Shrouded Hearts

Chapter 27

Night had fallen, casting a somber cloud over the charred remains of Leo's childhood home. The air was still thick with the acrid scent of smoke and destruction, an eerie silence settling over the once lively abode. Aria stood amidst the wreckage, her eyes scanning the devastation as she tried to suppress the anger that clawed at her insides.

"Here," Leo said gruffly, extending a handful of bills towards Aria and Cass. "For your help." His voice was curt, betraying none of the emotions that must have been churning within him.

Cass nodded, accepting the money without hesitation. Aria, however, hesitated. Her gaze moved from the crumpled bills in Leo's hand to the tattered clothes worn by his parents, then back to the blackened skeleton of their house. She knew how desperately they needed the money and shook her head, stepping away from Leo's outstretched hand.

"Keep it," she insisted, her tone firm yet gentle. "Your family needs it more than we do."

Leo's jaw clenched, but he didn't protest. He simply nodded, pocketing the money before turning back to assist his parents. Aria watched him for a moment before approaching Alma, who was picking through the debris with trembling hands.

"Mrs. Cameron," Aria began softly, drawing the older woman's attention. "We have a safe house. It's crowded, but if you need somewhere to stay, you're welcome there. Both of you."

"Call me Alma." Alma replied, her voice cracking with gratitude. "Thank you, dear," she added. "I don't know what we would have done without you and Leo."

Aria offered her a small, reassuring smile, but it quickly vanished when Todd stepped forward, his face contorted into a scowl. "We don't accept charity," he growled, his tone harsh and unyielding. "We'll find our own way."

Frustration bubbled within Aria at his stubbornness, but she quelled it, knowing that arguing would only make matters worse. Instead, she tried to understand the pride that drove him to refuse help when they were so clearly in need. Her thoughts flickered to Leo, and she wondered if this was where he'd inherited his guarded nature.

"Alright," Aria conceded with a sigh, her voice low and somber. "But just know that the offer is there if you change your mind."

As she turned away, leaving Alma and Todd to their salvaging, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Leo's family and the trials that lay ahead. She hoped that, in time, they would learn to accept the support offered to them, just as Leo had learned to trust her and Cass.

Aria watched from a distance as Todd's face twisted into a storm of anger, his voice rising with each word. "I won't be taken care of," he spat, the harsh lines of his face catching the flickering light from the dying embers of their home. "I've worked my whole damn life, and I won't have handouts now."

Beside him, Alma's pleading eyes searched for a resolution, her hands fluttering like trapped birds, trying to calm her husband's mounting rage. Aria couldn't help but see so much of Leo in his father—the same light blonde hair, dark brown eyes, and that cold, hard attitude forged by years of struggle.

"Please, Todd," Alma implored, her voice a brittle whisper lost amidst the heat of the argument.

It was then that Leo strode into the fray, his jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed. He looked at his father with an intensity that sent shivers down Aria's spine. "You'll come with us," he demanded, his voice laced with steel. "Or you can stay behind, but I'm taking Mom."

For a moment, the air between father and son crackled with tension, two indomitable spirits locked in a silent battle. Finally, Todd grumbled something unintelligible and stalked away, his pride wounded but not defeated.