Aria’s POV
The first thing I felt when I woke up was warmth. Softness. Comfort. For a moment, I let myself sink into it, my body instinctively relaxing against the mattress. But as consciousness fully set in, confusion followed. My eyes fluttered open, and the familiar sight of the bedroom came into focus. The realization hit me like a jolt. I was in Gabriel’s bed.
My heart lurched.
I hadn’t slept here in months. Not since that night. Not since everything between Gabriel and me had gone from unbearable to something even worse, something unfixable.
I had kept my distance since then, choosing the couch over sharing this space with him. It wasn’t just about avoiding him; it was about me. About respecting myself. I refused to let myself be reduced to some fragile woman who clung to a man w
