---
Aria stood in front of the large windows of her apartment, her eyes fixed on the city skyline. The lights below flickered like stars, but tonight they didn’t bring her any comfort. Her mind was far away—tangled in the truth Kian had dropped on her like a bomb. Her father had been part of the Ravenwood Society. He hadn’t died in an accident. They had killed him.
Her heart pounded, the betrayal still raw. Her parents had died when she was only fifteen, and for years she had clung to the belief that it had been a tragic accident. But now, Kian’s words haunted her. They had never been safe. The society, with all its power and darkness, had been lurking in the shadows of her life long before she even knew it.
And Kian... the one person she thought she might be able to trust had been lying to her all along. He had known everything, and yet he had kept it from her. Protected her? No. He had kept her in the dark, just like everyone else.
A knock at the door jolted her from her thoughts. For a moment, she considered ignoring it. She didn’t want to see anyone. She didn’t want to face the world. But the knock came again, firmer this time, and something in her gut told her she couldn’t hide forever.
She opened the door to find Elena standing there, her face tight with worry.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Elena said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. “Talk to me, Aria. I know something’s wrong.”
Aria crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hold herself together. She didn’t want to unload everything on Elena, but the weight of the secrets she now carried was too heavy to bear alone.
“Kian told me,” Aria said quietly. “About my parents. About the society.”
Elena’s eyes widened. “He told you?”
Aria nodded, her throat tightening. “I thought I could trust him. But he’s been lying to me this whole time, Elena. He knew what happened to my parents, and he never said a word.”
Elena’s expression softened, and she reached out to touch Aria’s arm. “I’m so sorry, Aria. I didn’t know how deep this went for you.”
Aria shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. “I feel like my whole life has been a lie. And now… I don’t even know who I can trust anymore.”
Elena pulled her into a hug, and for a moment, Aria let herself lean into the comfort. But even as she stood there, wrapped in her friend’s arms, she couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing would ever be the same again. Not with the society still watching her every move. Not with Kian’s betrayal hanging between them like a shadow.
---
Aria’s thoughts kept spinning, even after Elena left. It wasn’t just the weight of the truth—it was the pieces of herself that were starting to fracture. She felt like a puppet, her strings controlled by unseen hands. Her life, her father’s death, her very existence had been tangled in the Ravenwood Society’s web long before she was even aware.
And Kian... she couldn’t stop thinking about him. There was a part of her that still longed for him, despite the lies. But she couldn’t deny the deep betrayal she felt.
Her phone buzzed, startling her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it, half-expecting another message from Elena. But it wasn’t her. It was from an unknown number.
"You’re not safe, Aria. Trust no one."
Her blood ran cold. She dropped the phone onto the bed as though it had burned her fingers. Who the hell was this? Was this Kian’s doing, or was it someone else watching her? Panic settled in her chest like a heavy stone. Was the Ravenwood Society closer than she thought?
YOU ARE READING
WHISPERS OF DESIRE
Любовные романы--- At Ravenwood Academy, nothing is as it seems. Seventeen-year-old Aria Malhotra arrives at the prestigious boarding school, eager to leave behind the shadows of her troubled past. But as she steps into the misty halls of Ravenwood, she quickly re...
