He Didn’t Kidnap Me. Not Exactly novel Chapter 204

Chapter 204

On the other hand…

This was Aria.

The same Aria who had spent hours talking to me when I barely knew anyone at the university. The same Aria who had visited me after the shooting. The same Aria who had smiled, encouraged me, and never once given me a reason to question her sincerity.

No.

I shook my head.

Something wasn’t adding up.

There had to be another explanation.

Someone else had to be manipulating her.

Someone else had to be using her.

Because the Aria I knew wouldn’t do something like this.

She simply wouldn’t.

The phone continued ringing.

Finally, before fear or doubt could change my mind again, I accepted the call and lifted it to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Daisy.”

Relief washed through Aria’s voice so naturally that I almost felt guilty for hesitating.

“I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“I’m… here.”

“How are you feeling?”

Her concern sounded genuine.

No hesitation.

No performance.

“I’m okay,” I answered, although my voice came out stiffer than I intended. “Still recovering.”

“Thank God.”

She let out a small breath.

“I went back to the hospital, but they told me you’d already left.”

My grip tightened slightly around the phone.

“I was worried.”

“I’m alright.”

“Good.”

A brief silence settled between us before she continued.

“I also stopped by your apartment.”

That caught my attention immediately.

“You did?”

“Of course I did.”

She sounded almost offended by the question.

“I thought you’d gone back there after leaving the hospital, but nobody answered the door.”

Another pause.

“So where are you?”

My heartbeat slowed.

Then immediately sped up again.

There it was.

The question.

The one DeLuca would have warned me about.

I looked around the apartment instinctively, as though the walls themselves might offer advice.

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