Chapter 100. A Haunting Presence

Collins’ POV

For once, the day doesn’t feel like a battlefield.

Spending time with Aria—just the two of us, away from the tension of legal battles and unspoken worries—feels like a break from reality. I know she only agreed because she had no choice. I see it in the way she holds herself, the reluctance she tries to mask with small smiles. But I’ll take it.

Even if it’s not how I want, even if it’s just because of the secret I’m keeping for her, I’ll take this moment. A day that isn’t about struggles. A day that isn’t about the cases we’ve been trapped in—hers, mine, and the ones we’ve both found ourselves tangled in.

By the time we arrive at the restaurant, I’m already thinking about wrapping up the night. This was the condition, after all. My silence in exchange for a day without fights, without the weight of wha