Chapter 68

ARIA'S POV

Agatha’s tone was low, deadly, filled with the kind of authority she expected everyone to bow to. She had always had this way about her, this iron grip over every room she stepped into. And for years, I had been one of the ones who cowered, who bowed my head and accepted whatever scorn or disdain she threw my way.

But not anymore.

The old me—the woman who had once been Dante’s obedient wife, walking on eggshells around his family, bending under their expectations—was gone. I wasn’t that woman anymore, and I wasn’t going to let Agatha treat me like I was… a… a piece of garbage.

I felt the intensity of her gaze, sharp as daggers, pressing down on me, trying to force me into submission. But I stood my ground.

I was done being the doormat, done letting Dante's family walk all over me.

“I am not leaving,” I said, my voice louder than I intended, but I didn’t care. I squared my shoulders and met her gaze head-on, refusing to be intimidated. “And you do not have the right to tell