Severing Ties

He had honestly expected her to bend again, to swallow her pride the way she always used to.

But Aria shook her head. "I can't keep letting Dorian pull my strings. Selling my shares was just the first step in cutting myself free."

That was why she had rushed over straight from the hospital. She wasn't here to make herself small again; she was here to put an end to the last bit of pretending.

Alari