Chapter 20

As dusk settled over the horizon, Aria brought William back to the lakeside where she had once saved him. They retraced the steps of their past together—each place a silent witness to the life they once shared—until they finally arrived home. Once he set down his luggage, Aria went straight to the kitchen to cook. William stood in the middle of the room, silently taking in the familiar layout. Everything was exactly as it had been, but his heart had changed. This once-beloved space now stirred nothing in him but a deep, gnawing hatred. Back then, he had given everything up for this woman—who always smelled faintly of fish. But now, just catching a whiff of her again made his stomach turn. "What are you looking at, William?" Aria, washing vegetables in the kitchen, noticed the living room had gone quiet. She wandered out to check and found him lost in thought. He was standing outside the bedroom they used to share, and a shy smile crept onto her face. She was too distracted