The decision didn't come slowly. It came all at once like cold, clear, and final.
Rafael stood alone in his study, staring at the city lights stretching endlessly beyond the glass walls. Everything outside looked alive, free, untouched. Inside, everything felt controlled. Just the way he preferred it. Just the way it had always been.
But not anymore.His thoughts kept returning to one person.
Aria.
The memory of the evening replayed in his mind with sharp clarity that Elena's eyes were too observant and too calculating… the way she had watched Aria. Not casually. Not harmlessly. But like someone searching for something.
A weakness and Rafael knew the truth. Aria had become exactly that.
His weakness. His jaw tightened. That was something he could not afford. Not in his world with enemies who waited for the smallest mistake. Not with Elena, who never missed anything important.
If Elena found out Aria wouldn't just be hurt.She would be destroyed.
