CHAPTER 285

ARIA’S POV

“No, it’s okay. I can do it myself.”

“But, I can help you. I am getting bored doing nothing.”

Adam insists on helping me unpack, even though he’s barely strong enough to stand for long. I laugh and shoo him back to bed, where he reluctantly complies. His stubbornness is both endearing and frustrating, a reminder of the man I had once fallen in love with and the complexities that come with it.

Connor shadows me as I settle in, his presence both a comfort and a constant reminder of the danger that still looms. I try to make the best of the situation, arranging my things and finding space in Adam’s home. It feels strange, like slipping into a life I once knew but that has changed in subtle, profound ways.

Adam and I fall into a routine, navigating this new chapter together. There are moments of tension, of old wounds reopening, but also moments of connection, of rediscovering the bond that brought us together in the first place. The bodyguard remains ever-present, a silent sen