Young Aria didn't slam the door—but I could tell she wanted to.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she pushed it shut behind her, like she was holding something in… something too heavy to let out all at once.
Her expression was unreadable.
But I knew.
She wanted to cry.
Maybe even laugh at how badly everything had gone.
But she did neither.
She just walked over… and sat down beside Mom.
"Sweetheart, you're back? Where is Marie?" Mom asked immediately, her voice laced with concern. "Didn't you both walk together? Did you do the right thing?"
Young Aria let out a shaky breath.
"I don't know, Mom… I really don't."
Her voice cracked, and this time she couldn't stop it—tears slipped down her cheeks, quiet but steady.
"Everything I do just feels wrong… and now Marie thinks I was trying to humiliate her."
Mom's expression softened instantly.
"Hey… look at me," she said gently.
Young Aria didn't.
"Aria."
Slowly… reluctantly… she did.
"When you told me to do the right thing…" young Aria began, her voice smaller now, "you never bothered finding out who Lewis was."
"I knew you would tell me when you were ready," Mom replied calmly. "So tell me now."
Young Aria hesitated, her fingers tightening against her skirt.
"He's the same boy that came here that day… with his father. Your workmate."
"Oh… that boy?" Mom's brows lifted slightly. "I thought you liked him. Or maybe he liked you."
"No—no, I… I don't," Aria said quickly, almost too quickly. Her voice betrayed her nerves.
Mom noticed—but didn't push.
"Alright," she said softly. "Tell me what happened."
Young Aria swallowed hard.
"He gave me a note… he wanted to meet me in the library."
Her voice dropped.
"But I made Marie go instead."
A pause.
"She thought we planned it. Like… like we were making fun of her. Because of what happened with Jasmine."
Her hands clenched tightly now.
"I didn't mean for that to happen. I just thought… maybe it would help. Maybe she needed something good for once."
Her voice broke again.
"But everything just got worse."
Mom nodded slowly, taking it all in.
"I understand," she said gently. "But listen carefully… helping someone doesn't mean deciding things for them."
Young Aria went still.
Those words hit deeper than anything else.
"He asked to meet you," Mom continued softly. "Did you ever think it might have been important?"
Young Aria's throat tightened.
"He saw me at the music hall… and he didn't say anything."
"Maybe," Mom said, her voice calm but firm, "he needed privacy to say it."
That made young Aria pause.
A small realization flickered across her face.
"I… didn't think of that."
Mom reached out and took her hand.
"You have a good heart," she said softly. "But you must learn this—putting yourself first is not selfish."
Young Aria looked up at her, eyes still wet.
"Your dreams, your choices, your voice… they matter. Don't lose them trying to fix everything for everyone else."
Silence settled between them.
But this time, it wasn't empty.
It felt… heavy. Real.
"If Marie is truly your friend," Mom added gently, "she will find her way back."
A pause.
"But right now… you need to talk to Lewis."
Young Aria hesitated.
Then slowly… she nodded.
For a moment, I just watched them.
Really watched them.
And then I understood something I hadn't before.
Dad was wrong.
A woman like this…
could never be forgotten.