The teacup lay shattered beside her, the spilled tea soaking into the rug like a spreading bruise.
For one horrifying second, he couldn't move.
It felt like the world had been ripped open beneath his feet.
"…Aria?"
His voice cracked.
She didn't stir.
Darius's legs moved before his mind did.
He dropped to his knees beside her, hands trembling as he cupped her cheeks.
"Aria—Aria, look at me! Open your eyes!"
No response.
Her lashes didn't even flutter.
His vision blurred at the edges—rage, fear, disbelief colliding all at once.
"CALL THE IMPERIAL PHYSICIANS!" he roared, voice shaking with a fury the palace had never heard.
He lifted her gently into his arms as the guards panicked behind him.
Her body was limp.
Cold.
Too cold.
"Aria… please—" he breathed, pressing his forehead against hers. "Don't do this to me. Don't leave me."
He gathered her tightly against him and stood, carrying her toward the bed with frantic urgency.
Behind him, Belleah was nowhere to be seen.
