Chapter 279

AURELIA’POV I stumbled back into my room, the door clicking softly behind me. For a moment, I just leaned against it, my palm pressed to the wood as if the barrier could keep the chaos of my own thoughts out. I should be furious. Furious at Darius for everything—for the silence, for the secrets, for the way he’s twisted my life without explanation. For the way he gave me freedom with one hand only to snatch it away with the other. But instead, I felt… dizzy. Like my head was full of fog and my chest full of fire. He promised me people would forget. That after two days, the rumors would vanish. And somehow, impossibly, he kept that promise. The whispers that once chased me through every hallway had dulled. The stares that burned holes into my back had faded. He had done it. So how could I stay mad? I crossed the room slowly, sitting on the edge of my bed. My hand went to my cheek before I realized what I was doing, fingers brushing the spot where his touch had lingered just moments ago.