Aria's POV

My room felt smaller than usual, like the walls had decided to close in while I was gone. I shut the door behind me and immediately slumped against it, letting out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

Tactical retreat, my ass. This was a full-blown escape from reality.

I pulled the crumpled letter from my pocket and stared at it for the hundredth time. The words hadn't changed, unfortunately. Still the same threatening message, still the same jagged handwriting that looked ...