Irina’s POV
The voice was like a whip crack in the silent darkness, cold and laced with contempt. It sliced through my despair, freezing the tears on my cheeks. I didn't need to open my eyes to know who it was.
I would have recognized that voice anywhere.
I didn’t want him to see me like this—all bruised and broken. I wanted to have one day to at least get ready for his rejection. I’m not sure what I did in a past life, but in this one, I’m paying for all my past sins.
I kept my eyes closed for a second longer, desperately trying to school my features into something neutral, something empty. I would not let him see my pain. I would not let him see my tears. He had already taken enough.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
Aiden Keaton stood a few feet away, silhouetted against the distant li
