Ariana’s POV

I shook my head. "I can’t know right now. I just need to go home. I need to be alone."

Ares didn’t push.

He just nodded.

He helped me gather my things.

It’s official, I am fucked.

The car pulled up to the house Ares parked. He turned off the engine but didn’t get out. He just sat there.

His hands were still on the steering wheel.

I reached for the door handle. I wanted to get out. I wanted to go inside. I wanted to lock myself in my room and not come out until tomorrow.

Maybe longer.

"Ariana." His voice was calm, but there was something underneath. Something harder. "Sit. We need to talk."

I let go of the handle and leaned back in my seat. I closed my eyes. "I’m tired, Ares. Can we do this tomorrow?"

"No." His voice was firm. "We need to talk now. About what happened in that office. About Dante, there’s been something going on that you’re not telling me... tell me what it is."

I didn’t open my eyes. "I don’t want to talk about it."

"I don’t care what you want. You’re my sister. I’m responsible for you, and something happened in that room that you’re not telling me. So start explaining."

I opened my eyes I turned to look at him. His face was hard, but his eyes were soft.

Worried.

Scared.

He wasn’t trying to control me.

He was trying to protect me, I knew that, but I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell anyone.

"I don’t want to," I said, my voice was quiet, but it was firm. "I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to relive it. Please. Just let it go."

Ares stared at me for a long moment.

His jaw was tight.

His hands were gripping the steering wheel.

"Fine," he said. "Fine. I won’t push. But when you’re ready to talk, I’m here. You know that, right?"

I nodded. "I know. Thank you."

He was quiet for a moment. Then his face changed. The worry faded. The business side took over. "We’ve made some progress. With the case against Melissa. The lawyers have been digging. They found some things. Some interesting things."

I tried to focus and listen. I tried to care, but my mind wasn’t there. It was somewhere else. It was in that office with Dante.

I could still feel his hands on me.

His touch was like fire... I could still feel everything lingering.

I could still hear his voice, low and rough. Full of pain and anger and something else.

I could still see his eyes.

"Ariana?" Ares’s voice broke through my thoughts. "Are you listening to me?"

I blinked. I looked at him. His face was worried again. He could tell I wasn’t there. He could tell my mind was somewhere else. With someone else.

"What?" I asked. "I’m sorry. What did you say?"

Ares sighed. He ran his hand through his hair. "I said the lawyers found some things. Transactions. Offshore accounts. Evidence that Melissa has been siphoning money from the company for months was building a case. A strong one."

"That’s good," I said, but my voice was flat.

Ares looked at me he studied my face. He let out another sigh. "You’re not listening. You’re still thinking about him."

I didn’t deny it.

I couldn’t.

He was right.

"What did he say to you, Ariana? What did he do?"

I shook my head. "I told you. I don’t want to talk about it."

Ares stared at me for a long moment. Then he nodded. He started the car. He pulled out of the driveway.

"Where are we going?" I asked. "I thought we were home."

"We are going somewhere else. Somewhere you need to be. Somewhere that will get your mind off of him."

"Ares, I’m not in the mood. I just want to go inside. I want to lie down. I want to be alone."

He didn’t look at me. He kept driving. "I know you’re not in the mood, but you need this. Trust me."

"Ares."

"No arguments." His voice was firm. Final. "I’m not taking no for an answer. You’re coming with me. You’re going to do something that doesn’t involve crying over a man who doesn’t deserve you, and you’re going to thank me later."

I crossed my arms I slumped in my seat. I stared out the window. "I doubt it."

He smiled. "You will. I promise."

I was falling apart, and I didn’t know how to stop it.

I needed to get a hold of myself before I mess everything up.

The car slowed down. Ares turned onto a familiar street, and my heart stopped. I knew this place; I had been here a hundred times.

This was their school.

My children’s school.