CHAPTER 299

ARIA’S POV

Seeing Adam at the door, a look of shock etched across his face, is something I hadn’t anticipated. His eyes dart between Caroline and me, struggling to comprehend the confrontation he’s just witnessed. It’s clear that this is a side of his favorite maid he’s never seen before—the condescending, manipulative woman who has tried for years to keep me in my place, believing herself to be above me in every way.

For a moment, we just stand there, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife. I can see the questions brewing in his mind, the disbelief slowly giving way to realization.

“Has it always been like this?”

When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet, almost hesitant, as if he’s afraid of the answer. He asks if this has always been the case, if Caroline has always treated me like this. I nod, feeling a mixture of vindication and sadness as I finally lay it all out in the open.

“It was thanks to you, Adam.”

Yes, I tell him, this is how it’s always been. But it w