KAEL'S POV
She stepped out, and I forgot how to fucking breathe.
The world dulled. Muted. Like someone turned the volume down on reality and cranked it all the way up on her.
Her dress clung to her like it was sewn by the gods with trembling hands. Each shimmer of fabric kissed her skin in the most maddeningly perfect way, like it wanted to worship her. And her hair—fuck. Soft waves that framed her face like she'd just strolled out of some ancient painting meant to ruin men. Her skin glowed, her eyes sparkled, and her lips—those lips—looked like they could burn down empires.
I'd seen her. Every inch of her. In the raw. In pain. In pleasure. I'd seen her collapse in my arms and cry herself to sleep in my shirt. But this?
This version of Aria made my chest ache.
She looked like she didn't belong to this world. And I hated that everyone around me could see it too.
