Aria's POV
I felt Damian's body tense beneath my hand.
He knew what she was implying. That he owed Vanessa something. That he should be at her bedside, not mine.
"Vanessa," Damian said, his voice measured. "Thank you for what you did tonight."
It wasn't warm. It wasn't cold, either. Just... formal. Detached.
He kept his arm around me the entire time.
Vanessa's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, her gaze locked onto Damian, and I saw something flicker in her expression—hope, maybe, or longing.
But then she saw the way he was holding me. The way his hand rested possessively on my hip. The way he stood like a wall between me and the rest of the room.
Her face went even paler.
"It's nothing," she whispered. "Luna Queen is my business partner. I couldn't just... sta
