Chapter 331

Aria's POV I got home right at five o'clock. Lucy immediately asked what I wanted for dinner, but my mind was elsewhere, weighed down by thoughts of Linda's confession. "Whatever you think is best, Lucy," I mumbled, grabbing a glass of water before dragging myself upstairs. Seeing an old friend should have lifted my spirits, but Linda's revelations about those two miserable years of her marriage had left me with a heaviness I couldn't shake. Her pain felt so familiar, so close to what could have been my own story if I'd gone through with marrying Liam. I must have fallen asleep thinking about it all because the next thing I knew, there was a gentle pressure on my cheek - warm lips against my skin. "Aria?" Aiden's voice filtered through my half-conscious state. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or awake. Dreams and reality blurred together in my exhausted mind. "Aria," he called again, closer this time. My eyes fluttered open to find Aiden's face inches from mine. I blinked several times,