Chapter 53 Aftershocks

• The morning came with a gray sky and the low hum of the city trying to forget last night.
• Ariana sat on the kitchen stool; fingers wrapped around a warm mug. Her coffee had gone cold. She hadn’t taken a sip.
• Across from her, Damien stood barefoot, shirt unbuttoned, staring down at the newspaper he wasn’t really reading. The front page was everything they expected. Headlines. Photos. Words like “scandal” and “redemption” and “exclusive.”