Aria’s POV
I exhaled shakily, my shoulders finally dropping as the weight I had been carrying crashed to the floor. Hearing Ethan say it out loud—that he had been fooled, that Sophia had lied—made something inside my chest loosen after being clenched for far too long.
“I wasn’t crazy,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I knew something was wrong.”
Ethan’s thumbs brushed gently beneath my eyes, wiping away tears I hadn’t realized had fallen. His gaze was heavy with regret, with guilt so raw it softened every sharp edge he usually carried.
“I should have trusted you,” he said quietly. “I should have listened.”
His words sank deep, soothing wounds that had been bleeding silently for days. I nodded, unable to speak, afraid that if I opened my mouth I’d break all over again.
“I won’t ever
