Aria's pov
I stepped back instinively, the sudden intimacy of his touch making my skin crawl.
I forced a smile, then turned and walked toward the elevator without looking back.
By the time I got to the apartment I shared with Max, the place was empty.
It wasn't his original house. That one was in a quiet neighborhood, but I couldn't handle the silence anymore.
So I convinced him to rent it out. We moved into this two-bedroom downtown where it's always busy.
But even here, loneliness found me. Max didn't come home most nights. He stayed at his boyfriend's penthouse. That left me alone in these walls like a ghost.
I collapsed onto my bed, exhausted. My eyes felt heavy. I wanted that deep, dreamless sleep where everything disappears. But sleep wouldn't come. My mind rac
