Gabriel's POV
Morning comes like a slow, merciless execution.
The sheets beside me are cold. The space where she had once been—where her warmth had lingered hours ago—is empty now. I stare at it for too long, my body still, my mind awake but unwilling to move. Maybe if I stay like this, if I don’t breathe too deep, the weight in my chest won’t crush me whole.
But reality isn’t kind. It never is.
Aria is gone.
The realization is a sharp, unforgiving blade. I told myself last night that this was necessary, that this was the only way. I had made my choice. And yet, the silence she left behind feels like a living thing, curling around me, digging its claws in.
I exhale through my nose, forcing my body upright. The world will talk. The media will speculate. That’s the least of my concerns
