Aria’s POV
I turned slowly. Against every instinct screaming at to run.
A boy stood in the pickup area. Maybe four years old. Round face. Pudgy body straining against his expensive uniform. His dark hair was ssy. His amber eyes were narrowed with impatience.
"CELESTIA!! WHERE ARE YOU! I WANT TO GO HO NOW!"
He stamped his foot. Once. Twice. Three tis. Like a spoiled emperor demanding tribute.
And then she appeared.
She hurried toward her son, her golden hair perfectly styled. She looked exactly the sa as I rembered. But there were lines around her eyes that hadn’t been there before. A tightness to her mouth. A brittleness to her movents that spoke of exhaustion poorly hidden.
"Mommy?" Lina tugged at my hand. "Who’s that lady?"
"Nobody, baby." I scooped her up into my arms. Held her tight against my chest. "Let’s go ho."
I turned. Started walking. Fast. Faster.
If I could just get to the car before—
"Well, well, well."
That voice. Honey and poison. Exactly as I rembered.
I stopped.
My heart was pounding. My palms were sweating. Every nerve in my body scread at to keep walking. To ignore her. To disappear.
But I wasn’t the sa broken Oga who’d run away three years ago.
I turned around.
Celestia stood ten feet away. Her son clung to her hand, whining about sothing. She wasn’t even looking at him. Her green eyes were fixed on . Taking in every detail.
My new clothes. My confident posture. The healthy glow in my skin. The child in my arms who looked nothing like the Shadow Moon bloodline.
I could see the calculations happening behind her eyes. The surprise. The confusion.
"Aria Shadow Moon." She said my na like it was sothing dirty. "I almost didn’t recognize you. You look so... different."
"Celestia. I wish I could say the sa about you."
Her eyes narrowed.
Her smile was sharp. Dangerous. "Just curious. Where have you been hiding? Under what rock did you crawl to escape?"
I said nothing. Just held Lina tighter.
Celestia’s eyes dropped to my daughter. Sothing flickered across her face.
"And who’s this?" Her voice turned sweet. Fake sweet. The kind of sweet that made children cry and adults shudder. "What a pretty little thing. Is she yours?"
Lina buried her face in my neck. Smart girl. She could sense danger even if she didn’t understand it.
"She’s none of your concern."
"Touchy, touchy." Celestia laughed. That tinkling, practiced laugh I’d heard a thousand tis. "Still as defensive as ever. So things never change."
"MOMMY!" Her son yanked at her hand. "I’m HUNGRY! I want ice cream! I want it NOW!"
"In a minute, sweetheart." Celestia didn’t even glance at him. Her attention was entirely on .
"GO GET IT NOW!" The boy’s voice rose to a shriek. "YOU’RE SO STUPID! YOU NEVER DO WHAT I WANT!"
I blinked.
Did a four-year-old just call his mother stupid?
"Darling, Mommy is talking to soone—"
"I DON’T CARE! YOU’RE A DUMB BITCH! DADDY SAYS SO!"
Celestia’s face went red. Then white. Her perfect composure cracked for just a second.
"Felix, that’s not—"
"SHUT UP! I HATE YOU! YOU’RE UGLY AND FAT AND DADDY SAYS YOU’RE AN AND USELESS!"
This was... this was beyond spoiled. This was a monster in the making.
"Well." I couldn’t help myself. "I see you haven’t lost your touch."
Celestia’s head snapped toward . Her eyes blazed.
"Excuse ?"
"Your ability to ruin children." I gestured at Felix, who was now literally lying on the ground, kicking and screaming about ice cream. "It’s quite impressive, actually. Most people only manage to spoil one. But you’ve got a talent for it."
Her face contorted.
"How dare you—"
"WANT ICE CREAM! WANT IT NOW! HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU!"
"Felix, stop it!" Celestia finally turned to her son. Her voice was strained. Desperate. "We’ll get ice cream, okay? Just calm down—"
"At least he’s a boy." Celestia’s voice turned sharp to . Vicious. "Not so worthless girl who couldn’t even shift properly."
Rage flared in my chest.
"Careful, Celestia." My voice dropped. Low. Dangerous.
"Or what?" She laughed. That condescending laugh that used to make feel small. "You’ll cry? Run away again? You’re still just Shadow Moon trash, Aria. A pretty dress doesn’t change your blood."
I stepped closer.
Celestia’s smile faltered.
"Your son goes to this school," I continued. "The sa school as my daughter."
Celestia’s eyes widened.
"If he touches her." I let the words hang in the air. "If he says one cruel word to her. If he so much as looks at her wrong."
I stepped even closer. So close that Celestia had to lean back.
"I’ll know." My voice was barely a whisper. "I’ll find out. And you won’t like what happens next."
"I’ll have your lives."
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