit across from them at restaurants. We didn’t ride in their cars. We definitely didn’t sleep in their beds.
"It was nothing," I repeated more firmly. "A ga. That’s all it was to him. Rebecca found out, and now—" I gestured vaguely. "You saw what happened."
Elara stared at . Still processing. Still trying to fit this information into her understanding of the world.
"A ga?" she repeated slowly. "What kind of ga?"
"I don’t want to talk about it." My voice ca out harsher than intended. "Please, Elara. Just... let it go. It’s over now."
She looked like she wanted to push further. A thousand questions burning behind her eyes. But sothing in my expression must have stopped her.
"Okay," she said finally. "But if you ever need to talk—"
"I know." I tried to smile. Failed. "Thank you. For everything tonight."
The bus arrived. We climbed on. Found seats in the back. Rode in silence through the empty streets.
Elara got off at her stop. Hugged tight before she left.
"Take care of yourself," she whispered. "Promise ."
"I promise."
Another lie. But what else could I say?
The rest of the ride passed in a blur. My apartnt building appeared. I got off. Walked up the stairs. Unlocked the door.
Ho.
Such a aningless word.
This wasn’t ho. It was a place to sleep. A roof over my head. Nothing more.
I locked the door behind . Dropped my bag on the floor. Didn’t bother turning on the lights.
The darkness felt appropriate.
I made my way to the bedroom. Each step felt like wading through quicksand. Exhaustion pulled at every muscle. My mind was a fog of pain and grief and sha.
I closed the bedroom door. Leaned against it for a mont. Let the silence wrap around .
The bed looked so far away. But I forced my legs to carry there. Collapsed onto the mattress without changing out of my uniform. Without washing my face. Without doing any of the things a normal person would do.
I was so tired.
Not just physically. Bone-deep tired. Soul tired. The kind of exhaustion that sleep couldn’t fix.
I stared at the ceiling. The sa ceiling I’d stared at for years. Through Finn’s neglect. Through Lilith’s rejection. Through every small and large tragedy that had defined my life.
Tears threatened to fall again. I blinked them back. I didn’t have any left. My body had been wrung dry.
My chest ached with a pain I couldn’t na. Heartbreak? Humiliation? Both? Neither?
It didn’t matter.
Nothing mattered anymore.
I buried the feeling deep. Pushed it down where I couldn’t feel it. Where it couldn’t hurt .
That was the only way to survive. Shut it out. Lock it away. Pretend it didn’t exist.
Just like I’d done my whole life.
My phone buzzed.
The sound made jump. I’d forgotten I even had it.
I reached into my pocket. Pulled it out. The screen glowed in the darkness.
I looked at it wearily.
Then froze.
My heart sank.
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