Chapter 28 – Lines in the Morning
Aria barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Damien's face in the dim car light — the way his mask had cracked, the way his voice had broken when he asked if she would stay.
But the other image haunted her too.
The message glowing on her phone.
> Professor Callahan: If he won't tell you the truth, I will. Meet me tomorrow. Alone.
By the time the gray morning light bled through her curtains, she was still clutching her phone like a lifeline.
Her apartment was silent except for the hum of the city waking outside. She padded barefoot to the kitchen, making coffee just to keep her hands busy. The bitter steam rose, sharp against her tired eyes.
"Alone," she whispered, repeating the word. Callahan hadn't asked — he had insisted.
She set the mug down untouched, her thoughts circling like vultures. If she went, she risked betraying Damien's trust — or what little of it he allowed her to hold. If she didn't, she risked living in the dark forever.
Her phone buzzed again. This time it was Damien.
> Damien: I'll pick you up at noon. We need to talk.
Her chest tightened. Was this about last night? Or did he somehow know about Callahan?
She typed back quickly: Okay. Then tossed the phone aside before her shaking fingers could reveal more.
---
Across the city, Damien stood on his balcony, a fresh suit on, tie loosened already. His phone rested heavy in his hand. He could feel the distance between them — not just from her silence in the car, but in her eyes.
He had learned to read people, to control them, to bend them to his will. But Aria… she was slipping through his fingers.
And now, Callahan was circling. Damien knew it. He could smell the professor's hunger, the way men like him cloaked their ambition behind noble words.
He dialed a number. His head of security answered instantly.
"Follow her. Quietly. If Callahan moves, I want to know before he even breathes."
"Yes, sir."
Damien ended the call, jaw set.
If Aria wouldn't let him protect her by trust, then he would do it by force. He couldn't lose her — not to his enemies, and not to his past.
Not when she was the only light he had left.
---
Aria sat by the window, coffee gone cold, her mind racing. Noon was coming fast.
Two men. Two truths.
And no matter what she chose, she knew this morning was only the beginning of a war she didn't yet understand.