A mocking smirk touched the corner of Maxwell's mouth.
"Do you honestly not know why I fell for you in the first place? Think about everything that's happened since then—how many times you lied to me, how much you hid. Do you even have the guts to admit it, Aria? Or are you just going to play dumb and bury it all forever, pretending I haven't figured it out?"
He laid every unspoken truth out in the open, leaving Aria frozen in place.
In that devastating instant, it finally clicked.
If it hadn't been for those letters, Maxwell would never have looked at her twice. She would have forever remained just an adopted sister in his eyes.
Everything was built on a lie.
It all started the day she claimed those letters were hers.
Once ambition took root, it grew like a weed, devouring everything she had.
And this was what remained of Aria.
Her strength evaporated, and she slid down the wall.
Seeing her pathetic state only fueled Maxwell's rage.
If it weren't for Aria, he and Lyra wouldn't have missed each other for all those years, nor would he have foolishly divorced her. Now, no matter how desperately he tried to win Lyra back, she refused to even look at him.
"Aria, you'd better learn to behave. After everything that's happened, if you still can't fall in line, I don't mind teaching you a lesson."
Delivering the threat with zero emotion, Maxwell shoved her aside, threw open the door, and walked out.
After he left, Jasper stood there looking at her, ultimately unable to bring himself to say anything harsher.
He walked over and slowly crouched down in front of her.
"If you aren't strong enough on your own, why would anyone else give you the time of day?"
Did he really think Aria didn't already know that?
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