CHAPTER 20

ARIA’S POV

Adam is appalled at my guts. Before, what used to be said to me in public, I used to be very submissive. Now, things have changed. As he puts it, I have changed. It is a total transformation and the breaking of the shackles. The woman who stands before him is more adamant and resilient.

“We’re in public and you can’t keep quiet, Aria?!”

I see it in Adam's eyes—the expectation for me to conform, to play the role of the submissive one while Eva emerges victorious. It is a script he is all too familiar with, one where I remain silent and compliant, allowing others to dictate the terms of my existence.

“Do I care what you think about me or expect from me?”

Adam seems frustrated, arguing with me. He is giving up and I am loving it. I shall do my best to hurt him at each and every occasion I get. I am sparing no one.

At that moment, Regis approaches me, removes his jacket and covers the stain on my dress. Yes, the dress is black, but the marks are already showing. It is lik