The front door creaked open.Aria stepped inside, exhausted. The weight of the kiss still lingered on her lips, haunting her with every heartbeat.
She shut the door quietly, hoping Daniel had already gone to bed.But he was waiting.
Daniel sat in the living room, the TV still on mute, the frozen replay of her and Liam kissing paused on the screen.The image glowed like an accusation in the dark room.
Aria froze.Her throat went dry.
"Daniel…" she whispered, barely audible.
He didn't answer immediately. His eyes were cold, unreadable, and far more terrifying than if he had screamed.
Finally, he spoke, his voice low and sharp."Tell me, Aria. Was it scripted?"
Her chest tightened. "I—I didn't know the cameras were there. I didn't—"
He stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor."Don't lie to me!" His voice cracked like a whip. "I watched it. Over and over. That wasn't acting. You kissed him back."
Aria's lips trembled. She wanted to explain, to beg for him to understand the confusion boiling inside her. But the truth was too messy, too dangerous.
"It was… complicated," she muttered weakly.
"Complicated?" Daniel laughed bitterly, running a hand through his hair. "No, Aria. Marriage is not complicated. Marriage is simple. You stay loyal—or you don't."
Her eyes burned with tears. "I never meant to hurt you. I swear."
Daniel stepped closer, his expression wounded, furious. "Then tell me, do you still love him? Is that it? All these years, was I just… second best?"
Aria's breath caught. The question sliced through her like a blade.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "Daniel, I love you. I chose you."
He stared at her, eyes glistening, searching her face for a shred of truth. But the replay still burned in his mind, mocking him.
Before either could speak again, her phone buzzed in her purse. The same unknown number.
Daniel snatched it before she could react and read the message aloud:"Ask her about the hotel in Paris. She never told you everything."
The room fell into suffocating silence.
Aria's face went pale.Daniel's chest heaved, his voice breaking.
"What hotel, Aria?"