Julian’s POV
The dim yellow glow of the streetlight fell on the ground, stretching my shadow long, then pressing it flat.
I stared fixedly at Aria not far away. It felt as though a piece had been dug out of my chest, cold wind rushing straight through the hollow.
Despair was nearly swallowing me whole.
I suddenly thought of the past.
When she looked at me back then, her eyes were always bright, filled with undisguised reliance and expectation—like a timid little deer, cautious yet longing to be affirmed.
Every time I came home, she would be the first to rush out.
She’d bend down to fetch my slippers, lift her face with a smile, and say,
“Brother, you’re back. You must be exhausted after a long day at work, right? Sit down quickly—I’ll massage your shoulders.”
That Aria.
Obedient.
