Aria POV
I was jolted awake by a sharp, furious yell.
My consciousness felt dragged up from deep underwater, my mind still foggy.
“Julian, get your a*s up! Why did you—”
The man’s voice cut off abruptly.
Instinctively, I opened my eyes. What met me was Nathaniel’s face, a mix of anger and disbelief.
He froze in place, staring at me, his gaze as if nailed down by something.
I stared for a few seconds before realizing that I was lying on a stranger’s bed.
The soft mattress, the familiar scent of light tobacco—Julian’s room.
Before I could even sit up, Marielle’s gasp pierced the air.
“Aria? Why are you sleeping in your brother’s bed?”
Brother? Julian?
I lifted my head in daze.
Hasn’t he always despised me, avoided me like the plague?
Why would he bring me here?
During those th
