Shrouded Hearts

Chapter 32

The first light of dawn unfurled like a bloodstained ribbon on the horizon, casting eerie shadows upon Aria's naked form. Rowen lay beside her, his breaths labored and uneven, his chest rising and falling with each gasp. As if driven by some unseen force, Aria slipped out of bed, her fingers trembling as she retrieved her crumpled shirt from the floor. Her skin crawled with disgust, her stomach churning with a volatile mixture of guilt and revulsion.

"Another night, another terrible mistake," she muttered to herself, yanking her shirt over her head. The silence that enveloped the room was broken only by the staccato rhythm of her heart pounding against her ribs, a relentless drumbeat heralding her surrender to her darkest desires.

"Tell Leo I said hi," came Cass's voice, dripping with sarcasm, from the living room. Startled, Aria glanced up to see her friend smirking at her, her gaunt frame silhouetted against the dim glow of the fireplace. Her sunken hazel eyes bore into Aria's soul, searching for some semblance of truth in the depths of her deception.

"Um... sure," Aria managed, forcing an awkward smile that did little to mask the dread tightening its grip on her heart. She knew that Cass could see through her flimsy facade, and the realization sent a shiver down her spine.

"Aria..." Cass's tone shifted, her words laced with concern and confusion. She hesitated for a moment before pushing the bedroom door open just wide enough to catch a glimpse of Rowen's naked form sprawled across the bed. As if burned by the sight, she slammed the door shut, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

"Rowen?!" Cass exclaimed, her voice barely more than a whisper, heavy with the weight of astonishment.

Aria's heart raced, her breath caught in the back of her throat as she let out an awkward chuckle. "Yup, that is exactly what it looked like," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper, betraying the turmoil writhing within her. She knew that there was no escaping the truth now, and the weight of her secret lay heavily on her shoulders.

"Come with me," Cass demanded, her voice quiet but firm as she pulled Aria into the living room, away from Rowen's sleeping form. The dying embers of the fire cast eerie shadows across the room, their flickering dance mirroring the storm brewing between the two friends.

"Sit," Cass commanded, her once compassionate eyes now hardened by her deep-seated pain for her friend and the choices she was now aware of her making. Aria obeyed, sinking into a worn armchair, her body trembling from the tension that filled the air.

"Explain, girl," Cass said, her voice deceptively calm. "What are you doing with Rowen? And why aren't you still trying with Leo?"

Aria hesitated, searching for the right words to convey the complex emotions that had led her down this path. "Cass, I..." she trailed off, the memories of her stolen nights with Rowen flooding her mind, overwhelming her senses.

"Is he really worth all this?" Cass pressed, her eyes boring into Aria's, seeking answers to questions she could not yet voice.

"Rowen...he used to be the only thing that made me feel alive," Aria confessed, a shudder running through her at the admission. "And now, under him, I forget about the war, the violence, and the constant struggle for survival. It's just meaningless sex, it's not a big deal."

"Safe? With him?" Cass scoffed, her bitter laughter echoing through the dimly lit room. "If you've ever cared for him, you'll stop seeing him. Leo will kill him when he finds out." She trailed on, "And Leo... he actually cared for you. He was willing to fight for you, with you."

Aria hung her head in shame, her brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I know," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "But there's something about Rowen that I just can't resist. The feeling of how life was before...all of this."