49. CHAPTER 49
SEBASTIAN
I had been trying to avoid Aria all day, and now she was in the office. I wanted her to hurry up and go home.
I couldn’t face seeing her right now—not after the letters I found last night.
What was taking her so fucking long?
“Aria? The file?” I snapped, causing her to jump.
She slowly turned, file in hand, shuffling over to the desk.
Her eyes were filled with something I hadn’t seen before. She reached my desk, tossing the file on it. She looked pale, like she’d seen something she hadn’t wanted to. My eyes flicked down to the file.
Fuck.
That was never meant for her eyes.
“How long have you had this?” she asked calmly, but I could hear the cracks trying to break through.
“It doesn’t matter,” I told her, resting my fingers on my lips.
“Of course it matters, Sebastian. You have a whole police file on my ex and you didn’t tell me?” she said, her voice breaking. “Did you know all of this before I told you?” she whispered.
“Nyx.” My voice was low as I walked around to her, reaching for her hand.
“Don’t touch me,” she snapped, wrapping her arms around her body.
“Let me explain.”
“You’ve violated every part of me I never wanted you to see.” Her voice was shaking, the tears rolling down her cheeks.
Did she really think I’d done this to hurt her? I needed to know what was going on with her, because she wouldn’t tell me. The letters were evidence enough of that.
“You’ve kept things from me,” I said, trying to stay calm.
“I’ve not kept anything from you!”
“The letters, Aria. I found them,” I said coldly.
“You went through my things?” She thought that was the pressing issue?
“Were you ever going to tell me?” I asked, trying not to let the anger consume me.
“I don’t need you to protect me, Sebastian. I’m not a little girl anymore. I was going to handle it,” she said.
I couldn’t control the burning rage anymore. She’d lied to me. She didn’t trust me.
“You fucking lied to me, Aria,” I said, through gritted teeth.
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“You should have told me,” I hissed, taking a step closer.
“You don’t know what you’ve done.”
“What I’ve done?” I roared.
She shoved my chest, forcing me to take a step back from her. “Fuck you, Sebastian.”
And with that, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the door.
The silence felt louder than the shouting.
I watched as she yanked her things from her desk, not caring what else fell from it. She picked up the laptop and hurled it at my door.
“Asshole,” she shouted. “You have no idea about anything.” She stormed back into the office, throwing my door key at my feet. “You don’t get to tell me what’s right and what’s wrong.”
Then, like a force of nature, she flipped the finger at me, shouting some more swear words before disappearing from my view, the main office door echoing as it slammed shut.
Fuck. What was wrong with me?
I made my way over to the cabinet and poured some whisky into a glass, downing it in one. And another.
Fuck this.
I picked up the bottle and slumped back down in my chair.