The estate softened under the evening light, the kind of quiet glow that made the world appear gentler than it truly was. Lamps flickered along the hallways, casting warm golden pools across the floors. Guards patrolled with quiet precision. The chaos of the day had settled but had not disappeared. It hung in the air like distant thunder, waiting for its moment to return.
Aria moved slowly toward their bedroom, one hand resting on her belly, the subtle curve that had become more pronounced these past weeks. The child inside her shifted softly, a reassuring flutter that usually calmed her.
Tonight, it did not.
A faint heaviness tugged at her lower abdomen. Not painful at first, but persistent. Wrong. The kind of wrong that stirred fear deep in her chest. She stopped at the doorway, inhaling carefully.
Maybe it was stress.Maybe fatigue.Maybe the weight of witnessing Luca fracture under betrayal.
