ARIA'S POV

I shouldn’t be doing this.

Like… at all.

But here I am, staring down my fifth glass or maybe sixth, I’ve lost count—pretending the burn in my throat is something other than self-sabotage. The thing is, I came here to unwind. That was the lie I told myself when I followed Kane into the bar, dressed like a damn disaster in shorts and a singlet with no bra. And now I’m sitting here, numbing what I don’t want to feel.

Kane hasn’t said a word in ...