Chapter 131
**ARIA**
Two days. That was all it had been since Skylar came screaming into the world, tiny fists waving, eyes so impossibly blue they stole my breath. Two days, and Leila and Cassius already looked like different people. Leila glowed with a tired sort of pride, her hair messy and her cheeks pale, but her arms never seemed to tire of holding her daughter. Cassius, who had once seemed carved of stone, melted every time Skylar so much as twitched.
Watching them was beautiful—and terrifying.
Because every time I saw Skylar, I remembered: in just two months, I would be in Leila’s place. Except it wouldn’t be just one child—I carried two. And unlike Leila, I already knew I wouldn’t be allowed to go to term. The doctor’s words echoed in my head: *too dangerous, too much strain on your body, we won’t risk it.*
I rubbed my stomach as I walked down the quiet hallway, trying to soothe the anxious flutter of my thoughts. Two months. Eight weeks. It wasn’t enough time. How could anyone be ready to bring two lives into the world in so little time?
I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost missed Fares coming toward me. He wasn’t easy to overlook—tall, sharp lines, the kind of presence that filled a hallway even in silence—but something about him seemed… smaller, subdued. His shoulders weren’t as straight, his eyes weren’t as sharp.
“Aria,” he said, his voice low, careful.
“Fares.” I smiled automatically, though I sensed his unease. “Heading somewhere?”
He shook his head, hesitating, as if debating whether to speak at all. Then he let out a breath that sounded almost human. “I… needed some air. And to clear my thoughts.”
That was when it clicked. He wasn’t himself. Not the watchful, calculating strategist who always seemed three steps ahead. His composure had cracks in it now, and the reason was clear. Alex.
The betrayal still weighed on all of us, but Fares had been close to him. Colleagues, co-strategists. Alex had handled the community’s systems; Fares had handled its security.
Together, they had kept us safe—or so we’d thought.
I slowed, studying him. “You think we don’t trust you anymore,” I said softly.
His eyes flickered toward me, surprise flashing before he looked away. “Would you blame them? Adam. Austin. Even Cassius. Alex fooled us all, and I…” He trailed off, jaw tightening.
“I should have seen it. Should have known. Now every time I walk into a room, I feel their eyes on me. Waiting. Wondering if I’m next.”
I stopped in the hallway and faced him fully. “Fares, listen to me. Alex fooled all of us. You’re not responsible for his choices.”
“Still,” he murmured, voice heavy. “I can’t shake the thought. If I had been sharper, less trusting… maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
I wanted to tell him I understood, but my throat closed. Because I did understand. I’d felt the same way after Riley’s betrayal. The shame, the anger at myself for not seeing it sooner.
The way it made you question everything, everyone.
“I know what that feels like,” I whispered. His gaze snapped back to mine, and I forced myself to hold it. “When Riley betrayed me, I thought I’d never be able to trust anyone again. It eats at you, makes you doubt not just others but yourself. But if you let it win… you lose more than a friend. You lose your humanity.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence stretched, broken only by the faint hum of the lights overhead. Then he nodded, the movement sharp, almost desperate. “I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to lose them. I’m on your side, Aria. On *their* side. Whatever it takes, I’ll protect you, protect this community. Protect those children.”
My hand instinctively moved to my stomach, where life stirred faintly within me. His words rang sincere, and I wanted to believe them. Needed to believe them. Because if I stopped believing in people—if I stopped trusting completely—I would lose something vital.
“I believe you,” I said finally, and I meant it. “And if Adam or Austin doubt you, I’ll remind them of this. We can’t fight if we start tearing each other apart.”
Some of the tension in his shoulders eased, though the shadows in his eyes lingered. “You’re braver than most, you know that?”
I laughed softly, shaking my head. “Brave? I’m terrified most of the time. But I can’t let it show. Not now. Not when everything depends on us holding together.”
We started walking again, side by side, and I realized I didn’t want to leave things hanging in that heavy silence. So I asked, “Have you eaten today?”
His lips curved in a wry smile. “You know I don’t—”
“Not what I meant,” I interrupted gently. “Come to lunch with me. Rosalie and Sasha are waiting. You don’t have to eat, just… be there.”
For a second, he looked almost startled. Then he inclined his head. “If you’re certain.”
“I am,” I said firmly. “If you’re family, then you’re family. That means sharing a table, even if all you do is watch Sasha make a mess of his food.”
That earned a faint chuckle, the first I’d heard from him all day.
We reached the dining room doors, and I pushed them open, the hum of chatter and the smell of roasted chicken spilling out. Rosalie’s bright laugh rang across the room, and Sasha waved wildly when he spotted me, mouth already full.
“See?” I teased Fares as we stepped inside. “You’ll fit right in.”
For the first time since Alex’s betrayal, I saw something in his expression that wasn’t shadowed by guilt or fear. It wasn’t quite peace—but it was close.
And as I joined my friends at the table, sliding into the seat beside Rosalie, I felt a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, trust wasn’t gone. Maybe it was still worth holding on to.
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