~ARIA~

(It rained the next day)

I stood under a small shade in front of my apartment, the contract sealed in an envelope clutched to my chest. I was going to give back the signed contract to Cassian. It was almost poetic... One last walk through the storm before becoming Mrs. Wolfe, if only in name.

My phone buzzed as I stepped into the black town car waiting by the curb.

Sienna: ”Where are you? We need to talk. I need to see you.”

___

Sienna’s apartment hadn’t changed. Still draped in velvet.

I sat down on her worn-out couch, my hands wrapped tightly on the big file I carried. She stepped out with two glasses and a bottle of fruit juice, sat across from me and poured out the juice into the glasses and handed one over to me. I took it, while placing the envelope on the table between us.

“What’s this?” she asked, her eyes fixed on the envelope and a frown surfacing evidently on her face.

“A marriage contract, Sia.” I said, my eyes hinting something soft.

“A contract? Isn’t that a Wolfe seal?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Contract marriage with a Wolfe? That’s silly, Aria. Stop kidding.”

“It really is and I’ve signed it.”

“No! You didn't do that, Aria.” She said, not moving at first. Just stared at me. Then, slowly, like the sentence was physically painful to say, she whispered, “You’re marrying him?”

“Don’t say it like it's something, Sienna. It's just a contract. One year.”

“No, Aria.” She shook her head. “It’s not just a year. It’s him. Cassian Wolfe. The guy you have a past with. The one person you told me you despised. And about his family, Aria, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into.”

“That’s not true, Sia. Yes, I do hate him, but the terms I read before signing were all in my favor.” I kept my voice steady, careful to avoid mentioning anything about the family or the conversation I’d had with Cassian about his war… and my own hidden game of revenge. I’d already made one mistake telling her about the contract. I couldn’t afford another.

Sienna was my best friend. I trusted her, but Cassian’s words about trust echoed in my head like a bell I couldn’t unring. Maybe that was the price of this life now, learning that trust came with a cost.

Now on her feet, pacing, Sienna retorted, “You really think men like Cassian Wolfe care about terms? He’s dominant, merciless, always ten steps ahead. He’s dangerous, Aria, and cold. You’ve never been the kind of girl who could live with cold.”

I swallowed hard. “And where did the loving ones get me, Sia?”

My voice was low, and rough. “You, of all people, should understand. And Cassian…” I drew a breath. “Don’t forget, he saved me that night when no one else would.

She scoffed. “No. He swallowed you whole and you’re just too broken to feel it.”

That stung. And she saw it.

Her voice softened. “Aria, I’m trying to protect you.”

“I didn’t ask you to.”

“You should have.”

The silence grew between us like a bruise. And I realized something else.

Sienna wasn’t scared for me.

She was scared of him.

FLASHBACK — THREE MONTHS AGO

It was raining and I had forgotten my umbrella, so I rushed back home, soaked and breathless, a bag of his favorite pastries in my hand. Something inside me fluttered with excitement. We had been distant lately, but I thought maybe… just maybe… this small gesture could start to fix things.

The door was unlocked. Strange.

“Jason?” I called out, stepping in.

No answer.

The apartment smelled different. Less like his cologne, more like something foreign, muskier and expensive.

I turned the corner toward the bedroom. The door was half open.

I should have walked away, but I didn’t.

I pushed it open and saw him.

Shirtless, tangled in sheets, kissing someone. A man.

My heart stopped and my breath vanished.

He looked up, shock crossed his face but then relief replaced it in a heartbeat.

“I can explain, Aria,” he said, pulling the sheet over himself. “I… I didn’t want you to find out like this.” His low and melodious voice at that moment gave me the shock of my life. It was as if he was with a cherished child whom he didn't want to disturb.

My widely opened mouth couldn't make any sound as I stood still, watching.

“Believe me, it wasn't my intent to hurt you,” he said, still lying down without attempting to stand up. “But I can’t continue with the pretense. I can't keep living a lie.”

A lie?

Our life, home, and future.

All of it was fabricated.

“Was I… just a cover?” I croaked.

He looked away. “At first, no. I loved you. But then… things changed. I changed. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

I dropped the bag. The pastries spilled out like broken promises.

“You let me plan our life,” I said, shaking. “You let me believe in us.”

“I was scared,” he whispered.

