Ariana’s POV
I couldn’t sleep.
Not after last night.
Not after that look.
The moment my mom opened the door and saw me saw us the room had frozen.
Not from shouting. Not from anger.
From silence.
And somehow, that silence was worse.
I’d barely been able to breathe. And now, lying in my bed, every second that passed stretched like wire across my chest.
I needed to know.
I needed to face her.
I got up before the sun rose. My feet padded across the cold marble floor as I walked down the hallway, heart pounding like I was walking toward a firing squad. Roman’s door was closed. So was theirs.
But the kitchen lights were on.
I found her sitting at the dining table in her satin robe, a half-empty mug of tea cradled between both hands.
Her eyes were puffy. Sleepless. Distant.
She di
