ECHOES OF PAST

The sound of champagne glasses clinking felt like a bad joke. I was standing in the middle of the ballroom, dressed in the red dress Evan had picked for me, surrounded by people who didn't even know my name. All they cared about was him. Evan Grayson. Golden boy. Charming smile. Liar. He was standing a few feet away, holding a glass of whiskey and laughing like everything was perfect. His hand was resting on Emma Lancaster's lower back like it had every right to be there. I stared at that hand. The same hand that used to hold me at night. The same hand that promised me forever. Laughter bubbled up in my throat, but it didn't sound like me. It sounded cracked and broken. Ten years of my life. Ten years of being his shadow, his quiet supporter, the woman behind the scenes. I gave him my heart, my body, my time. He gave me lies. "Aria," Lena hissed beside me. She grabbed my arm, squeezing it. "Don't do anything stupid." "Stupid?" I whispered. "I've been doing stupid for ten years." Her eyes flicked toward Evan and back to me. "Aria, this isn't the place." I looked down at the engagement ring on Emma's finger. It sparkled under the lights like it was mocking me. Ten years together, and he had never proposed to me. Not once. But he had been with her for six months, and now she was wearing my dream on her hand. Lena exhaled through her nose. "Please, don't make a scene." I tilted my head and smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. "No, Lena. I'm done being quiet." Before she could stop me, I crossed the room. My heels clicked on the marble floor, and heads began to turn. People whispered. Evan turned just as I reached him. The smile froze on his face."Aria," he said, too calm, like he wasn't standing next to the woman he'd betrayed me with. "What are you doing here?" I leaned in close enough to smell the expensive cologne he wore for special occasions. The kind he used when he wanted to impress. "You invited me, remember?" My voice was sweet, almost too sweet. Emma blinked, all wide-eyed innocence. "Evan, who is she?" My chest burned, but I forced the corners of my mouth upward. "Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. I'm just the woman who's been living with him for the last ten years." A ripple of gasps spread through the nearby crowd. Evan's jaw tightened. "Aria, don't start. "Start?" I laughed. "Evan, I'm not starting. You already started when you told me you loved me while buying an engagement ring for someone else." His face shifted into something colder. "This isn't the time." "Of course it is," I said. "You owe me that much." Emma wrapped her arm around his, like she was claiming him in front of me. "This is pathetic," she said softly. "You should leave." I turned to her, and for a second, I almost pitied her. She thought she was winning. She had no idea she was standing next to a man who could smile into your eyes while stabbing you in the back. "No, Emma. Pathetic is giving ten years to a man who promised you forever and finding out forever means nothing." Security started moving toward us. I could hear Lena calling my name. but I couldn't stop. The words poured out like someone had torn the dam open. "I wasted ten years," I said, looking straight at Evan. "And for what? So you could throw me away like trash?" His voice dropped low enough so only I could hear. "Aria, walk away." I stared at him. That calm, warning tone was the same one he'd used every time he wanted me to shrink. Not tonight. I stepped even closer, my face inches from his. "I loved you. You said you'd marry me." His expression didn't even flicker. "I lied." Something inside me snapped. Just like that. A clean break. Ten years of love turned to ash. I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I just smiled. "Then I hope she's worth it," I whispered. Security finally reached me, but before they could touch me, Evan put a hand on my arm, dragging me toward a side hallway. He smiled at the guests like everything was fine, like we weren't falling apart behind the curtains. He pushed the door open to a quiet corridor and shut it behind us. The noise from the ballroom disappeared. "Aria," he said, low and sharp. "You just embarrassed me in front of everyone." I jerked my arm out of his grip. "Good. You deserved it." His jaw clenched. "You don't understand. Emma's father-" "I don't care about Emma's father!" My voice cracked. "You promised me everything." He laughed then. A short, cruel sound. "You really thought I was going to marry you?" The hallway tilted slightly. I grabbed the wall to stay steady. "Yes," Iwhispered. "Aria," he said, almost gently. "You were never more than a comfortable option. You made things easy. But Emma gives me more than you ever could." The words hit harder than any slap. I had loved him since I was nineteen. I gave him everything. "You're a monster," I said. "And you're a fool," he answered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver keycard. "I'm not letting you ruin this for me. You're going to disappear quietly. I'll make sure you get something to live on. That's generous." I stared at him. "Generous? You used me for a decade." He moved closer, lowering his voice. "If you walk away now, I'll make it painless." Something in his eyes made my blood turn cold. This wasn't just about breaking up. There was something darker lurking beneath his calm face. "Painless?" I repeated. "What are you talking about?" He tilted his head, almost like he was bored. "Let's not pretend you can survive without me. It'll be easier if you don't make this messy." For the first time, I felt fear creep up my spine. Evan wasn't threatening me out of anger. He was calm, calculated and dangerous. "Evan," I said slowly. "What are you planning?" He leaned in close, his breath hot against my ear. "You'll find out soon enough." I stumbled back. "You wouldn't." "Wouldn't I?" He smiled. It wasn't the smile I fell in love with. It was cold, sharp and empty. Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and I realized with a sick twist in my stomach that we were completely alone. The party music was just a dull hum behind the heavy door. I turned toward the exit, but his hand shot out, gripping my wrist. "Don't." "Let me go," I hissed. "Aria, listen to me. You don't get to ruin my life just because you're bitter." "Bitter?" I laughed, but it came out shaky. "You ruined mine." He slammed me against the wall. Not hard enough to leave a bruise but enough to remind me of the strength I'd ignored all these years. His face was inches from mine, his eyes dark. "You don't get it," he whispered. "I can't let you walk away." My heartbeat roared in my ears. I shoved at his chest, but his grip tightened. "Evan, stop," I said, louder this time. "You should have stayed quiet," he murmured. For a second, I saw the man I'd once loved, hidden under all that cruelty. But then he pulled something shiny from his pocket. My breath caught. A knife. It wasn't big, but it was enough. I froze. "Evan..." He didn't blink. "You should have walked away." I pushed him hard, but he pinned me back again. Panic clawed at my throat. He wasn't bluffing. I could see it in his eyes. "Evan, please," I whispered. His mouth twisted. "Goodbye, Aria." The pain came fast and hot. My knees buckled, and the hallway blurred. I slid down the wall, my hand pressing against the warm blood spreading across my stomach. He crouched in front of me, almost tenderly, like this was some mercy. "Don't take it personally," he said softly. "You were never part of the future." The world tilted. I heard footsteps, or maybe they were just in my head. His face faded in and out like a bad dream. Somewhere far away, someone was calling my name. Lena. She must have followed. But her voice grew faint. Everything did. The ceiling spun, and then... silence. Right before the darkness swallowed me, I heard a whisper. It wasn't Lena. It wasn't Evan. It was something else. Soft. Cold. Close to my ear. Do it over. My eyes fluttered shut. The last thing I saw was Evan's face, calm and empty as I slipped into the dark. And then... I gasped. I was in my bed. In our apartment. Evan's arm was around my waist. The clock on the nightstand said 6:12 a.m. And the man who killed me was breathing softly beside me.