I turned and walked out, rain mixing with tears, the pavement swallowing my footsteps. I didn’t stop walking, not even when the cold numbed me or when my heart begged me to go back and scream, hit, cry, anything.

I just kept walking.

___

That night, Sienna dragged me to a private club. Loud music. Too many lights. Too many strangers.

Sienna called it a celebration. A cleansing, to help me get over Jason. I didn't want to go, but she didn't budge, forcing me into a black décolleté satin dress and heels that felt like weapons.

Her way of numbing pain was alcohol and adrenaline. Mine was silence, but she didn't let me have it my way this time.

___

Malik had hosted it - A rich boy with a manufactured smile and eyes that slithered over every woman in the room. I remember feeling the weight of his gaze before he even spoke to me.

“Aria Ravenwood,” he’d said with mock delight, holding out a drink I didn’t order. “Didn’t think you would come to places like this too.”

I hesitated. The cocktail was a soft pink swirl, sweating at the rim. I hadn’t seen the bartender pour it. But I was spiraling, raw and reckless, so I took it anyway.

The music throbbed through the penthouse like a heartbeat. I remember dancing, spinning, laughing at something I didn’t hear. And then…

The floor tilted.

The lights stretched like elastic.

My legs felt like water and everything began to blur.

I reached for the wall but missed.

Someone caught me. Someone strong, his cologne sharp as he drew closer and whispered against my temple: “Aria.”

I blinked.

Cassian Wolfe.

He moved me away from the crowd, his teeth gritting, and eyes prowling through the room like a hunter.

“Malik gave you that drink?” he muttered, voice low but enraged.

I nodded, barely able to speak.

Cassian cursed under his breath. He took me to one of the guest bedrooms, closing the door behind us. My skin felt cold. My vision swam. He laid me on the bed and squatted in front of me.

“I’m going to call someone to assist…”

“Please, don't” I mumbled, reaching for his arm. “Stay.”

He paused for a moment before sitting beside me. His touch was warm, grounding.

“I’ll kill him,” he muttered. “I swear to God, if he drugged you…”

“What’s the reason for your concern? You barely know me,” I berated, unable to suppress the bitterness in my voice.

His answer came too quickly. “Because I care.”

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to scream. But all I could do was lean into him, the tears finally spilling.

Jason, the betrayal, the loneliness. It all poured out in broken sobs, and Cassian just… stayed.

He didn’t try to touch me.

He didn’t say anything stupid.

He just let me break.

Somewhere between crying and silence, our lips touched.

It wasn’t gentle or kind. It was a wound meeting another wound, two broken people looking for escape.

And for one night, I let myself forget everything and gave myself to him.

I fell asleep tangled in his arms, feeling safer than I had in years.

But when I woke up, he was gone. No note, no explanation.

Just the echo of his name in my mouth and a deep, hollow silence.

PRESENT DAY

[I snapped back to reality, my heart heavy but my mind made up]

The memory left a bitter taste in my mouth. I wrapped my arms around myself, hating how raw I felt. Hating that Cassian knew the moment to swoop in. Hating how cold he's treating me compared to the warmth he gave that night. Hating that even now, months later, he could still rattle me. I still didn’t know why he left that night. And now, out of nowhere, he wanted me to marry him, on paper, at least. Be his shield and weapon. His partner in a war I didn’t fully understand. But if he thought I was still that broken girl, he was wrong. Cassian Wolfe may have saved me once. But this time, I’d save myself, and drag the truth out of him while I was at it. And for every one that hurt me, I would get my revenge.

___

Sienna crossed her arms, her gaze fierce.

“You can still get out. Have it annulled. Tell him you changed your mind.”

“And go back to what? Living like hell?”

She flinched. “It’s better than being owned by him.”

“He doesn’t own me.”

Sienna looked at me then, and her eyes weren’t filled with concern. They were filled with something else. Something I couldn’t place.

“Your choice had better be right,” she said quietly. “For your sake.”

___

Unfit to return the contract as supposed, I returned to my apartment. I was deep in thought when my phone buzzed with encrypted messages.

Stylists, security details and schedules. There was definitely no swaying when it came to Cassian Wolfe.

A car arrived at my apartment within hours. A sleek black Maserati with tinted windows and a driver who didn’t speak unless spoken to.