Arias’s POV

I had always imagined that if my mom ever had big news, it would be something life-changing, like winning the lottery or deciding we were moving to a tiny house in the middle of nowhere. Something huge.

Instead, she sat across from me at our tiny kitchen table, her perfectly manicured nails tapping against the rim of her coffee cup, and casually announced she was getting married.

Married.

To Victor Castillo.

For a second, I just stared at her, my brain refusing to process what she had just said. Victor Castillo. Victor Castillo. As in, the man who had made my life miserable with his smug little smirks, backhanded compliments, and condescending attitude. The man who always looked at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of his stupid designer shoes.

I swallowed hard, trying to push down the rage bubbling up inside me. My mother tilted her head, her lips curving into a small, expectant smile, like she was waiting for me to leap up and hug her or something. Yeah, right.

“Well?” she finally said, her voice sharp, like a knife slicing through the tension. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in myears. My fingers curled around the edge of the table, gripping it like it was the only thing keeping me from snapping.

Victor Castillo. The name alone made my skin crawl. How could she even think this was okay? How could she look at me with a straight face and expect me to be happy about this?

Across the table, Cassandra let out an excited squeal, practically vibrating in her seat. Her blonde curls bounced as she clapped her hands together.

“Oh my God, Mom! That’s amazing! Congratulations!” she gushed, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

I flinched. Of course she was thrilled.

My mother reached across the table to squeeze Cassandra’s hand, her expression softening in a way it never did when she looked at me. “Thank you, darling. I knew you’d be happy for me.”

I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. Like the air had been sucked out of the room.

“I should go,” I mumbled, pushing my chair back. The sound of the legs scraping against the tile made my teeth clench, but I didn’t care. I needed to get out.

My mother barely spared me a glance. “Of course, you’re always so busy,” she said dismissively, waving a hand like my presence—or lack of it—didn’t matter.

I didn’t look back as I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.

—

The walk back to my apartment felt longer than usual, the cold air stinging my cheeks as I replayed the conversation over and over in my head.

Victor Castillo.

It didn’t make sense. My mom was beautiful, successful, and could have literally anyone—so why him? Why the one man who had made my life miserable in the most subtle, infuriating ways? He never said anything outright cruel, but his words always had this edge, like a knife coated in sugar.

“Are you sure you want to wear that, Aria?”

“You’re so… different from your sister.”

“Maybe if you smiled more, people wouldn’t find you so intimidating.”

I gritted my teeth, my nails digging into my palms. He was fake, manipulative, and worst of all? My mom never noticed. Or maybe she did and just didn’t care.

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