CHAPTER 381

ARIA’S POV

The Mitchells’ intense stares feel like a weight pressing down on me, each glance a wordless demand for an explanation I cannot give. I don’t understand why they’re looking at me like this, why they expect me to have answers about Ethan, their son—someone I don’t even remember meeting. If he was involved in our business, his face is lost to me now, just another forgotten face in a sea of confusion.

I try to push the discomfort aside as I turn to Stella, needing some clarity. When I mention Ethan, her reaction is immediate and unmistakable—her face flushes the same way Adam’s did the other day.

“I hope they don’t ask me about Ethan again!”

“Shh… Better not to speak about him here.”

She leans in, whispering urgently that now isn’t the time or place to talk about Ethan. Her tone is sharp, almost pleading, as she tells me that whatever happened to Ethan has nothing to do with me and that I should avoid speaking with his parents. Her words leave me more bewildered than before, h