"Aria, are you awake? What's wrong with you? Come out for breakfast!"
From outside the room, Aria could hear the worried voice of her mother.
She quickly rinsed her mouth, trying to push away the heaviness in her chest. "Right away!" she called out, forcing herself to get up.
It felt as though all her internal organs had been drained, along with the bitterness and sadness that had been weighing her down for so long.
Some things, she realized, should have been let go a long time ago.
As she stood up, she felt an unexpected sense of relief, but to her surprise, a layer of tears floated to the corners of her eyes.
"If only I hadn't woken up so late! My first time..."
The thought of last night made a sharp pang of hatred surge inside her.
She had always been cautious, rarely drinking too much, but somehow, her memories of the night were fragmented, incomplete.
It was Bella Parker—there was no doubt about it.
Aria clenched her fists, rage filling her chest. N
No wonder there had been sand in her eyes all night, why Bella had kept asking her to blow it away.
Now that she thought about it, it was clear Bella had taken that opportunity to tamper with her drink.
Why?
Was it because of Ryder Vaughn?
But that didn't make sense!
Bella knew there was no way she, Aria would ever be with Ryder, so why had Bella done this to her?
Her nails dug into her palms, and her chest tightened with anger.
As her emotions boiled over, her mother's voice echoed through the house again:
"Aria—"
"Coming!"
Aria quickly wiped away the tears that threatened to fall, trying to force a smile as she stood up.
She couldn't let her mother see her like this, not today.
At the breakfast table, her mother looked at her with concern. "Why do you look so bad? Did you work too hard? Or were you unhappy at the party last night? Did you have a fight with Bella?"
Aria noticed how much older her mother looked. Her heart ached.
She couldn't let her mother worry about her any more than she already had.
She scooped an egg onto her mother's plate and smiled faintly. "No, maybe it was just the alcohol... I didn't sleep well last night."
She couldn't let her mother see the cracks in her facade.
Before she could finish her meal, her phone rang, cutting through the silence.
She grabbed it without thinking, already on her feet. "I have to go to work; I might even have to go on a business trip. Don't wait for me."
.
.
.
.
[One Month Later]
Aria returned home, dragging her suitcase behind her.
She had checked in with the company first, but her mind was still tangled with the mess of her emotions.
As she walked toward her house, she passed a dim sum shop she remembered fondly.
Her mother loved their durian pastry, so Aria stopped to grab some.
She was walking toward the shop when, out of nowhere, a tall light-gray figure appeared in front of her.
Aria's mind went blank. Her hand loosened, and the bag of convenience food fell to the ground.
Ryder... Ryder Vaughn... What is he doing here?
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Her feet felt as though they were stuck in cement, and the world around her seemed to slow down.
The two of them locked eyes, and neither of them moved for a long time.
From across the street, Bella saw the scene unfold. Her hands clenched so tightly that her nails nearly broke.
With a growl of frustration, she snatched her phone out of her bag and made a quick call.
Aria had imagined this moment a thousand times in her mind.
She thought she would be either angry or embarrassed, but instead, there was only a strange emptiness, a lack of anything at all.
The moment felt... hollow. Everything felt so different than she had expected.
The silence between them was finally broken by the sudden ring of Ryder's phone.
He glanced at it, and with a quick, emotionless look at Aria, he turned and walked away.
Aria stood there, stunned, for a few moments before she turned around and began to walk away herself.
But then, out of nowhere, she felt a sharp slap across her cheek.
"Mom?"
Her mother's face was twisted with fury, her hands trembling. "Don't you call me 'mom'! I don't have a daughter like you! Your father's still in the hospital, and here you are, still involved with him? Are you trying to make me angry and happy at the same time? What happened to us? Why is our family living in the open now? Have you forgotten everything? Why did we leave our hometown? If it weren't for Bella calling me, I would still be in the dark!"
Her mother's voice shook with fury, her body trembling as the anger overtook her.
Bella!
Again!
That scheming, lying bitch!