Aria moved like a sleepwalker through the final courses of the dinner, the world around her dim and echoing. The roast meat on her plate turned to sawdust in her mouth. Every bite felt like a betrayal. Her stomach coiled, tight and angry, but she managed to keep it down.
She stuck close to Ophelia, drifting behind her like a ghost.
Smiles. Polite nods. Muted applause.
It all melted together.
At one point, Dorian appeared at her elbow, holding a glass of wine she hadn't asked for.
"Still here?" he murmured, voice low and amused. "You're tougher than you look. I'd have wagered you'd bolt after dessert."
She said nothing.
He leaned in, as if sharing a joke. "Tell me, is this what you pictured when you played house with him? Thought you'd be sitting here with his ring on your finger instead of Helga's?"
The words scraped her inside with a rusty spoon, but she kept her expression blank.
"You always were a good listener," he added, then walked away, taking a sip of wine.
Later, Crispin's mother tried to approach Ophelia with some polished excuse about catching up, but Ophelia cut her off with clinical grace.
"I'm tired," she said, her voice sharp and final. "Come, Aria. It's time we left."
The goodbyes happened around her. A blur of parting kisses and handshakes, of voices that seemed far away. Aria moved through them without feeling her feet. Someone complimented her dress. Someone else didn't meet her eyes.
And all throughout, she felt the intense burn of cobalt eyes on her.
The car ride back to Hampstead was silent. The city lights passed by like ghosts on water.
When they arrived, Ophelia turned to her gently. "Would you like to come in?"
Aria looked up, her eyes dry but aching. In the low light of the car, Ophelia's face looked different-not tired, not elegant...but guilty.
"Why?" Aria asked softly.
Ophelia was quiet for a moment before she addressed the driver, "Would you wait a moment? Take Aria home before you go."
She led Aria inside.
The house smelled like lavender and polish. Familiar, safe.
Except now, it wasn't.
"Sit, please," Ophelia said quietly.
Aria didn't.
"Would you like a brandy?"
"No, thank you"
Ophelia poured one for herself, anyway. Her hand shook slightly as she brought it to her lips.
"The old Aria would have scolded me for this," she said with a sad smile.
Aria didn't answer; she couldn't have said a word if she tried.
Ophelia sighed and lowered herself into a chair. "There's something I have to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago."
