Aria did not sleep that night.
She remained beside the window, staring into the darkness outside her room. Her hands were still clenched from the decision she had made hours earlier.
Celine would not reach six months.
She repeated the words silently until they no longer frightened her. By morning, Aria had already begun planning. A single mistake could destroy everything she had built inside Blackridge.
She could not act carelessly. Celine was being watched closely by the healers, and Deucalion had ordered everyone around her to be careful. Any error could bring suspicion straight to Aria.
So she waited.
She watched.
Every morning Celine woke at almost the same time. She ate breakfast in her room when she felt tired, walked through the eastern garden when the weather was good, and m
