Alina’s POV

The drive back to the mansion felt longer than it should have. The city outside was alive with morning light, but inside the car, silence filled every corner.

Ares sat beside me, his arm still wrapped in a black support brace. His jaw was clean-shaven again, but a thin scar traced his temple — a faint, permanent reminder of that night.

He stared out the window, expression unreadable. It wasn’t the same silence I’d once feared from him; this one felt… heavy. Careful. As ...